Friday, July 6, 2012

Thrifty DIY: Vintage Chalkboard Memo Owl


 I love thinking of new ways to make vintage items useful around the house. This easy Memo owl transforms a large knick-knack into a practical memo board for your kitchen or office.


When I found this giant owl it was spray painted a messy brown and yellow. Look at the size of it compared to your normal knick-knacks! I coated it with primer to prepare it for it's next evolution. Once it dried, all it took was 3 thin coats of Rust-Oleum paint-on chalkboard paint to transform it into a functional and fun-shape chalkboard!


I'll be putting this large owl in my booth (#4504) Southern Crossing Antique Mall today if anyone local is  interested in buying it or getting a better look at it. I'm curious to see how others will feel about my latest creation.


But it makes a nice addition to my kitschy kitchen in the meantime! I definitely recommend trying this out, it's such an easy and satisfying DIY!

Do you like to paint vintage? Or leave the original colors intact? The trend of painting vintage shows no signs of dying down!
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26 comments:

  1. fun idea! Love the picture with your cat sitting beside

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    1. She's an excellent model and helps me illustrate scale when she feels like it ;)

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  2. The owl turned out nicely. (Personally, I am too "timid" to paint most of my vintage stuff. Maybe because I'm waaaaaaay older than you and have had to strip so much in the past LOL!) Still, trends are trends.

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    1. I've been pondering that...with the painting trend we have now I wouldn't be surprised if there's a trend of stripping the paint off vintage finds a decade or two from now!

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  3. great idea; i'd love to try this myself

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  4. You did a fantastic job on this piece....I love finding over-sized items and they generally sell very well. I just sold a giant Koi fish - it wasn't even in the booth for a day and *poof* it found a happy home. How did you do in June? It started out rather slow but ended with a bang....can't wait to see what happens in July!!!

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    1. I ended up putting this one in Treasure House by mistake, oops. I had to work at July, putting furniture and other key bits out front to get the sales higher than they have been. July's started off better than most months, I'll keep switching things out and see what happens :)

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    2. Always, always, always take advantage of the community space.....I usually have at least one piece out there. I have only been turned down once or twice due to space limitations, and if so, I just keep the item in my car until my next trip down there. Have you had a chance to see my new booth?....wondering what your thoughts are. So far, I have had a great turnout! I have a tendency to pack it FULL which may or may not be a good idea....I'm still trying to find an even ground.

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    3. I did see it, it's glorious! I always stop by in when I'm in for inspiration and to admire how you manage to get so much in a small space! I think it's a good thing and wish I could figure out how to get mine as stuffed, I have so much more merchandise in this house that needs to be in shops ;)

      I have a couple of things in the community space, but I'll try to always keep that in mind and remember to switch things out in it, too.

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    4. Thanks Van!! Maybe I will see you next time I'm in. I want to move some of the bigger things around next week...getting bored with the current set up already. Good luck!!

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  5. Love it! Didn't realise how big it was till I saw it beside your gorgeous cat :-)

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    1. She's an excellent scale indicator. I might put her to work when I finally start cranking out Etsy photos, too!

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  6. cute kitty,

    Ilike the display space above your kitchen cabinets

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    1. Thanks! It was the perfect spot to fill with my abundance of thrifted collections ;)

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  7. I think the owl will be snatched up in no time. its such an unexpected use for a great figurine

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  8. Replies
    1. Thank ya. If I find some more big figurines they might be getting the same treatment ;)

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  9. Super cute idea! I'm all for painting vintage (especially animals) when the original color/glaze/metal/etc. is either ugly or damaged. I've never thought of chalkboard paint, though! Now I'm itching to try this...

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  10. you're so good at thinking outside the box. that would never have occured to me, but it's a fun idea!

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