Chalkboard Popcorn Buckets

At my sister-in-law's baby shower, my other sister-in-law and I wanted to offer several different flavors of popcorn as snacks and take-home favors for our guests.  I had seen the idea on Pinterest where people used large glass jars and labeled them, but I didn't really want to shell out the money for additional glass jars.  I mentioned to my mom that I saw some cute plastic popcorn buckets at the Dollar Tree.  They were a good size, but I really wanted to be able to label the different flavors in a cute way.  My mom, being the genius she is, immediately suggested chalkboard paint.

 I decided to give it a whirl, but I left one side as is, just in case the chalkboard paint didn't work.

I started by tracing an oval shape on clear contact paper and cutting it out.  I cut my oval slightly smaller than the oval on the bucket.

After pressing the contact paper down, I masked off the rest of the bucket with paper and painter's tape.  I first sprayed a coat of plastic primer on the bucket.  Then, I did a very light coat of spray chalkboard paint.

Here's what I had after the second coat.  I thought it was looking pretty good until I pulled the contact paper off.

 I quickly realized that my masking job wasn't so good. I had a lot of overspray and some of the paint had seeped under the contact paper.  I started wiping it off with some Goo Gone on a paper towel and, much to my pleasant surprise, it all came off!  I was even able to touch up around the oval with the edge of paper towel.

I'm guessing that since those areas didn't have the plastic primer, it made the paint almost wipe right off.  I let the chalkboard paint cure for a few days before writing on it.  After the shower, I hand washed the buckets and the chalkboard labels held up just fine!

Chalkboard Beer Flight Paddles

For Christmas, I bought my husband a set of beer flight paddles and tasting glasses.  I will admit, it was one of those gifts that was sort of for me as well.  He is a homebrewer and has converted me to a beer lover.  The idea of being able to try several different types in a small amount is really fun to me.  I love it when we're visiting a new city and a restaurant or bar will offer a local beer flight.

I bought the wood paddles and glasses through The WEBstaurant Store.  You have to buy a large quantity, so you might want to go in with a friend or split them up as gifts.  I've seen them in smaller quantities other places, but it was much cheaper to buy a few more.  I figure it will be fun at parties to have a bunch.

Whenever we have people over, they always want to try out his beer.  I thought it would be fun to have some flight paddles so people could sample a few types.  It's hard to keep track of the different types and figure out what you like, especially if you're not an experienced beer aficionado.  So, chalkboard paint seemed like a logical choice for labeling the beer.

I put a thin coat of primer on the very top of the paddles.

After that dried, I added two coats of chalkboard paint.  Following the directions, I let it cure for three days before I seasoned it with chalk and started writing on them.

Simple and easy--my kind of project.

I used a chalk marker to write on these.  I find that's it easier when you're working with a small space.

 

These were already poured, so I had to drink them.  You can't let beer go to waste!  Can you tell which one was my favorite?  Flat 12 Half Cycle IPA is where it's at!