Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Fun Chalkboard Paint Project


I had the best time at the Raleigh Flea Market this past Saturday! One of the treasures I found was this beautiful old picnic basket! I have been searching for several years for just the right picnic basket, and was so excited to find this one and for a great price, too!

I have had this project in mind for years, just waiting for the right picnic basket to come along:



It involves the picnic basket &...you guessed it!....Chalkboard paint!!!!!!

I painted a couple of coats on the inside of the lid. This way when you lift the lid to get out your goodies everyone can see your fun message!


I used Chalk Ink markers made just for chalkboards (found @ Michael's or on Amazon) to write about the fun things you do on a picnic! This would also be cute for writing your picnic menu, or a quote or love note!

The cool thing about these Chalk Ink markers is they don't smudge, so the writing doesn't come off till you clean it with water or a little ammonia based cleaner! Perfect for this project....your message won't be erased by the yummies in your basket!


No lid on your picnic basket???

Just get a small chalkboard, drill 2 holes in the top of the wood (or just use your trusty hot glue gun!) and tie it with ribbon to the front of your basket!

Easy-peasy lemon-squeezey!!!


Tuck in some pretty fabric to line your picnic basket, and fill with:

mouth-waterin' yummy goodies
pretty vintage little plates you found thriftin'
some binoculars for bird watching
a frisbee or bubbles or deck of cards
a good book or magazine to gaze at
a couple of plastic grocery bags to hold dirty dishes on the way home
and your camera to capture the memories!


My girls are home on track-out (they go to a year-round school....9 weeks tracked in school, then 3 weeks tracked out...all year round....yes, they get additional holiday breaks, and yes we LOVE it!) so I'm heading to the kitchen now to pack a yummy picnic lunch for the family!

Isn't this project fun?!!
Let me know if you try this too!

ps--Thank you SO much to everyone for the dear birthday messages y'all left me yesterday! It totally made my day :)!!!

36 comments:

Stacey said...

Oh my goodness, that's one of my favorite projects ever! We have always had picnics and just enjoy them so much. Thanks for showing this adorable project.

Have fun!!

Carry Grace said...

Great project! Thanks for the tip on the Chalk Ink markers. I have never heard of those.

Janice said...

I love this idea. I bet you had so much fun doing this project.
I'm always looking for fun ideas using chalkboard paint.
Enjoy your new picnic basket and use it often.

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Soooooo pretty! (Nice handwriting, btw) :) We haven't done a picnic in ages, but my town has "music in the park" on Tuesdays at lunch...might have to try taking the girls and see how they do. :)

Shell in your Pocket said...

So cute and perfect...I just love it!
sandy toe

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

Oh my and to think that I literally have the same basket and was thinking of giving it to Good Will. Yes, it was in "the pile." That's just adorable and I hope you had a wonderful day yesterday. I was gone most of the day or I would have loved to come hang out at your party. :)xox Happy blessed birthday!

Shannon said...

That is absolutely adorable! Now I will be on the lookout for a perfect picnic basket too! :)

Girl with the Curlz said...

What a great idea. Too cute. Thanks for sharing.

Linda

Lesley said...

fabulous Idea...how awesome...Love this....

cherry said...

Soooo cute, cute, cute! I have two of those baskets...one a bit smaller than the other ...I painted them black...NOW I wish I would have kept them their ori. color and done this! Brilliant. cherry

Victoria Hayden said...

I love this! A great find and you made it extra special! I want to go on a picnic now...love the reds...so summer!

Hugs,
~Victoria~

Heather said...

How cute!!

Jessica said...

This is so cute!

Have fun with your family :-)

Shanda said...

I LOVE chalkboard paint! In our old house we painted one of the walls in the basement with it and bought the dust free chalk so the kids had a surface that was all theirs to draw on.

Christina said...

What a wonderful project. I love it. Picnics are such fun.

I'm glad you mentioned the chalk markers too--I'll have to be on the lookout.

Cheryl said...

I love this idea on the picnic basket. How cute to do it on the inside of the lid so that it's visible to read once you unpack everything.
Hope you enjoyed your picnic. Everything sure looked delicious in the photo.

Dawn said...

How cute is that??? Adorable!

Hugs from Eventually Cottage!

WhisperWood Cottage said...

C-L-E-V-E-R!

Glitter & Bliss said...

How cute is that!!!!!!!

Michelle, All Home and Love said...

What a cute project!
~Michelle

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

I love it--isn't chalkboard paint amazing. I have never seen it used on a picnic basket, very creative.

J.J. said...

That is such a great reminder to actually DO FUN STUFF LIKE THAT!! You are such a fun Mom! Hope you had fun!

Melissa Marie said...

I love picnic baskets... but never even thought about painting the inside with chalkboard paint... such a cute idea! Love it. :)

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Happy belated birthday! Very cute project! I have those markers and they're really much better to use than regular chalk!

Manuela

Tami (Pixeltrash) said...

So cute! I painted the lid on mine when it got wet and looked icky after we used it for a few years. That's a great idea. I love chalkboard paint.

Mrs. Jones said...

Cute idea! I love chalk board paint.

~Heather

Melissa Miller said...

What a precious idea Stacey! ;)

Lady Pamela said...

Just visited your fun blog. Thank you for all the inspiration.

Nancy Rosalina said...

Stacey, This is so amazing!!! You have out done yourself my friend! My picnic basket has a basket weave for the lid....sucks...now, I have to start looking for a new one! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful project!!! Nancy

Mandi @ Sweetly Home said...

My mom has such a similiar looking picnic basket. Brought back so many memories of she and my grandma carrying their baskets back and forth to different family gatherings just filled with wonderful goodies.

Thanks for posting about the chalkboard markers. I've been wanting one but not sure where to get it.

Sherri said...

First of all, I love the basket. I love vintage things too, espcially old books!!!
I like the school schedule. I homeschool now but had my children in a regular public school before that...with a typical summer off things. There are so many things that they forget in that three month period, and they get so tired by the end of it. I think the 9 weeks on and 3 off would be amazing. I could do that with homeschooling, but then my kids wouldn't be out for the summer, which would make it hard when their friends are calling to hang out and play.
I look forward to looking at some more of your posts to find more fun stuff!

jeanne @ Inspiring Ideas said...

Fun project! Cute!

Diana Ferguson said...

Loved this picnic basket idea! Got to try it.

Unknown said...

This is an ADORABLE idea! I'm having a Crazy About Chalkboards Party next Friday, June 26th, and you should stop by and link up for it!

I love your idea!

Unknown said...

What a fantastic idea! My son is getting married next year and I think this idea would make the perfect shower present! Thanks for sharing! I need to get searching for the perfect basket, I dont't have years! Sue

Judy@cutest-little-things.blogspot.com said...

I'm just seeing this!! What an incredibly clever idea! I love it! I've never heard of the chalk ink markers! This is pure genius!

Thank you for sharing! {the photography is BEAUTIFUL by the way!}

Judy@cutest-little-things