A couple years ago I saw this tree on the cover of Martha Stewart Living. This inspired me to create my own tree of lights.

People stop from all over to look at our tree and we have received a ton of gratitude from our neighbors who love looking at our tree. We love it so much we remove the snowflakes and keep the lights on all year. It is great light for outdoor entertaining and dinners when it warms up.

This year I want to try some of Laysville Hardware's Christmas ball lights to add some color to our tree.
Have any other ideas? I would love to hear from you!

Here's more information on Spray Painting from Rust-Oleum and a "How to" video from Rust-Oleum on YouTube for more detailed instructions. (just click on the highlighted links)

I was amazed with how easy and fast this project was. Of course now my mind is scanning the house to find the next spray paint DIY project. I am thinking of finding some objects and painting them brass to update the living room area in keeping with realtor.com's 2014 Remodeling Trend #2 — Brass Accents. Maybe I can find an old vase or bowl and give it a try.

I probably spend way too much time on Pintrest, especially after 11 pm when I can't fall asleep. For those of you that don't know about Pinterest (John), it is a web community where  members can "pin" images, videos and other objects to their pinboard.  I get a lot of my "inspiration" from things I find on this site. The chalkboard paint was something I had to try.

Our kitchen has a 10 foot by 8 foot wall that was a perfect backdrop for something creative. Laysville Hardware suggested the Benjamin Moore Chalkboard paint. I chose black - but there are a ton of color choices! They recommended a 3/8" nap roller and I picked up the paint tray, some painter's tape a drop cloth and off I went. I saw they also sold magnetic paint — how cool is that?! I picked up a quart of Rust-Oleum magnetic paint and a smaller nap roller to see how we could add a magnetic back board to the project. John from Laysville Hardware recommended I only do a small area for the magnetic paint and boy was he right. I chose to do a bar across the mid/top of the wall so we could post photos, kids art work or little daily notes. After 8 plus coats the magnetic paint finally started working — well worth the effort but it added a little more time to the project.

For detailed instructions on how to apply the Benjamin Moore Chalkboard paint you can visit the Benjamin Moore web site.

We have received so many compliments on our chalkboard wall. Everyone is drawn to it (pun intended). The kids enjoy decorating it for Birthdays, different seasons, and we use it for the letter of the week and other learning opportunities. It is the wall that keeps on giving... and perfect for someone who likes to redecorate every week.

The only con is it can get a bit messy on your floor. I would recommend picking up a dust pan and brush - and stay away from wall to wall carpeting.  A damp sponge makes it easy to clean the chalk off the wall (and floor.)

Other Ideas for the Chalkboard paint:
I have seen chalkboard paint on the back of doors, cabinets, serving trays, kids bedrooms... the possibilities are endless.
Click here to see more chalkboard paint ideas from Benjamin Moore.