Fun with Chalkboard Paint!

Hello Crafty Folks!

Hope everyone’s summer is off to a great start. I wanted to share a little project I recently completed using Chalkboard Spray Paint.  I had been meaning to do something with Chalkboard paint ever since a place I worked at used some to make a chalkboard in one of the conference rooms. 

If you are not familiar with Chalkboard paint, it is pretty much what it sounds like. 

Paint a couple of coats onto any number of surfaces and the surface that was painted becomes a usable chalkboard.  Just write or draw on the surface with regular sidewalk/classroom chalk.  The chalk markings can be erased and/or wiped clean with a damp cloth.

Many different types of materials can be painted with chalkboard paint. A look at the can of paint I have lists options such as: wood, metal, plastic and paper.  I got the spray paint as opposed to the brush-on type of chalkboard paint because, at the time, that was what was available at my local craft store. 

Thinking about it though, the spray paint probably provides more even coating with no brush lines.  I believe you can also purchase larger amounts at hardware stores in the paint section, like if you wanted to paint to paint a classroom like chalkboard on a wall. I’ve seen two colors available, traditional black or dark green.  I used the dark green for a bit of color.

I decided to try my hand at spray painting a few small wood shapes like the ones here:

I purchased a door hanger and 4 plain wooden hearts.  Once I got them out of the package, they were pretty much ready to go with no sanding. 

To start, I laid the wood pieces inside the lid of a cardboard box I had, though newspaper can be used as well.

I followed the instructions on the can of spray paint, which included shaking the can for 2 minutes before the first use and holding the can 10 – 14 inches from the surface being sprayed.  Make sure to spray paint in a well ventilated area.  I went outside on a sunny day.  I applied 3 coats of spray paint to each side of the wood cut-outs, making sure to let the paint dry at least 30 minutes between coats. 

Be careful how thick the paint is going on with each coat.  Too light of a coat and it’ll end up taking 10 coats of paints, too heavy and the paint may run or drip. 

Once the final coat is applied, wait a full 24 hours before attempting to write or draw on the chalkboard with chalk.  If you like, you can apply other paints to the chalkboard surface.  I decorated the door hanger (badly) with Scribbles fabric paint (the kind in the little squeeze bottles), but regular acrylic paint can be used as well. 

Just keep in mind any chalkboard area that is painted over will no longer function as a chalkboard.

The door hanger piece would make a great “Do not Disturb” sign that could be modified once the occupant felt a little more like having visitors.  It could also serve as an Open/Closed sign.

The plain wood cut-outs allow for a variety of uses.  I drilled holes in two of the hearts using a small craft drill. In one heart, I drilled two holes (one in each “hump” of the heart). 

In the other, I drilled one in the center. 

When drilling, make sure to wear goggles and put a piece of scrap wood underneath whatever is being drilled.  Since I did the drilling on a carpeted floor, I also placed a scrap piece of carpet under the scrap wood to catch sawdust. Once I had the holes drilled, it was easy to thread some ribbon through. 

The heart hangers can be used as door hangers, gift tags, or a dirty/clean indicator for the dishwasher.  I’m sure there are a bunch of other things that could be done with them as well.  Feel free to suggest ideas in a comment : )

For the other two hearts, I left one as is.  This one could be used as a table placeholder for a dinner party or wedding, or as a cute way to include a note in your child’s lunch. 

The last heart was easy to make into a magnet using some adhesive magnetic tape.

 Just cut the magnetic tape into 2 or 3 small strips and place on the back of the wood shape and voila, it’s a magnet!  Great for listing items you need to grab at the store.

Anyone else have any ideas for chalkboard paint?  I’ve still got paint left in my can!

Allow me to introduce myself

Hello and Welcome to my blog, Cosmic Designs! 

I have been obsessed with crafting in many forms since I was a wee lass.  Other kids were into sports or video games, but I always liked crafty, creative stuff.  My first job in high school was at the local craft store (yeah, you know where my paycheck went).  And then came the wondrous age of the internet.  It has opened up a whole new world to me, crafty-wise, as it provides a wealth of information on how to do various craft projects. I love combing through various tutorials and project sheets to get new ideas and learn new techniques.

So that got me to thinking… What if I started documenting some of the crafty work I do while at the same time, try to help others who may be looking for crafting know-how or tips?  I’m a fairly crafty person and always seem to be working on one project or another, so why not?

At this particular moment in time, I am into several different craft mediums/activities. I don’t claim to be an expert in any of the mediums or techniques I write about in the blog, just an active enthusiast : )

·         Polymer clay (Different colors of Fimo, Sculpey, etc.):  

      I’m making mostly jewelry with this bake-able material at the moment.  I make earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc. with polymer clay. Seems like I am working a lot of miniature food items lately, with sweet treats and sushi being particular faves.  I like trying new types of canes, again it is usually food related. I’ve started making some of my own molds too.  Now I am constantly noting new objects I want to make molds of so I can make their polymer clay equivalent.

·         Epoxy Resin : 

      I am using clear resin as a base for a lot of jewelry as well, though I have used it to make paper weights, light switch covers and hair accessories too. I experiment a lot with different mix-ins, like candy sprinkles or glitter.  I also incorporate images printed on photo paper into different pieces. I like using beads (especially glass pearl ones) to accentuate the resin pieces that I make.

·         Screen Printing Clothing :

      I really like the entire screen printing process, from stretching the silkscreen fabric onto the frame to printing the finished design onto a t-shirt. I currently only do one color prints/processes.  I make the screens for printing with photo sensitive emulsion and use water-based acrylic paints for printing on clothing.

·         Sewing :

      I sew mainly clothes, mostly for me, though I have a big range of items I can make.  I may see an item of clothing or an outfit somewhere that I want to wear, but can’t find the item in a store or want a different color pattern to the fabric.  Then I will just try making it myself.  I can make pretty much anything if I have a decent pattern, or at least one to use as a base with modifications.  I am impressed by people who can sew without a pattern, however I am not one of these people.  I can come up with some basic patterns on my own, but most patterns I buy or find online.

In addition to the above, in my crafty queue are a latch-hook rug, Chalkboard door hangers, a t-shirt quilt, and printing iron-ons for t-shirts. I do wish I was better at finishing projects than starting them, but every now and again I’ll get some finished pieces.

I have an etsy site where I sell some of the stuff I make, mostly jewelry and hair stuff at this time.  If you’d like to support it by making a purchase, I very much appreciate it : )

Well, that’s my introduction to the blogging world.  Please Bookmark this site and check back often to read about my crafting projects and see some tutorials.

Happy Craftin’