If I had to guess, I’d say the single most often heard question here in the Artsy House is, “What time is it?” Little Crafter is a whiz with numbers, so he’s naturally interested in time…especially when it comes to counting down the hours or minutes until something he’s looking forward to! He’s amazing at telling time on a digital clock, but still struggles with a standard clock face. So, when the opportunity came along for me to try out the Family Message Center Handmade Charlotte stencils, the wheels in my brain started turning and I came up with a fun, interactive, and useful project to help him practice that skill! Take a look…
Almost all of the materials I used came in the goody box I received from Plaid and Handmade Charlotte:
– Folk Art acrylic paint
– Chalkboard Paint
– Sponge brush
– Family Message Center stencil kit
The only other things I needed were:
– an unfinished wooden stool
– Super Gloss Mod Podge
– adhesive vinyl
Here’s what I started with. Little Crafter has finally grown tall enough to reach the kitchen counter without standing on a chair; a stool will do the trick. He has a stool in the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms so he can reach the lights and the sink, but it gets old carrying them from one spot to another every time he wants to help me in the kitchen. After all, we’re going for independence, right? I found this one, which is nice and sturdy. I learned the hard way a few years ago to test stools before you buy them; we got one that wasn’t particularly sturdy and LC fell off of it twice before I retired it for good.
Step 1: Paint stool and let it dry completely.
Little Crafter’s absolute favorite color is blue, so I used that for the top surface of the stool since it’s what he’ll see the most. Purple {for the Ravens} is a close second, so I used some of that as well as a fun bright green. Be sure to be patient…I know, it’s so hard!…and let it totally dry before moving on. Just trust me, ok?
Step 2: Tape clock stencil to the center of the stool top width-wise, leaving room at the top for words.
I measured from the left and right sides of the circle to the edges to make sure I had it centered, then used washi tape {couldn’t find my painter’s tape, but washi did the trick!} to secure it.
Step 3: Apply chalkboard paint with sponge brush. Let dry for one hour, then repeat for a second coat. Let dry completely. *Note: The chalkboard paint needs to cure for 24 hrs before you use chalk on it. More on that later.*
Step 4: Add numbers to the clock and text. You can use stencils for this, or you can use adhesive vinyl like we did.
Step 5: Give the entire stool, except for the clock face, a good coat of Super Gloss Mod Podge to seal it. If you seal the clock face, I don’t think the chalkboard part would work right.
Step 6: Condition chalkboard paint and enjoy!
For this part, you wait 24 hours from the time of your second coat, then lightly rub the chalkboard surface with chalk. Wipe off, then it’s ready to use. You can use a chalkboard paint marker or regular old chalk.
Now, each time Little Crafter uses his stool, or any time he wants, he can wipe off and re-draw the hands on the clock and we can talk about how to read the time. He couldn’t wait to try it out!
I love how this little piece of furniture is cute, useful, and educational all at the same time!
What’s your favorite stenciled project?
Hugs & Glitter,
I wrote this post as part of a sponsored campaign with Plaid and The Blueprint Social. All opinions in this post are my own.
So the first thing I thought this was? A time-out stool. HA.
I love this! Pinned! 🙂
I love it, but now I’m laughing at what Erin commented… it would make a perfect time-out stool, LOL! I think it’s a great educational project and it’s awesome that your kiddo is so interested in learning to tell time!!
What a fun stool! I just LOVE chalkboard paint!
Such a fabulous idea and I love the colors! Well done 🙂
What a great project! I love things that are practical and educational at the same time. Well done. 🙂
That turned out awesome! You got some super fun colors too
Such a cute idea!!
Super cute step-stool!
That is the sweetest little stool! It looks adorable!
OOh, I love that you can rewrite the time. I mean, how often can you do that in life, right? 🙂
Love this stool every time I see it! How do you like the folk art brand of chalk board paint? I recently picked some up from Meijer (it was on clearance)
Very cute! This make a great ‘time-out stool’ too! 🙂
Mackenzie 🙂
So cute, I love this!
Haha – that would make a fun time out stool . . . maybe not for the little one though ;D
Love the colors. I’m a big fan of anything with clocks!