DIY Chalk Lettering

My vintage schoolhouse chalkboard is one of my very favorite things! In fact, I have chalkboards in several shapes and sizes around the house. I love using them in fun new ways for parties and holidays. (My extra large one is one of those pieces that sort of migrates around the house because of its versatility!) I especially enjoy creating cool chalk art but my hand writing is just okay. I'm certainly no calligrapher and my attempts to duplicate beautiful fonts and typography are almost always futile. Typically they resemble elementary level scribbles at best! But I do have a few tricks up my sleeve.. And it's a short cut that doesn't require a projector! It's super easy and your lettering will look perfect. All you need is a printer, some chalk and a little tape.

First things first.. pick a design. The world's your oyster! 

Once you decide what you want your board to say, you need to print your graphic. You can use a fun printable or download some pretty fonts and create your own design. My inspiration for this demonstration piece comes from Lauren Buzetti over at Schoolhouse Electric. I swoon every time she  changes up their board! 

The next step is important! Once you have your sizing just right and you've printed your words/letters/pictures,  flip your paper over and evenly rub chalk all over the backside. Then, flip the paper right side up and place it exactly where you want it on your chalkboard. You can use tape to secure it so that it doesn't shift!

Next, take an object with a firm tip and trace the outline of your letters or shapes. I like to use a carpenter's pencil. The tip isn't so sharp that it will scratch or leave an indention in the board, but it's firm enough to transfer the chalk onto the hard surface. You can use a pen or pencil or just about anything firm enough to hold comfortably and trace with.

Once you've traced all edges, carefully lift and remove all the paper. The outline of your graphic will be transferred onto the chalkboard and you can use chalk or chalk markers to fill in as desired. (I prefer the aesthetic of regular chalk. Just keep in mind that chalk markers are semi-permanent and can be more difficult to erase. They're great to use in heavy-use areas or on things like pantry labels that get touched a lot.)

Light outline.. ready to be filled in!

I like to use the broad side of regular chalk to coat the backside of my paper and these two tools to fill in my art by hand after I've traced everything. You can buy the fine tip cartridge here! It's my very favorite and it also has a handy eraser tip that really helps to clean up your edges without using your fingers!

Easy peasy, right?! And the possibilities are endless.. You'll look like a pro in no time!

-Lauren

Versatile Decor - Shopping Your Own House

With Christmas just around the corner, I've been pulling out all my holiday decor and planning how I want to add new special touches around the farmhouse this season. Every year I like to tweak things just a little bit. Changing or replacing a lot of decor all at once can get really expensive really fast. So rather than buying all new things, I like to "shop the house" instead.

Like most of us, I have a few closets where I like to store miscellaneous decor and I also collect a lot of primitive things in our barn. Natural elements really inspire me so I often explore outside gathering wood, acorns, leaves and pinecones to incorporate inside. And once I've made a massive mess by getting out of all my stuff, then it's go time! 

I don't know what it is about pulling out all my options and seeing it all spread out in front of me.. It just jump starts my creativity! Sometimes all it takes to see an item in a new way is to take it down from where you put it to begin with. It can be hard to imagine something else in it's place or a new use for something without moving it in the first place and clearing your mind. Start with a clean slate! So many times I've forgotten about things I have or pieces that I haven't used in a long time. It's so fun to swap things around and it saves me SO much money. Sometimes shopping around my own house for new ways to use my old things is all the inspiration I need! And it satisfies that urge to shop so I get the quick fix I'm craving without spending a penny!

I've never been one to splurge on a lot of trendy clothing or decor. I love what I love and although my tastes have changed and evolved over time, many of the classic pieces I've invested in still remain my favorites. I recently got a new fun item from one of my favorite shops and it's so versatile! I thought it would be the perfect example to illustrate how I often use a single piece of decor in many ways. The Box Spring Card Holder from Painted Fox can be used for so many occasions! Take a look at how it's travelled around our house..

Christmas Card Display

I found this small wicker wreath while unpacking some holiday decor. A friend had gifted it to me and I had forgotten I even had it! By adding some fresh greenery picked straight out of our backyard and "shopping my house" I was able to create this fun holiday display without spending a penny!

Nursery Vignette

My son's nursery is one of my favorite rooms to decorate.. Kid spaces are so fun! I found these cool vintage flash cards while shopping around at the Nashville Flea Market. I had originally strung them up to create a paper garland, but my bed spring card holder was the perfect piece to display them in a new way!

Farmhouse Mantel

Swoon... a farmhouse loving girl can never have too many tobacco baskets! This one sits on one of our six mantels and I swap out the decor here often. I was stumped for a long time on deciding how to display these flashcards, but my card holder provides a great layer of depth and texture in this space. 

Recipe and Mail Sorter

I have TONS of loose paper in my kitchen.. recipes, mail, shopping lists.. I need about three of these to organize it all!

Spare Bedroom Decor

Our spare bedroom is one of the only fully decorated spaces in our farmhouse at the moment. It seems as though every other room has something ripped out for the sake of renovation. But this one is a bit of a getaway for me when the mess of the house starts to get overwhelming and I want to sit in a room that feels like ME.  Not to mention, these are a few of my favorite things.. Chippy - Farmhouse - Home.

Would you like your own Bed Spring Card Holder to decorate in a million different ways? You can buy one at Painted Fox Treasures!

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Making a house a home doesn't have to cost a lot of money. In fact, it doesn't have to cost any at all! Switching up your decor and "shopping your home" can be so much fun. It's even therapeutic for me at times! Maybe this will inspire you to play around with whatever you can find around your own place and give some of your things new life. Let your creative juices flow! Do you have any really versatile pieces that travel around your house? Show me!

-Lauren