Chalkboard Crock Pot

Make all you friends jealous at the next at the next pot-luck dinner you go to, even if your cooking sucks. With this easy mod to your crock pot, you'll always be a hit.

1. A Crock Pot

2. Chalkboard Paint (buy it or make your own with paint and grout)

3. Paintbrush

4. Screwdriver

5. Very Fine Sandpaper (320 grit)

Every crock pot will be different, but this one had two nuts on the bottom that come off easily. Turn the crock pot over and remove the two nuts. Lift off the bottom to reveal the inside. There was a grounding wire running to the side and a screw holding the control knob in place. Remove the metal exterior and then remove the two handles by removing the two screws.

Wash the metal ring with warm soapy water to remove that queso dip that has been stuck on there since 2011. Use the 320 grit sandpaper to rough up the exterior so that the paint will stick to the surface (just like that queso). The finished product should look like 'brushed stainless', like that fridge you really want.

Using a standard paintbrush, start painting the metal. Your first coat will be very light, and not much of the paint will stick. That is fine, the key is to make it as smooth as possible without any clumps or drips. Each following coat will build up that tough chalk board appearance. Three coats might work, but go ahead and put on four coats to make sure everything gets covered and you have a durable surface.

Before you put everything back together, clean up the rim of your crock pot using the very fine sand paper. All that burned up brown stuff that never washes off comes off easily with sandpaper. Make sure you use a wet cloth to clean it off when you are done.

Let your crock pot dry over night to make sure everything is set. Start by putting the handles back on, then reassemble the body in the reverse order that you took it apart. Reattach the grounding wire and control knob and fit the newly painted ring into the housing unit. Tighten the two nuts on the bottom and you're done.