Hello Remodelaholics! I’m Tasha and I blog over at Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body about thrifty DIY projects and home renovations. You may remember some of my other contributor posts, like the one about how to transform an outdated, cultured marble vanity with concrete or my popular post about how we built a wood screen to hide the ugly utility boxes on the side of our house. I am very much a Remodelaholic and I always feel like I am in very good company over here 
But sometimes even Remodelaholics need quick and easy projects, and that is what I have for you today! Chalkboard projects are all the rage, and I totally get why–I LOVE them. There are so many ways to use chalk and chalkboard paint and you can see a lot of them in this round-up of 50 creative DIY chalkboard projects. I especially love chalkboard signs, but I really struggle with hand-lettering (despite these awesome tips for great chalk art lettering). So, I have found an easy way to create perfect “chalkboard” art that is easy and can be reused year after year.
How to Make Easy Faux Chalkboard Signs
Materials Needed
- Matte white vinyl (I use Silhouette brand and strongly prefer it over other brands)
- Vinyl transfer tape
- Transfer
- Level
- Silhouette cutting machine or craft knife and letter templates (I have the Silhouette Cameo and use it ALL the time)
- Chalk
- Black foam core board (I get mine at The Dollar Store)
- Craft knife
- Wood frame (you can find wood frames with no glass at most craft stores)
Instructions:
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1) Start by creating your design and cutting it out. If you use a Silhouette machine, create your design in the Silhouette Studio software. I purchased the wreath element for $.74 and created the text with fonts I already had. It took about 3 minutes to design, and you can do the same thing with a Cricut using Design Space. If you don’t have a Silhouette or Cricut, just create a design on your computer and print and cut it out. You can then use your cut out design as a template to cut your vinyl with scissors or a craft knife.
2) Next, cut your foam core so that it will fit inside your frame.
3) “Weed” your vinyl design if you’ve used a cutting machine. That’s just a weird way of saying you need to remove all of the excess vinyl so that just your design is left, as shown below.
4) Transfer your vinyl onto vinyl transfer tape. You could peel and stick your design onto your foam core by hand, but using transfer tape helps keep your spacing just right.
5) Apply your design to your foam core board and remove the transfer tape.
6) Rub your sign down with chalk and use a paper towel or chalkboard eraser to cover the entire piece of foam core with chalk dust. This is what makes it look authentic, so don’t skip this step!
7) Pop it into your frame and hang it up. Here are three different versions that I have made for different holidays/seasons. When they are not in use, I just store the foam core in a closet–they don’t take up much room at all which is awesome!
That’s it! Isn’t so easy and fun? I’m so relieved I have found a way to create those gorgeous chalkboard signs that I love without having to rely on my handwriting/drawing skills
I would love for you to head over to my blog, Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s body, to check out my DIY home improvement projects and more budget-friendly decor ideas, like how we painted our kitchen cabinets without sanding or priming (and they are still holding up perfectly 2 years later), how I “upholstered” a chair with fabric and mod podge, and how we saved $5,000 by tackling our twin girls’ bathroom renovation ourselves.
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More faux chalkboard shortcuts:
print this free LOVE chalkboard art poster
print these free herb garden chalkboard labels
organize your pantry with free printable chalkboard labels
or if you’re ready for the real thing, try these:
The post How to Make Reusable Faux Chalkboard Signs appeared first on Remodelaholic.
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