Black Boards – Not Just for School Anymore

When my children were in school, I always felt like September was more like New Year’s then  January 1st. For, me it was always cause for celebration as we got back to our routine after a long summer of shuffling them to and from daycare and the hustle and bustle of out-of-town vacations.  September brought a snap of cooler weather and the beginning of the new school year, full of potential and new experiences.

So, in honor of the “New Year,” I would like to show you some really creative uses for chalk board paint. Today, schools use more white boards than black boards, but I can still see the big black. or sometimes green, chalk boards in my elementary school and remember the joy of being chosen to “clap” the erasers at the end of the day. (For those of you not  of a certain generation,  clapping the black felt erasers together helped clean the chalk from them and had to be done every day.)

Black Board Paint Graduates to DIY

Black board paint may have left the classroom, but it’s entered the realms of home decorating and some talented DIYer’s have elevated the art of using black board paint to create unique pieces, not to mention all the beautiful typography that has  appeared.

My own humble attempts of taking advantage of the decorative and utilitarian properties of black board paint include painting the interior side of my back door, facing into my kitchen, with black board paint and using it as a giant chalk board to remind me of things I had to do, important dates and just general notes to self.

When I moved into an apartment I found a neat idea on Pinterest and recreated it:

 

I bought a silver-plated tray from Savers, a charity thrift shop here in Las Vegas, and after punching holes in the top with a hammer and screw driver, I painted it with the black board paint. I used sand paper to smooth the holes on the back and then threaded a ribbon I had saved from a present my sister gave me and hung this in my kitchen.

For more inspiration, here are  some ways others have used black board paint:

I found this cool metal cabinet on the Handy Girl blog.  I have a true love affair with metal cabinets of any kind, so this fulfills two of my faves.

Although these are chalk board vinyl stickers, I think it would be easy to recreate this look using a stencil. But, since I’m also a big fan of instant gratification, I may look at the SimpleShapes etsy site for these.  Either way, I love the clean and graphic look this would give a wall in a kitchen, home office or playroom, plus I’ll finally have a space large enough to write everything; so much better than the calendar I get every year from my bank.

                                                   

I love the look of hand-written labels and really love being able to reuse the same label. You can find chalk board labels at office supply and craft store, but on the Flour on My Face blog, Arlene shows how easy it is to make your own. Love this idea not just for Ball jars, but for the large vintage pickle and restaurant-size jars I collect.

Here’s a kooky idea, purchase a piece of art at the thrift shop, paint a portion of it with chalk board paint and voila! you have a whimsical message board. Or, you could go the The Mosaic Butterfly etsy shop and buy this one.

As for beautiful chalk board typography, here’s an especially nice one from Tanamachi Studios:

Have fun!