DIY Chalkboard Menu

As I'm slowly but surely trying to decorate our new apartment, my hardest problem has been committing to hanging things on our walls. I know that if I don't like my first decision, I can always change it, but the thought of putting more unnecessary holes in the wall makes me cringe. Taking it slow is good, though, because I have time to decide what I really want, and time to shop around for that perfect piece!

I knew I wanted a cute chalkboard menu to go over our dining nook. I looked around at some cute options, but decided it would be best for us if I just went ahead and made one myself with materials I already had on hand. I know there are a hundred different ways you could go about this project, but I'll show you what I did. This project was so easy, and the best part was that it was free!

What I used:

• poster frame (I got mine at Walmart about two years ago)
• chalkboard paint (already had from wedding craft project)
• foam brush (who doesn't have paintbrushes laying around?)
• chalk (already had this, too! Did you know chalk gets out grease stains?)

Depending on what you're using to make your chalkboard, you could use painter's tape to line your painting area. My poster frame had a plexiglass insert that I just popped out of the frame - - - told you this "tutorial" was going to be easy haha! I kept the cardboard backing behind the plexiglass so I could see where to paint, and put a plastic trash bag underneath to keep the mess contained.

 (Winston decided that plexiglass was a great place to lay down for awhile haha!)

On the back of the paint can, I read that I could paint on plastic, but I found that on this particular type of plastic that I had to use a few extra coats of paint, which was fine.

Here we are after several coats (I think 4 in total) and drying time in between!

There were no directions for this on the paint can I used, but I've read several places that you need to "season" your chalkboard before use. This simply means rubbing a piece of chalk all over it until the board is completely covered, and then wipe it off with a cloth. I thought it looked pretty cool all covered with chalk!

I popped the newly seasoned chalkboard back in the frame and decided on a design. I love all the beautiful chalk board art out there, so I tried my hand at it. Here's what I came up with:

I may go over my design with a chalkboard marker eventually to make it a little bit more permanent, but for now, I'm loving it! Here is a better view of where it hangs in our dining nook.

 I have been trying to find some vintage-looking candle sconces to go on either side of the chalkboard (the wall is too plain for me), so I will be visiting some thrift stores to try to score some cheap ones!

That's my kind of project - easy and free!
Happy Crafting!
-Heather