- Day 21 -

If you are looking for a gift for a smaller child, may I suggest a chalkboard table?  This little work surface provides hours of entertainment for Jude- and all of our nieces and nephews when they come over.  It cleans up easy with a wet paper towel or wipe and is very light, which makes it a cinch to move into any room we’re in.  A good “keep busy” activity when you need to get stuff done.  I plan on making a vinyl covered pouch (to store his chalk in) that will be velcroed to the side of the table, but for now we keep it on the counter where he has to ask for it.  This table along with a bucket of chalk will surely make a little one happy!  

As a side note – I prefer having Jude use chalk instead of crayons or markers.  It’s much easier to get off of walls, furniture, clothes and skin!!  (He’s looked like he was turning in to the Incredible Hulk once or twice!)

With the end table we had stored in the basement, I used Zinsser’s Shellac-Based Primer to coat the entire thing, followed by Olympic Premium Interior Semi-Gloss (color – Fun and Games) for the legs and side edges of the top, then finished up with Valspar Chalkboard paint on the upper surface. I had to wait 24 hours to use or recoat, so make sure you check the drying time on whatever brand you buy.  Oh, I used a foam roller to apply all the paint.  It helps eliminate streaks.  If you don’t have a table on hand, chalkboard paint can be used on almost anything.  I plan on turning an old dry erase board into a chalkboard and giving that as a gift.  The sky is the limit!

“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.  In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall”.  -Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas