31 Days of Home Projects: Day 6

I had the idea for these chalk clipboards after using them for a Christmas Advent Calendar. I wish I could have left them up all year, but I just could not find a way to tie in the Christmas theme with the rest of my decor. I wanted to incorporate the words love, peace, joy, and hope somehow though. For I believe we should celebrate Christmas in our hearts all year long. When I think of the birth of Christ, these four words capture that moment so well. Since I am obsessed with chalkboard look and lettering, this project was created!

Painted Clipboards

What You Need

1. Black Chalk Paint (I use Waverly Chalk Acrylic Paint in Ink, Matte Finish)
2. Regular clipboards (how many you choose is up to you, depending on your creation)
3. White chalk
4. Words on printed regular letter paper
5. Any little items you want to add to the clipboards to complete the look.

Step by Step

1. Using the black chalk paint, paint most of your clipboard leaving a small space from where you
    stop at the top and the clip. Don't worry about having a perfect line across. If you look closely at
    my boards you will see that my lines are not perfect at the top.

2. Using Pages or Word, pick a nice script font that you like and type your words, one per page.
    Maybe you have a short phrase you like, just keep it to one word a page, to create a similar look.
    Regular letter paper is roughly the same size as the clipboard itself so you want the text size to be
    big enough to fill up the page. When you get it how you want it, print out your pages.

3. Next, using the chalk you want to rub the back pages of your words, making sure to cover the
    entire area of the word. After you are done, using the clip to hold your paper in place, make sure
    it's centered, take something with a smooth end and trace the words. This will leave a chalk imprint
    on the clipboard for you to follow.

4. This next part is up to you. You can use a white paint pen to go over the words in chalk. It is a little
     more of a cleaner look, but it will be permanent. I liked the messy looks, so I just went over the
     words again with plain chalk to make the lines thicker and darker. I wanted to be able to erase
     in the future if I decide to change the words or use them for something else.

5. Finally, if you would like to add some embellishments to your clip boards, you can attach them
    with a little hot glue. I put a fake flower on one and drew a heart with a key on the other. You can
    leave yours blank if you like. Make it your own, however you want!

Have fun! See you back here tomorrow for another awesome home project!

Many Blessings,