Commentary by Krista Bocko
Now that we’re deep into spring, I’m turning almost all of my attention to outside house stuff.
For me – and I live in a super old house – that includes lots of house maintenance, which isn’t always glamorous or fun. However, I’m still always tweaking things on the inside here and there and trying to make the most of the limited space. I love the challenge (most of the time).
So here’s a project I want to share that has been awesome in my kitchen: chalkboard contact paper. I have painted a chalkboard on the side of my pantry, but this contact paper is the stuff to use if you want a less messy, smaller scale solution to paint and chalk dust. I use the contact paper on the inside some of my cabinet doors. I love this because 1) it’s hidden, so while it’s extremely functional, it doesn’t add any visual clutter when the doors are closed, 2) the contact paper is easy to apply and remove, so even if you rent, it’s a great solution, and 3) it’s a great way to keep often used recipes, favorite quotes or sayings, phone numbers or other miscellaneous info in the same spot to refer to again and again.
Buy a roll of chalkboard contact paper and a chalk pen from the craft store. You can use regular chalk to write on your chalkboard paper, but you definitely want the chalk pen! It writes like a marker, doesn’t smudge easily or create chalk dust, and it washes off with a damp cloth. Use a straight edge and an X-Acto knife to make clean cuts and apply. You might find it helpful to use a credit card or a squeegee to smooth out any air bubbles. Bonus: I also use small squares of the paper as pantry jar labels.
So easy, and because I’m impatient and want to see a quick transformation, I love the instant gratification of this project.
