I'm sure you've all noticed the surge in popularity of chalkboard paint around the web and in magazines. Unorthodox items such as refrigerators, gift wrap, and even walls are being painted black and written upon with chalk. I've also seen pink and green chalkboard paint, and it probably comes in other colors too. I'm still partial to classic black, however.
Today I'd like to show you some of the projects I've completed with chalkboard paint. All of them used vintage items I've up-cycled except one of the two clipboards.
This globe was easy to do using spray chalkboard paint, available at craft or hardware stores:
I made these terra cotta pots sprayed with chalkboard paint too. The writing is permanent, made with a stiff dry brush dipped in white paint, dabbed on carefully. To me, it looks just like real chalk. What do you think?
This is just an old gray granite ware pie pan, with painted on chalkboard paint. The chalk is real chalk this time:
Re-purposing is a good thing! There are many old pie pans around at flea markets and antique malls:
I bought this fancy frame with a broken mirror inside it, so I got it at a bargain price. I removed the mirror and replaced it with a piece of plywood painted with a couple coats of chalkboard paint:
These two silver trays were marked at $5 each at an estate sale. You can see the one in the foreground has a lot of scratches:
I used a couple coats of bottled chalkboard paint to make these fancy looking signs. I just used a steady hand and a good brush so I didn't need to put tape around the edges or anything:
The scratches were completely covered up by the paint:
I made these buckets a couple years ago. The idea was to paint them in a loose manner, and not to worry about precise corners and edges. I thought they would make a cute planter for a large poinsettia or small indoor spruce tree:
So here is how to make the clipboard chalkboards: I used the liquid chalkboard paint and two brushes, a sponge brush for larger areas and a small paintbrush for around the clip. The paint I used was made by Plaid:
The primary "trick" to know is keeping a skewer or chopstick under the clip on one side while the other side dries. Keep going back and forth with your coats of paint until both sides have coverage. If you can't get the entire area under the clip coated with paint (sometimes the paint will lift off when the clip pulls up on it), use a black Sharpie pen to touch it up. That's the other important trick!
You can say anything you want on your clipboards!
Have fun creating with your chalkboard paint!
Mitzi
I'll be linking to the following link parties: Say Not Sweet Anne, Between Naps on the Porch, Under the Table and Dreaming, and Craft-O-Maniac.
