A few weeks ago at ChoppedCon there was a table of temporary tattoos that said fun things like, love always, or be happy, and live today. We were encouraged to slap on the saying that best fit our personality then ask each other about them as a conversation starter. Want to know what my temporary tattoo said?
YAY!
Yay.
No seriously, yay! Of all the words in my vocabulary, I’m probably saying “yay” the most on any given day. What can I say, I’m easily excitable.
Chicken broth is on sale at the store today. YAY!
The Mindy Project is on tonight. YAY!
I made it out of Target without spending $100. YAY!
I’m sharing a fun and easy DIY project with you today. YAAAAY!
If you read my bi-monthly Friday Favorites than you know I am capital O-besessed with chalkboard, well, anything. I have…hold on I’m counting…four in the house at the moment. Though I guess this DIY Wood Slice Chalkboard, my first homemade chalkboard, makes five!
A few weeks ago Lincoln and I were perusing Michael’s (the craft store y’all) looking for any and all cheap black frames to recreate this masterpiece on our entryway wall, when I stumbled upon a random collection of wood slices. I was immediately inspired to slather it with chalkboard paint then create a weekly menu chalkboard to share with you, but it turned out so well that I figured I’d show a few different ways and techniques to create and customize your own DIY Wood Slice Chalkboard. This is SUCH a fun project that you will have a blast creating and customizing for your home.
Say it with me now – YAY!
(And let the record show that it should only snow on Christmas Day. Amen.)
Start with that aforementioned wood slice. Michael’s had a ton of these wood slices but if you can’t find one at your local craft store you can buy one here. These slices are great because they’re pre-sanded and have an awesome rustic look from the bark around the outside edges. You’ll also need a tube of chalkboard paint. This one was less than $5.
Paint the wood slice according to the chalkboard paint directions. Mine had me paint on one coat horizontally then one vertically, waiting an hour between coats, then let it sit and season for 24 hours before decorating. You could draw an outline with a pencil first, or freehand it like I did.
Next find the design you want to decorate your wood slice with. I simply Google image searched “free Thanksgiving print out” or “free holiday print out” (you get the idea) to find the design I wanted, then resized it to match the size of my wood slice. You can use Microsoft Word or Photoshop to resize the image – it doesn’t matter if it gets fuzzy when stretched!
Of course you could always free-design but I don’t have a creative design bone in my body!
If you’re going the print out route, flip the design over then rub a piece of chalk all over the backside. Flip then very gently tap to remove any excess chalk (don’t tap too hard or it will all fall off) then center on the wood slice and set it down. Next, use a pencil with no lead or a stylus to gently trace the design. Don’t press too hard or you could carve the design into the wood itself.
Ta da – no creative design bones necessary! As you can see, the design is now on the chalkboard to trace but there’s also a lot of excess chalk dust. Blow the chalk dust off (I took this photo pre-blow) then use a wet Q-tip to clean things up before you start tracing.
There’s 2 routes you can go next.
1. Trace the design with a stick of chalk.
PROS: A non-perfect chalkboard is pretty cute and homey-feeling. Regular chalk is also easy to remove with a damp cloth so you can change the design/lettering as often as you want.
CONS:Â a piece of chalk isn’t extremely precise and can be a bit dusty.
2. Trace the design with a chalk marker.
PROS:Â Design/lettering is very precise and looks well, COOL!
CONS: Chalk marker doesn’t come out of painted chalkboard surfaces (unless you’re using an ammonia-based cleaner and I’m just like, eh.) While chalk marker wipes off of a finished chalkboard surface (like this board I got from the Target $1 bin which easily wipes clean with a damp paper towel,) it doesn’t come completely off a painted chalkboard surface which means you’ll have to paint another coat of chalkboard paint on top if you want to change the design. This isn’t a huge deal if you want to leave a certain design up for awhile, as it takes 3 minutes to repaint, but probably isn’t practical if you want to change it for a weekly menu, for instance.
I went a couple different routes. The “Give Thanks” chalkboard at the very top is all chalk, the “Let it Snow” design is all chalk marker, and the “Menu” below is a mix of both. I colored the “menu” in with chalk marker then used regular chalk to write the recipes which change weekly.
