Tag Archives | Chalkboard

Print and Paint: DIY Chalkboard Paint Posters

I thought it would be a good idea to combine printable graphics with chalkboard paint to create some custom chalkboard posters. So I headed off to The Graphics Fairy to hunt for the right graphics. I found a bee graphic that I combined with a simple frame. There was also a very decorative French frame that caught my eye.

Both of these graphics were printed on A3 glossy card at a printers. Each print cost around $3. The only steps to creating these posters were 1) get them printed 2) use chalkboard paint. Try and get as thick of a card as you can, since it can warp from the wetness of the paint. An alternative would be to cut out a piece of cardboard, lather the bad boy up in chalkboard paint, then glue that onto the poster.

For the bee poster, I used an IKEA NYTTJA 30×40 frame (just right for A3 sheets). I took out the plastic cover so the board can still be written on while in the frame.

The bee poster makes for a great ‘to do’ board, ideal for the kitchen command center or home office. The French frame one is quite small, and is better suited for events – being used as wedding boards (buffet labels, table labels, etc.).

Making Your Own

To create the French frame poster, you can just head on over to the Graphics Fairy page here and download the graphic to print. For the bee poster, click on the button below to save the graphic to take to the printers. Here is the page where I got the graphic from.

January 11, 2014 in Decor, Made By HtA

DIY Chalkboard Paint Decor Ideas for the Home

The Globe: Our first venture in using chalkboard paint was to create a desk globe, which turned into a weekly to-do calendar as seen in picture (1). See how the DIY project went here: DIY Chalkboard Globe: Anthropologie Soapstone Knock Off.

Planters and Storage: Keep things organized by slapping some chalkboard paint onto plant pots (2) or even jars (3) and write what’s in them – awesome!

The Great Wall: A kitchen wall (4) covered in chalkboard paint can be used as a family command center (Ideas for Setting up a Family Command Center in the Kitchen), or have one painted in the playroom, kids room, or living room for the kids to draw on (5).

A Wall Calendar: As seen by the playroom chalk wall, the base color doesn’t have to always be black. How about creating a calendar with different colored blocks as seen in picture (6)? This would be useful for the kitchen command center or in a home office.

Wall Decor: Create your own art pieces with a great mural (7) or how about using a decorative frame to hang up a quote or drawing (8). See our post here on turning an IKEA BILLY Door into a framed chalkboard quote stand.

Serving: Other creative chalkboard paint ideas include decorating mugs (9) and serving trays (10) to label what’s what and who’s who. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects

March 1, 2013 in Decor

DIY Chalkboard Globe: Anthropologie Soapstone Knock Off

So I’ve been using chalkboard paint for the first time. The first project I wanted to do was to recreate the look and feel of a soapstone globe I saw on Anthropologie that cost $368. It would be great to have something so solid and raw sitting on the desk, but for my cheaper alternative I decided to use a normal globe I found at a book shop.

Materials used: Plastic globe, black acrylic paint, chalkboard paint, brushes and chalk – not much really.

1. Step one was to paint the entire globe black including the blue stand. I wanted to have a basecoat to paint the chalkboard paint onto.

2. After painting 2 coats of black acrylic, and 2 coats of chalkboard paint – I then conditioned the globe. This is done by crushing up some chalk and wiping it all over. This is when I tried to create the soapstone texture, by wiping the chalk dust horizontally around the globe.

3. Since it was sitting on my desk, I ended up using it as a basic weekly to-do calendar 🙂

March 1, 2013 in DIY, Home Office, Made By HtA

THE IKEA BILLY Chalkboard Sign DIY Hack

The Quote: “Eat well, Live simply, Laugh often” – perfect for the kitchen countertop. I’ve been wanting to create a simple chalkboard, and thought that using an IKEA BILLY extension door would make a great frame.

Materials used: IKEA BILLY OLSBO extension glass door (plus the hinges that come with it), white spray paint (had it lying around), masking tape, chalkboard paint, piece of wood to use as the stand, wood stain and finisher.

1. The first thing I did was to mask the frame, back and front, before spray painting the glass. The spray paint sticks onto the glass well allowing for the chalkboard paint to be applied. I tried using acrylic paint instead of spray paint but that didn’t work. There are glass primers – but I wanted to use what I had around the house.

2. Painted on 2 coats of chalkboard paint.

3. To create the stand I used one of the hinges that came with the BILLY door and a piece of wood. The wood was stained twice to try and match the BILLY color and left overnight to dry. New holes had to be drilled into the frame of the BILLY door as the hinge needed to be fitted upside down. A hole was drilled into the stained piece of wood for the screw to fit into.