I have been just itching to play with chalkboard paint ever since I heard about it. I mean really-paint that turns anything into a chalkboard? What’s not to love about that!
But the stuff was fairly expensive, and it came by the quart, and however as tolerant of my more, uh, unusual ideas as Yankee Bill is-he wasn’t really keen on the idea of my painting a patch of the kids room black or dark green. He quite rightly pointed out “Do we really want to teach them to write on the wall?”.
Point taken.
Now that the chalkboard paint has been on the market for a few years you can buy it in cute little 8oz jars, in tons of different colors at your local craft store for around $5. There is also a spraypaint version available for around the same price. That makes projects like “Easy Chalkboard Frames” by Brown Paper Packages into something that can actually qualify as a frugal gift idea.
Photo by J Hayne
The idea is simple-just take the glass out of the frame and paint it with the chalkboard paint. Let it dry and pop it back in. Voila!
There are as many variations on this project as there are frames out there. Inexpensive frames are easy to find at your thrift store, garage sale, mom’s attic or the dollar store. You can get creative with the frame-embellish it, change the color, make it unique!
If the idea of having glass in the frame bothers you (say it’s for a kids room) you could always cut a piece of board to fit, and prime & spray that.
And you don’t have to think small. What about creating a big kitchen blackboard for one of the moms on your list who needs to get organized? The one in the picture below was made with a piece of metal painted with the chalkboard paint-so it is magnetic as well!
Photo by Adam Knits
A fun twist on this project is creating a chalkboard plate. Just paint the center of a plate with the chalkboard paint! Imagine it hanging on a kitchen wall or stood up on a counter with one of those little art stands. . . adorable!
Photo by the Garlands
Just package the finished chalkboard with a few pieces of chalk! I think this is a great DIY gift that could be used, depending on your frame and material choices, for a child, teen, or adult!
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