| | | | | | |

DIY Chalkboard Polka Dot Christmas Countdown Sign {from an old cabinet door}

Forty days until Christmas!

It will be here before we know it! And today I am sharing this DIY Polka Dot Chalkboard Christmas Countdown Sign that I made using an old kitchen cabinet door. It was a fun project to get me into the spirit of Christmas decorating- after finishing it I had to hold myself back from digging into all the Christmas bins and banishing my fall décor for another year. But I will make myself wait. A few more days.

Chalkboard Polka Dot Christmas Countdown Sign green banner at thehappyhousie

To make this you need:

affiliate links message

 

IMG_0334

I started out with a cabinet door that used to live on our bathroom cabinets (we replaced the doors only on the vanities when we redid the bathrooms – see our before and after pictures). We have the exact same cabinets in our kitchen. The melamine has separated from the MDF and peels off super easily.

IMG_0238

So, I peeled off the melamine and then lightly sanded the door down… filled the old handle holes with filler, sanded it smooth and then primed it. IMG_0239

Once the primer was dry I gave it about 3-4 coats of white craft paint (Summer Linen by Martha Stewart).

 Then I used some round objects like these buttons to lightly trace polka dots with a pencil.

IMG_0314

Next I filled in the dots with the craft paint and the red paint pen – using an angled brush works best when using the craft paint as it allows you to do smooth edged circles.

Then used a larger round shape to trace my chalkboard polka dot:

IMG_0315

And filled it in with my homemade chalkboard paint…

IMG_0316

Lastly I sketched out my lettering with pencil – I found examples of signs I liked and practiced sketching it out first on a piece of paper… if you aren’t comfortable with this type of free handing you can always use this method for printing out letters and using only a pencil to transfer them onto your sign.

IMG_0333

 

Lastly I “primed” my chalkboard polka dot by rubbing chalk all over it, and then wiped the chalk off before writing my number for the day.

IMG_0335

And the countdown begins!

DIY Chalkboard Polka Dot Christmas Countdown Sign at thehappyhousie

DIY Chalkboard Polka Dot Christmas Countdown Sign side at thehappyhousie

DIY Chalkboard Polka Dot Christmas Countdown Sign close at thehappyhousie

My boys’ are pretty excited about the countdown- I plan to hang this above the beautiful Advent quilt that my Mom made for them last year. Guess I better think about what to fill that advent quilt with. The squares are pretty tiny – any ideas??

 This is part of the Get Your DIY On Challenge: Holiday Signs. Head over to see the amazing signs that my cohosts have done this week!!

Get Your DIY On Challenge Holiday Signs collage

DIY Sparkly Ornaments Sign by April at House by Hoff

O Come Let Us Adore Him Christmas Sign by Abby at Just a Girl and Her Blog

Illuminated Holiday Sign by Christy at Confessions of a Serial Do-It-Yourselfer

Joy Pallet Sign by Mandy at The Hankful House

I can’t wait to see what you have to share this week- it doesn’t have to be a Christmas sign even though we all chose to focus on the Christmas holiday for our projects this week. It could be something you did for Thanksgiving, or even Easter – any holiday sign that you have is perfect!! I would love to see some printables here too – I am look for some fabulous printables to add to our Christmas décor this year!

 See you on Sunday night (7pm EST) for the Holiday Signs Challenge!!

Do you do a countdown with your family or children? An advent calendar? What type of traditions does your family have leading up to the holiday?

Thanks for reading. And remember my housie friends, HOME isn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey!

signature-150x150

 

bloglovin facebook google+ instagram twitter rss pinterest

This was featured at!

Grab button for Reasons To Skip The Housework

I may link up at some of these fabulous places below, for more info check out housie parties:

Make the Scene Monday , Monday Funday , Give Me the Goods Monday , Inspiration Monday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Project Inspire{d} , Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, Wow Me Wednesday Whimsy Wednesday , Fall Into Fall , From Dream to Reality, The Inspiration Exchange, Live Laugh Rowe Live Laugh Linky, Thursdays Are Your Days, The Weekly Creative , The Creative Connection, Inspire Me Please, Fabulously Creative Friday, Party Junk, Pinworthy Projects , Link Party Palooza,, Weekend Bloggy Reading, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Spotlight Saturday, Get Schooled Saturday, Overflowing With Creativity , , Suburbs Mama , That DIY Party , The Life of Jennifer Dawn

 

Save

Similar Posts

54 Comments

  1. Pingback: 10 Holiday Ideas
    1. I think it is helpful to ‘prime’ your chalkboard before using it so that the first thing you write on it in chalk doesn’t permanently etch itself into the chalkboard… that is what I have read before anyhow:) Thanks for your visit and comments Katie!!

