I’ve absolutely refused to decorate for Fall or Halloween. I feel like some kind of decorating grinch. I promise that it’s not the size of my heart that’s the issue. I also promise that living in the south has draw backs, i.e. sweating like it’s hot…umm cause it tis hot. And humid. Yuk.

How can I decorate for the chilly season when the only chill I have to worry about is the A to the C. Southern girl problems I know. Totally tragic.

But Saturday, oh glorious day. A cool 65 and clear blue sky with a fall festival in every small town. I sported my jeans like a Jordache hipster. I donned my ever so chic red glam plaid flannel shirt.

Saturday. I. Owned. Fall.

I’m over the hump from summer to fall and I’m ready for fall, ya’ll. (sorry I couldn’t resist)

Well it’s a good thing too because a group of bloggers that I now call friends and I are bringing you a special Autumn Tour! Make sure to check out their amazing projects at the end of my post.

I’m bringing my version of Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving decorating to the DIY stage. If you’re new here then you might not know that Big Daddy and I are not really into decorating for Halloween. Without wee ones at home it’s kinda pointless. I believe the biggest decorating draw for Halloween is a bowl of candy. And I say that’s allllll riiiiighhht.

So after the candy does a nose dive into a cute bowl, I say decorating done. What’s next?

I kinda love Thanksgiving. I love the memories and the nostalgia.

But I love contemplating my blessings. Because there are so. dang. many. blessings. So if you’re needing a way to brag on your blessings I’ve got you covered.

Let’s begin.

First up: DIY Designer Magnets

Supplies:

1. Clear Glass Floral Decorative Fillers/Gems with flat bottoms (I bought mine at the Dollar Store, then decided those were too small. So I got another bag from Michaels with gems that were much bigger)

2. Any image/picture/scrapbook paper (I’m kinda itching to make a Superhero collection by using comic books)

3. Magnets (I bought ProMag magnets from Michaels)

4. Glass & Bead Adhesive

Make Your Own Magnet

The process is really simple. So simple I went to town on these mags and didn’t take any pics of the process. Choose a gem and place it on the paper. Align the gem over the image that you want and trace around the bead. Cut out your traced circle. Place the glue on the flat side of the bead as well as the side of the paper you want to see through the glass. Mush the glue so that it spreads out evenly. Grab a ProMag magnet and put a spot of glue on one side and mush that onto the paper. Leave them to dry overnight (directions say 24 hours).

I used some scrapbook paper that was on sale. I’m loving the possibilities!Blue DIY Magnets

Copper DIY Magnets

DIY Magnets-4

DIY Magnets-2

DIY Magnets

DIY Magnets-5

Part 2: Blessings (Magnetic) Chalkboard

Supplies:

1. Frame (I bought my frame from Goodwill for $5 and it’s 16″ x 20″)

2. Galvanized Steel (If you want to create a magnetic surface for your oh-so-cute DIY magnets in addition to a chalkboard than getting a sheet of steel from Home Depot is crucial. You can buy a sheet that is 24″ x 48″ and cut it to size.

3. Chalkboard Paint (I used the Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint from Home Depot. You can actually ask the nice people to tint the paint but I just went with black.)

4. Foam Roller

5. Gloves

6. Steel Cutting Scissors

Galvanized Steel

Ok, a few thoughts on safety. Get yo’ self some good gloves and don’t even think about touching this stuff without those gloves on. It’s sharp. Kiddos need not play with this project. You can see from the photo that I went ahead and drew a line where my cuts needed to be. Again I needed the inset to be a 16″ x 20″ sheet of steel to use for my magnetic chalkboard. Using my gloves and a special pair of steel-cutting scissors, I cut away. You may need to talk with a helpful employee as to which pair of scissors you need. My steel is 26 gauge and my scissors cut up to 20 gauge, which is a thicker sheet of metal. By the way, the sheet above costs $20 at Home Depot and you’ll have plenty of extra steel for other projects.

1st coat of chalkboard pain

And here’s the 1st coat of chalkboard paint. In this pic the paint looks black but when I was stirring and rolling it on I swore it was blue. No fear it will actually dry black unless you got yours tinted then well you know.

Side note. I’m the most impatient person on the planet and I HATED that I had to wait 4 hours to do a second coat. And I also HATED that I have to wait 3 days to “season” the chalkboard. #rollingeyes

But I was feeling generous with my time and allowed said drying time.

Here she is with her spanking new DIY magnets!

Blessing Chalkboard

The chalkboard paint works great. As far as the application is concerned it was a smooth finish. But because I have to wait 3 days before I can use chalk on it, I can’t say for sure but I’m really not expecting a DIY fail so let’s assume 3 days passed and I “seasoned” it and actually wrote “blessings chalkboard” with chalk rather than in Photoshop. (Seasoning means to use the edge of a piece of chalk and go across the chalkboard and then erase. If you don’t do this and just write something like “HI” and erase it, you’ll always have the word “HI” showing up).

The Blessings Chalkboard

I envision this chalkboard on a sideboard in a dining room on Thanksgiving Day with notes written in chalk or on notecards, using the magnets of coarse, displaying all the things your guests are thankful for. I think this is a great conversation piece for the holidays and is incredibly functional for everyday.

A win to the double win.

As promised, here are some more Autumn decorating ideas for you! Enjoy!

Autumn Tour

If you want more Autumn decorating ideas be sure to check out my friends blogs here:

Designed Decor

Somewhat Quirky Design

Concord Cottage

Bohemian Junktion

Frou FruGal

Oh My! Creative

or just click on the project below!


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12 Responses

  1. DeDe Bailey

    I am loving it! I love the crown that you have in the pictures too! You can come up here to Ohio and get your Fall on, we have the temps to get you in the mood!

    Reply
  2. karen@somewhatquirkydesign

    I never have understood why Southern bloggers get so excited about fall in August! You sound pretty sane to me. Glad you had a cool day to get you in the mood though. I had to drive south to extend my Indian Summer. The chalkboard is such a great idea for Thanksgiving. I’m glad you shared those magnets. I’ve always wondered what kind of glue people use when they make those.

    Reply
  3. Shannon

    Super cute! We had a blessing tree last year. It’s nice to focus on the blessings during the holidays, instead of getting wrapped up in the business. What a great project. I’m with ya on not being in fall mode. It’s still in the 90’s here.

    Shannon ~ bohemianjunktion.com

    Reply
  4. Lisa

    Christine, I love your Blessings Chalkboard and Magnets!! I still haven’t made a chalkboard and it is on my list. Your story telling is so fun, I was right there with you with the candy bowl. I need to also count my blessings. Thanks for the great reminder, xo Lisa

    Reply
  5. Luisa

    These are super cute. We should all count our blessing always. I’m with you with the Halloween decor. I remember loving Halloween as a child because my mom would always decorate, but I’ve not caught that bug yet. Maybe because, like you, I don’t have little ones to enjoy it. That week in the 60s was amazing wasn’t it? Now we’re back in the 80s…ugh. Hope you’re having a great day!

    Reply
  6. Suesan @ FrouFrugal

    I love the chalkboard. I never realized the drying time was so long on the paint. I have some chalkboard spraypaint that I’ve been meaning to try out on something. I may use that and see what happens. Thanks for the great idea. I have just the spot for this.

    Reply

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