Quick Do-It-Yourself Project: Key Rack

I am happy to feature my first DIY project!  I bought a ton of stuff at the local thrift store and am slowly getting around to re-purposing everything.  I bought this picture frame for $8 and new I could find something to do with it!  I decided to make it into a key rack for our foyer area.

I first removed the dragonflies & glass frames and sanded the wood.  After I cleaned everything, I sprayed  primer and let that dry.  Then I sprayed two coats of white paint over the primer.  Once I let that dry, I used sandpaper and a hammer to give it a distressed look.  I didn't realize I wanted to give it a distressed look until after I had done two coats of paint.  Otherwise I would have done one light coat.  Live and learn!  

I then used the sandpaper on the glass, which I am not sure if it even helped, but I wanted to be sure there was at least something for the paint to hold to.  I used Rust-Oleum 1913-830 11 oz Black Chalkboard Spray Paint ($4 at Home Depot or $3 online) and covered in two coats.  I used the entire can, just to be sure there would be flaws. One thing I did learn is not to keep anything you paint with chalkboard paint outside after you paint it.  I came back to find that the wind had blown some dirt onto one of the frames giving it a bumpy, uneven look.  I had to pick off with a toothpick and then paint again.   

Once everything was dry, I put it all back together.  For $12  -- $8 for the frame and $4 for the chalkboard paint (I had white paint and primer already) -- I would say it is pretty cute.  My hubby and I have nicknames for each other that were written in chalk before, but I thought it wouldn't make sense to showcase :)  The great thing is that you can wipe away with a damp cloth and start again!  Here are some more pics - enjoy!

P.S. I hope to get a proper camera soon, so please don't judge me on these poor-quality pics!