  2. Well, how clever are you? This is awesome Krista. When I first saw your sign I kept thinking why is she calling it a cabinet door? I didn’t even recognize it you repurposed it so well! And I LOVE the chalkboard circle. What a clever idea! I would love if you linked up your polka dot christmas sign at the Link It or Lump It link party this week! http://www.twoityourself.blogspot.com/2013/11/link-it-or-lump-it-14-and-features.html – Melissa

    1. Thank you Melissa- I have been hoarding a few cupboard doors for a future sign-making project and was thrilled to get to use one. And thanks for the invite!!

    1. Thanks Rhonda! I knew I was hoarding those cabinet doors in my garage for some good reason. Glad I found a good use for them!! Thanks for your visit and comments:)

    1. Ha ha! But when I redo the kitchen I think we are just going to paint the existing doors… They paint up quite nicely, and I think it would be fun to try doing them with chalkpaint.

  3. OMgosh, is that number for real?! Yikes! This is SO cute!! I love that you used an old cupboard door too and of course your styling is beautiful, as always! XO

    1. Thank you Christy! Yes that is a real number… and counting down as we speak. CRAZY! I have been too busy doing craft projects to realize how soon it is coming. Can’t wait to get out my Christmas décor now. Hope you have a fab weekend friend:)

    1. Hi Rachel! Yes, forty days, wow!! I think old cabinet doors are perfect for signs. I have a couple more I am hoarding for later:) Have a great weekend!

    1. Thank you Becca! I love how bright and cheery it looks- my boys are pretty excited about the countdown. Thanks so much for coming to visit in person!!

    1. Hi Amy! Thank you:) The pom pom trim is some sewing trim that I picked up for some Christmas décor projects… that I haven’t quite gotten to yet. But pom pom garlands are on my to-do list!! Have a great weekend Amy:)

  4. What a great project! I had no idea that melamine could be removed – definitely good to know. Love that you used different objects to make the circles – nice reuse of old/everyday things instead of fancy crafting tools!

    1. Hi Laura- it is crazy how the melamine just peels off. I don’t know if all melamine cabinets would do that or just ours- they are almost 20 years old and the seal is broken between the melamine and the MDF – which is a good think because it means that we can peel and paint the MDF doors for our kitchen rather then replacing the whole lot. But that is a big job best left for after the holidays. Ya, I kind of tend to use whatever I have laying around -only own a few ‘fancy’ crafting tools because I am pretty thrifty:) So thrilled about your visit and comments! Have a great weekend:)

  5. SO cute! I bet your boys will love seeing the number go down and down and down! I want to make an advent calendar for my little guys this year… guess I had better get on the ball with that! I was thinking of putting some kind of chocolate (Hershey’s Kisses?) in theirs. Thanks again for sharing your beautiful sign!

    ~Abby =)

    1. Hi Abby! They would definitely love chocolate. My mom set the bar a little high last year when she made their advent calendar by filling it with super cool stuff. Maybe they don’t remember that and will be happy with just Hershey’s Kisses? You never know:) Have a great weekend friend!

  6. Krista, can I tell you how much I LOVE this? I so have to make one!!! Although just seeing the number of days left (yikes!) freaks me out just a tiny bit! Fantastic and beautiful job, as always! Thanks so much for sharing and pinning! Hope you have a happy Thursday!

    1. Hi Cindy! I know… it is crazy how quickly it is coming now. But I can’t wait to get the rest of our Christmas décor out now. Have a fab weekend!

    1. That is such a great idea Ashley – I like the idea of using activities as well as treats. And the bible verses is such a great way to lead up to Christmas – reinforcing the true meaning of the holiday. Thanks for your visit – have a great weekend!

  7. Krista it’s really nice – well done! Can’t believe it’s 40 days ’til Christmas – eeek! I’ve never done a proper advent calendar but I’ve always wanted to. Maybe this year…..

    1. Hi Petra! Time is gaining on us… but there is still lots of time to set up an advent calendar. There are so many cool ideas out there right now for them – but I am thankful we already have ours (handmade by Grandma last year). Now to fill it!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.