Simple Chalk Board & Tips

Well, life has been a whirlwind like usual and I haven't had too much time to add in any tutorials to my life :-)  But, as you guessed it, I'm always crafting.  I just haven't had too much time to document it lately.  I will try to catch up a little in the next little while.  But it's time to start my Christmas and Holiday projects so we'll see.

 I didn't sew my kids clothes for the first day of school, but I did make this really cute chalk board that I used for their morning pictures.  It only cost me about $8 to make and I have used it a LOT already!

 So if you want to make your own chalkboard all you need is a cute frame and chalkboard spray paint.  I got my supplies at Walmart.  They didn't have any cheap white frames.  They were all $20 or more.  I agonized for a while and decided to buy the $5 black frame.  I came home and sprayed the glass with the chalkboard paint.  Spray steady and get a good even coat.  Let it dry overnight.  Since I didn't want all black, I primed and spray painted the frame white.  It turned out perfect.  The chalkboard paint was about $3 and I already had the little bit of white I needed on hand.  This was an AWESOME $8 project!

Writing with Chalk Tips:  I found a couple great tips online and they have been invaluable.  My chalkboards have looksed awesome and the chalk has been very pretty.  My handwriting could use some work, however :-) 
*Take a paper towel and wet it and squeeze out all the water.  You want the paper towel to be damp, not dripping wet.
* Take your piece of chalk and wrap it up in your damp cloth.  Leave the chalk in the towel for several minutes.
*Now take your chalk and write with it.  It will appear like it's invisible at first but then it dries or something and then shows up perfectly.  It almost looks like you wrote with a pen.  It's not all chalky and smeared.
*If you need to erase, use a damp towel.  Once it dries, it's perfect again.

Happy Chalk Board Making!