Monday, May 07, 2012

Labelling your preserves/Chalk Paint recipe

For years I've made wee labels for all the sauces, pickles, jams and various other things we make. They're ok, but nothing special. Then a couple of days ago we were over at R&V's for dinner and Ness showed me what she'd done with her jars this year. Painted a bit of them with blackboard paint, then written what was in the jar and the date in chalk. Inspired!
So I did it with Lloyd's last batch of Chilli sauce. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

I thought - can I take this even further?? So I had a wander around online and found recipes on how to make your own blackboard paint! Which is great as it's really expensive.

All you need is any paint type, and colour - stuff you've got left over will do.
and a tin/bag of dry non-sanded grout. Now I have yet to source this here so I hope I can get some...

Chalk Paint recipe
So, pour one cup of your paint into a bowl.
Add 2 teaspoons of the non-sanded grout and mix really well making sure all the wee lumps are out.
And that's it! How simple is that?

Then I saw an idea to use this method to mix up a batch of chalkboard paint the same colour as - say - your kitchen doors, I thought I could do our larder door as I still have lots of the lovely blue paint left that I used to paint the kitchen doors a few months back. Then when you take something out of the larder you can write a list straight onto the door!

Inspired!

Ok a little update - I managed to find the grout powder stuff - Placemakers have it. However unlike all the American blogs I read where they could get a relatively small amount which cost about $2, the smallest box I could find was $18.99 It's made by Dunlop. I suggest if you have any like minded friends, you share. When I asked for non-sanded grout no one knew what I meant, so ask for the powdered grout - it's the same thing!  It's probably worth noting that I live in the sticks so cities  may have a better, cheaper choice.
Also read my instructions properly -like I DIDN'T! It's TEAspoons of grout, not tablespoons!! I've done the mix in the colour I painted the kitchen cupboard doors. First coat is on and it looks great. I'll do a couple more and report back.


Oh and thank you all so much for yesterdays comments welcoming Stella. She's feeding on her own now, which is a huge relief, and is very bouncy in a gangly sort of way, Herbie is beside himself with joy as he now has a wee friend, I think Stella will love him more as she gets a bit more robust. Right now she tolerates him - just!

16 comments:

  1. I love my new chilli bottle labels! Thanks LW xxx

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  2. You're welcome, lovely husband xx

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  3. They are so kewl!

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  4. I love the black board labels on Lloyd's chilli sauce. I'm sure it will make it taste better as well.
    Hugs

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  5. I've been meaning to buy some blackboard paint, to paint on our glass freezer containers, so I can actually label the contents instead of guessing all the time!

    They look great!

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  6. You two are so sweet! I bet Stella is always going to tolerate him, those boisterous boys...do you have to neuter him and is it like doing cattle and sheep? Sorry, always down to the dirty business for me!

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  7. Alison the vet comes to neuter them, when they're a good bit older - well that's what we've been told and did with our three original boys! Herbie will be for sale eventually - got to keep the tax man happy! But we'll be keeping Stella to breed from. The only way we'd keep Herbie will be if he has amazing fleece and get him registered as a stud, which is unlikely...

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  8. Anonymous8:36 pm

    What a great idea!

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  9. What a brilliant idea.

    I mean the blackboard paint labels not the neutering.....lol !!

    Sue xx

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    1. the neutering is quite brilliant as well! heehee

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  10. Caroline4:32 pm

    Does the chalk not rub off, or can you use a sealer on top? Love the blackboard look on the bottles but would hate to get the mild and hot sauces mixed up.

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    1. I think if you were handling it all the time it wold rub off a bit. You could use different colours of chalk for mild and hot! that way even if it got rubbed off a bit you'd still see the colour. You could seal them, but I want to be able to wipe them off and write different stuff on them next year.

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    2. Caroline9:06 am

      Thanks for that. Are you able to share your recipe for your hot chiily sauce?

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    3. Caroline, I would if I could - but this one was Lloyds and it was a real mixter maxter! He really just makes it up as he goes along. I shall ask him though! Here's a couple he's done before..
      http://fooddrinkfood.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/not-another-chilli-sauce-surely.html
      and
      http://fooddrinkfood.blogspot.co.nz/2010/05/experimental-chilli-sauce.html

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I love it when you leave me comments, it lets me know there are folk out there reading my ramblings! Thank you, I appreciate them loads and loads
Laura x