Like I said – pros and cons to both – but whichever way you go this will just be the cutest. You can also either prop your chalkboard up on a plate displayer (can’t think of what that’s called!) or attach a bracket to the back and hang it up. I can see this being a fun girl’s night craft project (perhaps trace the design before serving the wine?) or even a fun project for kids. Whichever way you go – have fun with it!
Aine @ Awkward Irish Girl Blogs 11.05.2014
This is so cool! My favourite is the one that says, ‘let it snow’ – just beautiful!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health 11.05.2014
Such a cute idea! I bet this would come in handy for fall weddings too. YAY! ;)
Brie 11.05.2014
Just another solution for a traditional chalk board look with a little more precision: white charcoal pencils. Find ’em at Michael’s too – super cheap and easy to use. Sometimes leaves behind a little bit of residue due to oil in the charcoal, but it’s nothing a little elbow grease can’t get rid of :)
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance 11.05.2014
Oh my goodness this is the cutest diy i’ve seen in a while!
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy 11.05.2014
Totally on board with “yay”! ;) This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! I must go to Michael’s today and make one :)
Jessica 11.05.2014
I wanted to let you know that a magic eraser will get the chalk marker off a painted on chalkboard’s surface. I have done this many times with excellent luck :)
Dena 11.05.2014
You have to wait 24hrs to write on it?? ACCCCKKKKKK #impatient LOL. But seriously, this is so cute, thanks for the great project!
Ellen 11.05.2014
I love this! It’s so cute and the chalkboard thing just looks perfectly homey. I definitely want to try this out – thanks for the step-by-step! :)
Lindsey Gonzales 11.05.2014
Yay!! :) I love seeing things outside your food realm! This will definitely be a good project for the holidays!
Maureen Gribble 11.05.2014
LOVE this post! I love your recipes and use them on pretty much a weekly basis, but this was a fun change of pace. I think I’ll be heading to Michael’s at lunch! :)
Carrie (This Fit Chick) 11.05.2014
This is SO SO cute!!! I want this in my room!
lindsey 11.05.2014
I love me some bistro markers! Let it be said that upon first glance in your first “Let it snow” pic where you and Ben are pictured behind, I DEFINITELY thought you made a lifesize wooden chalkboard :D hah!
Dena 11.05.2014
So did I!! LOL! I thought they were literally sitting in the background at first. heehee.
Becky 11.05.2014
I’m with you in the chalkboard paint department! If it’s holding still, I slap chalkboard paint on it! I love the rustic edge of this!
Tom H. 11.05.2014
Hey Kristin! Thanks for linking our blog this morning! Although I’m slightly mortified that the first picture is Missy & I in our Bob Ross/Happy Tree Halloween getup from last year 8-O
Good luck with your frame project! You should see our wall now…there are twice as many pictures, and I think Missy will have to turn the corner soon. It’s definitely a hit with guests and the girls.
Tip: thrift store always have black frames for cheap. Missy has scored big time at the WDM Goodwill’s!
Kristin 11.05.2014
I LOVED your costumes – so clever! ;) You guy should post an update of that wall – I’m so curious to see it now. I read that she’d gone to Goodwill too. Will have to hit up the new one by Jordan Creek after one of my (what feels like) weekly Monterrey visits. :)
Claire 11.05.2014
Oh my goodness! This is such a perfect thing for our home! and it looks pretty simple too! Thanks so much for sharing!:)
haley @Cupcakes and Sunshine.com 11.05.2014
Ahhh, this is SO stinking cute!! I can’t wait to make one of these! SO cute!
Lea J. 11.05.2014
CHALKBOARD ALL THE THINGS! I have a feeling a lot of people in my life will be getting these as Christmas presents.
Joanna+@+Everyday+made+Fresh 11.05.2014
What a cute idea for a chalk board. I went through a chalk board obsession when I first got Pinterest because it seems they were everywhere. Now that they’ve died down a bit, I am not into them much anymore, but this is cute and I would totally use it! I am thinking mini ones for Thanksgiving place settings.
Lindsey @ Simply Lindsey 11.05.2014
I love this project idea! It’d be so cute to make little ones to use to label food & desserts at Christmas parties or Thanksgiving!
Maryea {happy healthy mama} 11.05.2014
Very cute! I love seeing your crafty side. :)