California Cupcake: Updated Whiteboards + How To Get Custom Paint Crazy Cheap!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year's Eve. We are finally back in Minnesota after a long vacation at home in California! If you missed my last post, my future hubs, our pup, and I, took a two week trip to California for our best friends' wedding and for Christmas. It was such an amazing experience getting to stand next to my best friend while she married the best guy! It's a trip we will never forget and it was so nice to get away from the cold for a couple weeks.

Is it a thing to have, like, a travel hangover?! Because, if that's not a term yet, I am definitely making it one. The first few days back were rough. I was definitely built to live in California...hence, the blog title. ;) But, now I am back and have a couple projects to share with you all!

Today we are going over these older whiteboard calendars I have had for at least 3 or 4 years. I honestly don't even know if I've ever actually hung them on the wall. It was one of those purchases where I had every intention of using them to get my sh*t together, but it mostly sat in the corner and got erased every few months...don't lie, you know you've done this too...

Anyways, now that they're all pretty and pink, I couldn't just leave them in that corner! So they hang in my office space.

I started with this whiteboard made by The Board Dudes that I got from Target years ago. The Board Dudes have it listed on their site for $14.99. I also used the blank whiteboard you see below the calendar but for the sake of the tutorial, I'm showing you how I did the calendar. **The steps for the blank whiteboard are the same obviously.

1. Sanding:

I used 3M sand paper in 150 fine. It was just a couple bucks for nine sheets and for both boards I used like one and a half sheets so you'll get a lot of use out of the pack! Sand everything down lightly to get some of the black paint and the shine off. Always make sure you sand before you repaint something so the primer and paint are smooth and have something to stick to.

2. Tape:

Use painters tape or masking tape to line the edges so you don't get any paint on the whiteboard.

3. Prime:

Make sure you prime your surface, I painted these from black to a blush pink so the primer really helps that color transition smoothly without so many coats. It will also protect your project from chips and wearing. I found this primer at Lowe's for about $9. I hardly used any for this project. It will definitely go a long way!

4. Paint:

Once your primer dries, you are ready for your first layer of paint! I am currently obsessed with blush...if you read my posts regularly, I'm sure you already know this though. I made my color selection from the choices that Sherwin Williams offers at Lowe's because...here's the big secret on how to get custom paint for cheap...Sherwin Williams offers "tintable samples" (which just means they can be custom mixed to whatever color you want) and they're QUART SIZED samples!!! I am not kidding. And guess how much a paint sample is...$3.50. I mean, maybe I am missing out on some other crazy paint secrets or something, but $3.50 for a quart of CUSTOM COLOR, good quality, paint is like unreal. Run...don't walk...to Lowe's right now! I highly recommend this for any DIY projects you're doing, because worst case scenario, you hate the finished product and you're out $3.50. Not much risk there. Here is the sample container of paint I used, the color is called Quaint Peche (SW6330). I hardly used any of this paint for this project. I could probably do 50 projects like this with the same quart of paint. This is a new holy grail guys!