Chalkboards Made Easy

I think on chalkboards fondly. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I had one growing up & I used it to assign all of my pretend students their math homework. My little fingers always seemed to be dusted with chalk remnants. And it was an exceptionally happy day if my Mom purchased colored chalk. Oh boy!

Perhaps this is why I wanted my kids to have one. To create their own fond memories of play. I thought it would be easy enough & I was right.

Here are the ingredients:

• MDF (I used 2'X 4' & 2'X 2')
• Baseboard Molding
• Nails
• Liquid Nails (& caulk gun)
  
• Anchors
• Chalkboard Paint
• Desired Paint for Base
  

1. Buy a thin sheet of MDF at Home Depot & have cut it to your desired dimensions (mine are above). (I don't know if they cut base for you at Home Depot. We have a saw that cuts 45 degree angles so we just did our base cuts at home to make sure they were perfect.)
2. Also buy all of your other remaining needed supplies.
   
3. At home, paint your MDF with chalk board paint (you might need multiple coats) & your base with your desired color & let it dry overnight. (I sanded my painted base to distress it.)
   
4. Next, adhere anchors to the back of your MDF so you can fasten it to the wall securely.
5. Then apply a layer of liquid nails adhesive to your base & frame it out around the edges of your MDF. You can also secure the base to the MDF with some nails. (Sink your nails, cover the sinkholes with caulk & lightly sand the surface to leave a smooth finish.)
   

Buy some chalk & you are good to go. I have one in Son's room & one in my kitchen to help keep our meal plans organized among other activities for the week.

Hopefully, you too have a fondness for chalkboards... & if so... enjoy the dust. You're kids sure will.

Funny story: {Maybe not laugh out loud, ha-ha funny, but nonetheless, worthy of documentation.}

So, I was up late last night shuffling around the house happy to be alone with my thoughts in the quiet. Have you ever stayed up late even though you're tired but because it's quiet & you {FINALLY!} have time to yourself, you can't help but relish in the midnight calm? Well, this was my position last night. I was finishing this post & thought I'd take a picture of my kitchen chalkboard. {Which is darling if I do say so myself.}

So I begin to erase the contents {which are lame} so I can write new, more clever things upon it for the picture {not simplifying} & what happens you ask??? The whole darn thing comes crashing down from off the wall.

I deserve it I suppose. What a hypocrite.

I shriek of course. One, out of fright & another out of sheer anger. An obscenity might have grumbled low in my chest as well. I'm obviously not perfect. Shocker.

So, if you are wondering why I've forgone the kitchen chalkboard picture it's because it's lying upon my floor in shambles waiting patiently for me to adorn it back onto it's proper perch. But until then... enjoy your weekend & projects. And please... go buy some chalk for the kids. Even if it is just for the sidewalk. You don't dust out there anyway.