Easy Chalkboard Note Board

I love chalkboard. Maybe I love them because you can erase. Maybe I love them for the simplicity of colors. Maybe It's because they remind my of grade school and my childhood. Who knows why I love them but one thing is for sure, they are really fun to create. They are also very easy to make especially with so many paints available.  I found this board at a craft store and it looked like it would perfectly translate into a chalkboard. I also thought it would be convenient to attach a rope so you could easily hang it from any doorway.  Here are the basic steps I used to make it....

YOU'LL NEED

-AC Moore, Michael's or other craft store

1. Wooden Sign or any shaped cut-out(circle, star, arrow)
2. Chalkboard paint
3. Martha Stewart Crafts Stain
4. Braided Jute or plain jute(hardware store)
5. opt. Martha Stewart Crafts Stencil & Paint

-Other

1. Drill
2. Sander or sandpaper
3. Foam brush & old cotton t-shirt or any scrap cloth

 Buy this $1 board from AC Moore. There were several inexpensive styles to choose.

Using a drill and 1/4 inch drill bit make a small hole in the wood

After drilling, make sure to sand any rough edges.

This great new stain by Martha Stewart Crafts can be used indoors, has very little odor and easily washes with soap and water.

Stain is best applied with a foam brush and then wiped off with cloth.

Using a Chalkboard paint brush onto the board with a foam brush to minimize brush strokes appearance. If  you want a smoother appearance you can use spray paint. I happened to have Chalk paint so I just used that.

Sand down the dried paint to create a smoother finish.

Using an electric sander saves time and effort if you happened to own one.

I then used a flourish stencil from a package of Martha Stewart Serif Stencils.

I also chose a light shade of paint but I'm sure any color would work as well as any stencil. I was going to use a holly berry and leaf stencil but I didn't have one on hand.

 Now just tie on a piece of braided or twisted jute. You can find this at any hardware or craft store and is inexpensive. I used E6000 adhesive and glued the knot secure and hid it in the hole.

 The finished product came out something like this...