Over the past 10ish years, chalkboards have become immensely popular.  It seems they morphed from existing only in classrooms to being beautifully framed as art or even painted on walls in homes and restaurants.  My fascination with them began when B and I purchased our home, as a large chalkboard was painted on a wall in our kitchen.  After B proposed, my interest persisted to flourish with the chalkboard possibilities embedded in wedding planning.

---

Everywhere you can possibly imagine to research planning a wedding suggest numerous options for DIY signs (we used the knot for our wedding website and I am obviously an avid lover of Pinterest).  I fell in love with the beauty of a chalkboard version due to the vintage feel it brings to an otherwise urban and current event or space.

My mother (a.k.a Goddess of deals) found an amazing bargain on a frame from Michael’s that matched one we already had hanging in our main hallway.  I had given it to B a few years back as a birthday present, containing several pictures of our adventures together.  After a few wedding brainstorming sessions and the need for a creative way to display our growth as a couple at our engagement party, we decided to display both frames…the original with pictures of us over the years beside with the other as a chalkboard noting the important dates in our personal love story!

 

In order to make the second frame into a chalkboard, I took out the mat and used chalkboard spray paint to convert the cardboard backing into a chalkboard.  Super simple and effective (which I also did on a smaller frame in our guest bedroom, seen here and here).  The issues arose as my BFF Christina and I began to plan out the wording.  We found that the chalkboard painted surface did not embrace the art of erasing very well…which is one of the beauties of a chalkboard in the first place.  After establishing to use the chalkboard “Love Story” as decor for the wedding, as well as keeping it for future party needs, I began researching alternatives.

Who knew that Home Depot sold pre-made chalk board?  Amazing!  Even better, they will cut the board to any size you need for free (as well as any other lumber purchased in the store).  I quickly had this beauty cut into a 2 ft x 3 ft rectangle, leaving some extra for a future project, making it fit like a glove into the frame.  I added a foam poster board, which conveniently comes in the exact 2 ft x 3 ft dimensions, to replace the previous cardboard and make the backing flush with the frame.

Voila!  A beautifully framed large chalkboard (which erases beautifully) that we not only used for the wedding, but have utilized for countless events since.

I am continuously practicing the art of chalk penmanship, noting the durability and anti-smudge capabilities of the chalk pen.  Even though the pens make for a more permanent, smudge-free technique, I still prefer the texture of plain old chalk.  It easily erases for ease of design and works wonders for blending/smudging with your fingers or other objects to show dimension.  See below for the “in progress” pictures of my most recent project and please share your experiences and knowledge of chalk art!