stolen style: {chalkboard basket}

Okay...I almost feel guilty about how easy this was to steal.

The idea, I mean. :o)

My thievery began at Target yesterday {do Target and Lowe's have some sort of conspiracy against my wallet?} where, as always, I thought I would take a little stroll through the Smith and Hawken aisle. You know, just to look.

No. I'm lying. I went there with a single-minded purpose: to buy this basket with chalkboard plates for 39.99. Love! I had a million ideas whirring in my head for this baby:

{target}

Guest bath: filled with towels with the words {guest} or {welcome}

Dining room: filling it with wine bottles with the word {vino}

Office: all my magazines in it with with either {ideas} or {inspiration}

My thoughts were then interrupted by a voice inside my head, saying: Should you be spending forty bucks on a basket when you have student loans to pay off?

(Sounded vaguely like Dave Ramsey. Weird.)

Another voice said: Is that in your cash budget?

(That voice was my husband. Or Dave Ramsey. Their voices are running together these days. Creepy.)

I realized that to have this basket, stay within my budget, and silence the voices, I would have to get creative. Sorry Target...I love you...but this basket is not worth forty chucks when I can easily make one myself for shockingly less.

Here is the how-to:

1. Go to a craft store and buy a small, thin, pre-cut wood piece (about $1.99) and a can of chalkboard spray paint (I got mine for $2.99 on clearance at Michaels.)

2. Drill two small holes on each side of the wood piece and sand it smooth.

3. Spray two coats of chalkboard paint on one side of the wood piece, making sure to get the sides. (I did not spray the back in case it would not stick to/get paint on my basket.)

4. Fun part: find a basket you love! You can do this project with any basket. I chose a big one similar to the Target beauty. I chose this one from Home Goods because it has some darker colors woven into it, making it a little more versatile:

5. Twist the end of a natural-colored piece of kraft ribbon and run it through one of the holes on your newly painted chalkboard piece. Do the same to the other side.

6. Position the chalkboard where you want it on your basket (this is super easy to re-do if you change your mind!) and feed the kraft ribbon through into the basket. Tie a double knot on each side and cut off any excess ribbon.

7. Another fun part: what word will you write?

In the spirit of the cool weather coming up, I decided to use my basket to store cozy spare blankets in the living room. I went with...

This project took about 20 minutes. Cost less than $20. No guilt, all pleasure. Plus, you know I will be using that chalkboard paint again...

Hope the voices in your head are telling you only sweet things -- Happy Tuesday!