Pretty Playroom: Mod Alphabet Wall & Magnetized Chalkboard How-To

Note: this post has nothing whatsoever to do with today's holiday - see here and here about that if you're so inspired - though it's plenty saccharine in content. Consider yourselves warned - and, um, Happy Valentine's / Singleton Appreciation Day!

Of all the things I've been surprised to learn about myself via this stay-at-home-mom business, my ability to copy the creative projects of others has to top the list. I mean, just about anyone can come up with a new home decor idea, but it takes a real visionary to duplicate it step for step, right? Riiight?

(Quit your complaining about this soccer mom post, by the way - it has been One of Those Weeks here at Pretty HQ, complete with expiring washing machines & sick toddler, so you're getting my Pretty playroom crafts and you will like it. YOU WILL LIKE IT!!! GET OFF MY LAWN! We'll get back to shoes & such just as soon as my budget / will to live recovers.)

(Ahem.)

Anywhoo, still suffering from severe Pinterest-itis - and legitimately wanting to liven up the boring, blank walls of Master P's play area, since he's grown so much more aware of his surroundings lately - I recently went in search of alphabet wall decor. As always, the design challenge here was to find child-friendly decor that didn't singe my adult eyeballs with the Comic Sans cuteness of it all; given that our play space is part of our Austin-y, somewhat modern open area living room / kitchen / dining room area, something that visually appeals to kids & adults alike was key.

Enter the Paul Thurlby alphabet wall, as 100% plagiarized from inspired by The Tichenor Family's post; the framed letter pages are courtesy of this fab little book here:

Available here in book form; prints available here

Since this project is entirely someone else's idea, I'll re-direct you to her post for the directions, only adding my two tips: (1) an Exacto knife helps in dissecting the book, and I'd have your frames handy at that point as well to size your cuts correctly; and (2) here are some things that take less time than cutting, framing & aligning 26 letters: EVERYTHING.

Lost years of my life aside, I'm secretly delighted with how this turned out:

I left the messy counters as is just to keep it real, 'yo.

Our book edition came with a poster displaying the letters, which I laminated & posted at the wee CEO's eye level.

"P is for Pretty", obvs.

I'll bore you with a more comprehensive playroom re-do post once I get a few nit-picky details in place. Speaking of boring you with project ideas I've "borrowed". . .

Magnetized Chalkboard Directions (Subtitle: "I Can't Believe I'm Posting Craft Directions")

Since I was flooded - FLOODED! - with inquiries about that crafty little magnetized chalkboard I did up for our play area - if by "flooded" we mean a handful of you sorta asked - here's a brief how-to for this cheap & easy (insert Kardas*hian joke here) one:

Materials Needed
- 1 drip oil-pan (hardware stores & Walmart - eek- have these for approx. $10)
- 1 can chalkboard spray paint (sold in same section as the usual spray paint)
- 1 tarp to (1) conceal crafting shame & (2) lay under pan while spraying
- 1 fashion magazine, the snootier/less attainable, the better
- 1 block medium-grade sandpaper
- 1 package permanent mounting squares (I used these)
- bonus magnet materials: craft store wooden figures and adhesive magnet squares

Step 1: open "Vogue" or similar; pause to consider how much your life has changed PK (post-kid).

Step 2: sand top of oil pan thoroughly - you want to rough up the surface so the paint sticks better. Or something like that. It made sense at the time (see step 1).

Step 3: spray top of pan with one coat of paint. Wait 30 minutes or so, repeat.

Step 4: let dry for 24 hours, then run a piece of chalk sideways-like over board to ensure you've got enough paint layers on there.

Step 5: apply self-adhesive squares to back corners & center of pan to hang. Voila:

Step 6, if you're feeling ambitious: I slapped some adhesive magnet squares on the back of some wooden figurines from the craft store - yes, those places still give me the artificial flower-encrusted hives - and - presto! - magnets.

Again, this project was a combination of two other originals, so you may want to reference my original post/links for directions from people who actually appear to know what they're talking about vs. me.

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Brilliant, right - or are you just dying to re-arrange that alphabet wall to spell "SOCCER MOM SELL-OUT"?