last month there was a magical day. all the stars were aligned. 

my farmer took kaye for an entire day.

i was not only child-free, but had motivation as well as all necessary supplies to start a project i had been wanting to get going for months. 

of course we've all seen those darling chalkboard spaces on pinterest...i knew my turtle needed one. 

this was my opportunity to get some bizz accomplished. 

i started by clearing out a bunch of shi crap that's been collecting in the corner of our basement. the goodies that had been collecting have every intention of going into our basement bathroom that is yet another project we're attempting to finish before turtle 2.0 arrives. we'll see how that turns out. anyway...
i cleaned out the corner and gathered the necessary supplies which included:
  • wall paint - behr, castle path 
  • scotch blue painters tape
  • small paint roller
  • touch-up/trim brush
  • level
1 | i measured the wall and decided how large i wanted the chalkboard to be. this made it super simple to center the chalkboard on the wall. i taped in large sections, and as the tape unrolled i slid the level underneath to make sure i was keeping everything straight. to double check my work, after the tape was secure i measured in different spots to make sure the line was the same distance at all points. 
2 | the next step is to paint inward in the color of wall paint. you do this to create a seal between the tape and the wall. that way when you paint with your different color, it can't bleed underneath the paint. this works brilliantly. it was the first time i'd tried this method and i had the crispest line with zero bleed.
3 | as i not-so-patiently waited for the edges to dry, i got to work with my rust-oleum chalkboard paint. it was less than $10 on amazon and i used less than a quarter of the 30 ounce can. (i guess i have some more chalkboard projects in my future.)
it took three coats to get the coverage i wanted, but because the space was only about 3 x 4 feet it went super fast. as that dried up i did some touch-up painting around the baseboards, doors, and ceiling. touch-up painting...hate it.
4 | once it was completely dry i peeled the blue tape off to reveal my glorious, crisp lines with zero bleed and i couldn't have been more pleased. 

5 | my next step was to randomly place my vinyl dot decals all over the walls. it was the easiest part of the project, by far. i literally peeled them off the backer and placed them on the wall. so so simple. 

if you're on the hunt for decals such as these (or something similar)...or maybe you have an idea of your own but you need help getting them made, let me know! just shoot me an e-mail and i'll get you in touch with my gal. she's the best.
6 | i started with an original budget for this project, that i won't disclose so my farmer doesn't start sweating. let's just say i had big plans for my shopping cart on land of nod. as i thought about it more and more, i realized i had goodies to fill the space already. no extra shopping necessary! a total win in my farmer's book. 

i dragged down kaye's two toy storage bins from upstairs as well as her little play table with chairs and called it good...until i realized i had HOURS until my farmer and turtle were to return. 

i dug out some white chalk and added a little personalized touch: TURTLE ART

 and here is what her turtle art work looks like today...
girlfriend has skills. she is solely responsible for 95% of the vertical lines. 

my farmer drew the speeding tractor in the top left corner as well as the purple cowboy with the 10-gallon, purple hat.

artistic talent clearly runs deep in our family.