DIY: Chalkboard Storage Jars and Tins

How many of you have jumped on the chalkboard paint bandwagon?  There are so many cute little products that a simple chalkboard or chalkboard paint can spruce up and bring new life to.

Paint an old frame any color and then paint the glass with chalkboard paint.
Easy.
image via

This beauty is from the blog Dear Lillie.  The blog (and the online shop of the same name) are owned by
Jennifer Holmes, who changes out the sayings on her picture frame on a whim.  Her home is
gorgeous and has been featured all over the place, both online and in print.
Definitely worth jumping on over to it and checking it out!

Last Christmas at a boutique, I bought some reusable heart shaped wooden tags that were covered in chalkboard paint-- super cute.

These are like mine, and available at the etsy shop The Cottage Market.

I saw these little beauties over on the Anthropologie website...

Anthropologie Spice Jar

Anthro Storage Jars

And while I think they are super cute, I don't see myself spending $10 to $36 apiece on them.  So what's a girl to do?  

Pull out a can of spray paint and make her own.  I had an empty Illy coffee can. (Have you tried Illy espresso?  If you haven't,  you should; it makes the best cup of coffee.  I use it in my French press and LOVE it.)  I also had some chalkboard sticky tag things that I got at Staples.  They're from the Martha Stewart collection. 

Okay, I looked it up.  "Chalkboard sticky tag things" wasn't appeasing the old English major in me.  They're called Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery Chalkboard Labels in Flourish.  Labels, duh!  I may be just a tad tired as I sit and write this!  These are around $6 for a pack of 12.  And you can get them in different sizes.

image via Adventures in the Anderl House

So first, I sandpapered the can.  Then it was given a good coat of white spray paint.  It was left to dry overnight, and then, voila!  I was able to slap on a label and call it a diy success.

I also got an old cookie jar at the Salvation Army for under $2.  Originally, it was a cream color with a strange mushroom design on it.  (I did take before pictures, but the USB card got, um, compromised, shall we say, so I lost all those pics.)  Sandpaper, spray paint, and a label.  Done.

Once my Dad knew I had done this, he took it upon himself to save some empty glass jars for me and to spray paint them white.  All they needed was for me to add some of my leftover labels.  Easy!  And much cheaper than  $10 a pop; since I am recycling, the only thing I needed to buy was the labels; we had the spray paint already on hand.  I love easy, cheap projects!

So here are the finished products.  You can add the labels to just about anything you want to.  Not bad for  a few bucks.

Day 21~   I am thankful that my brother and sister-in-law will be visiting us for Christmas!  And I am thankful that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and that we will be spending it with friends, family, and lots of delicious food.

~Lori