diy chalkboard mirror

i've been busy getting things ready for my new office. i love that i was able to do so much of it myself!  the side of the room in this photo is the only part of the room that is sort of finished, lol. i am still looking for a large bookcase for the wall to the left of this.  ideally, it would be an older piece, like my desk, that i can just repaint to match.  i also recently repainted some old shutters to hang on the sides, but can't put them up until i have the bookcase!for the wall above my desk, i wanted to find an old mirror or picture frame to turn into a chalkboard to write different quotes on to help motivate and inspire me. and believe me, a fun, positive atmosphere is definitely inspiring! all i've wanted to do is sit in my office and write lately! yay!this is such a simple and inexpensive project because you can use any old frame or mirror. i see them at flea markets and yard sales all the time for just a couple of dollars.i bought a can of valspar (i love that brand) chalkboard paint and taped off the entire frame of this mirror. then, i sprayed three light coats evenly across the mirror and let it dry overnight.then, came the problem. i decided i didn't really want it blue. i wanted it gold. so, i had to cover up the chalkboard part and spray paint the frame gold.except that some of the gold did spray onto the chalkboard and i had to add a few extra coats. i used a fine grit sand paper and gently sanded it off because the metal spray paints are heavier than a regular paint.  the surface is a little rougher than it should be in a couple spots, but it still works fine and it's barely noticeable.  the moral of the story is, decide FOR SURE what color you want the frame to be before doing the chalkboard. ;)i do love the way the gold and black look together in this piece. at first, i didn't want any black in the room. mostly because it's a small space and i wanted an airy, shabby chic sort of atmosphere but also because i have had black furniture scattered here and there around our home for years and i wanted something different. but, then i realized i would be bringing in my vintage typewriter and cameras, which are black, so i decided it wouldn't change the feel of the room if just some accent pieces had black in them.right now, i'm working on repainting a smaller bookcase that DH made as a student in woodshop class.  i hate repainting it, but if i don't it will get shoved into storage and won't be used.  also, if you're on pinterest you've probably come across the rugs that look like giant doilies.  of course, i totally fell in love with them and have one currently on my crochet hook.**just a tip for hanging things on the wall...i always seem to end up knocking a hundred holes in the wall when only 2 are required.  to save poor dh some patching, what i did was lay all of the things on the floor (be sure to use the same amount of space on the floor that you have on the wall) and figure out how i wanted to arrange them. once i had a layout i was happy with, i framed the arrangement with painter's tape.  then, i carefully placed the frame of tape on the wall and used a level to make sure everything was straight.  then, all i had to do was measure the distance between the nails and hit them in.  this really helped!stay tuned for posts of these finished projects and more as my office remodel continues!  :)