My grandmother always had cloth napkins on her table. Always. But she also had five children and a whole herd of grandchildren and so to keep her laundry down to a manageable load, people reused their napkins from meal to meal until they really needed to be washed. Our napkins were identified by clothespins with our names on them which was a fantastic way to keep them with the right user, but it also meant that she had a huge pile of clothespins in her drawer at all times. Everyone related to her in anyway, plus all friends and neighbors, had their own pins. There were a lot of pins. Lately I’ve been thinking of introducing the clothespins/cloth napkins at my own house but I think I’ll take a slightly different route with these chalkboard pins. I don’t think I have quite the drawer space that my grandmother does after all!

Things you’ll need:
Clothespins
Chalkboard paint
Scrap paper
Chalk

Things to do:
1. Clip the clothespins to a piece or scrap paper, alternating directions. This will help keep them steady during painting and keeps the paint out of the teeth (and from wearing off on your napkins)

2. Spray or brush on the paint on all exposed surfaces of the pins. You’ll want two coats on each side but make sure each layer is totally dry before moving on to the next.

3. Once dry, remove from the paper and write on the names of guests. To rinse, run briefly under warm water and allow drying before using again.