Hello Tatertots & Jello readers! It feels like it has been forever since I’ve been here because this summer was filled with traveling and moving for my family and I. We are finally getting settled into our new house but there is SO MUCH that will need to be made over in the upcoming years. One of the things that drives me crazy is the refrigerator in our kitchen. Its original to 1991, when the house was built, and it’s -no joke- real wood, oak paneled. I’m sure it was “high class” back in the early 90’s!

The big bummer is that not only is it ugly, but it also isn’t magnetic, which means I can’t hang any of my daughter’s art work on it. I’m not one for having a bunch of stuff cluttering the front of my fridge, but when my daughter comes home with something she’s really proud of, I like to display it on the fridge for a few days. I knew I needed to create something magnetic for the kitchen, and I just happened to have an old window that I love, and that fits perfectly on the wall next to the pantry. I had, what I thought was a genius idea, to use Rust-Oleum’s magnetic paint to paint the window, and then use chalk paint over it to make it a magnetic chalkboard for the kitchen. Genius, right?

I started by cleaning the window with rubbing alcohol to get the glass perfectly clean. There are lots of ways to clean windows but rubbing alcohol is an easy way to remove any/all residue, and not leave any streaks.

Next I painted on 3 coats of magnetic paint, as per the instructions on the box.

I let the window dry over night and then the next morning I sprayed it with a couple coats of Rust-Oleum’s chalkboard spray paint. After the chalkboard paint was dry I brought it back in the house and hung it up and then I got out the magnets. I put the first magnet up… it fell off. I tried an even stronger magnet… it fell off! I quickly realized that my genius idea and become a project FAIL, and one that I was super bummed about!

So now I have a cool chalkboard window in my kitchen, but still nowhere to hang my daughter’s artwork. {Insert BIG sad face} I racked my brain trying to think of a way I could still make it work. I happened to have a sheet of steel in the garage so I tried duct taping that to the back, but the glass was too thick so the magnets still wouldn’t hold.

I was finally able to come up with a solution, and though it wasn’t my first choice, I think it turned out pretty cute. I ended up taking the steel off the back of the window and had my husband cut it to fit the lower portion of the window. I spray painted the piece of steel with the remainder of my chalkboard paint and then I used 3M foam mounting tape to secure the steel to the front of the window.

To cover the seam between the steel and the window glass I used teal washi tape, which gives the chalkboard a pop of color. I used my Silhouette to cut out the “my Materpieces” and then hung the clips with with magnets so my daughter can hang her artwork with the clips.

Overall I’m please with the way it turned out but I’m still bummed the magnetic paint didn’t work.

Have any of you ever used the Rust-Oleum Magnetic Paint? I would love to hear about your experience with it, and if/how you were able to get it to work! Please share your wisdom with me so next time this can be a project success!

Thanks for letting me hang out today!

So cute Anna!! 

I love that you turned a project that could have been a project fail, and turned it into something you love!!

That happens to make ALL the time LOL!!

Anna is amazing — here are a few other awesome ideas from Ask Anna: 

Linen Closet Organization

How to Hang a Wreath on a Glass Door

How to Organize a Kids Room 

Be sure to follow along with Ask Anna for even more amazing Home Organizing and Cleaning Ideas!! 

Have a Beautiful Day! 

xoxo

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