Friday: Cookbooks and Menu Chalkboard

As you walk up the stairs into our home, after you see the entryway buffet/hutch, you then see my bookshelf of my cookbooks.  I used to have at least double this many cookbooks but had to narrow it down to what would fit in this bookshelf.  I put a few in order of colors, just for fun, red being on top. 

One of my inspiration pictures for The Wedding (I showed here) was a menu chalkboard. I looked for a frame close to the one in my inspiration picture but couldn't find one.  So when we were at our one and only flea market in the summer I found this frame.  It was all beat up, with nothing in it, just the frame.  (I don't have any "before" pictures, things got a little rushed and crazy the weeks leading up to the wedding.)  I found a board that fit perfectly in the back of the frame, nailed and glued that in then painted it with chalkboard paint.  For the top "windows" I used fabric and covered a cardboard cut the same size as the openings. That was the same fabric I used for the mailbox (for cards, you can just barely see the mailbox on the table in this post here) and for the flower girl baskets.  Jessica and I found this fabric at that same flea market, it was probably less than a yard, but I sure made it cover the pieces I wanted, tying that fabric into a various wedding crafts. 

I nailed this menu chalkboard up to the side wall of where the caterers were serving food.  I don't have any photos of that (yet).  I had asked the caterer to write the menu on it, and he did!  The food was all so yummy.  The caterer had four high school girls working for us, and they served the salads to the table, but the main food was served buffet style.  The fresh green salad was TDF (to die for).  It was a delicious mix of greens, with tomatoes, strawberries and dried cranberries served with a tasty raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  It was about the only thing I ate all night!  Oh, and the cake, which I'll have to write more about soon.

So now this menu board hangs on the wall at the top of our entryway stairs.  I don't think I could ever erase that menu...oh the memories!

 (image above from Teresa Sheely)

(sign I painted)

Have a blessed weekend!  Hugs, Heidi

For Cindy's Show and Tell Friday Friday and Design It Chic Blog Friday