Real Wedding Inspiration Projects: DIY Chalkboards

You didn't think that was it did you??  Still a few more real wedding DIY's  to go (including some fantastic cake tips from La Vida Dulce Cake!) starting with this fantastic DIY chalkboard project!

Second to the heart tea bags, this may be the easiest (do you notice a theme here? easy DIY projects?) ever.  And chalkboard paint may be my new favorite thing... and let me tell you I was skeptical at first, but it really does work!!!

What you need
Chalkboard Paint (I got this rustolem brand paint at home depot - $10)
Foam paint brushes (also home depot, about $0.79 each!)
Wooden Shapes to Paint (heart available at any craft store)*
Fasteners - we used mini clothespins (JoAnn - about $3 for the pack) and toothpicks!

*after seeing how easy this was, I really do think you could paint just about anything - an old frame that you wanted to turn into a chalkboard menu, windowpanes for seating charts, a piece of wood to make a sign... endless possibilities!  But we kept it simple for the purposes of this DIY...

1) Mix the paint.  WELL.  Cannot stress this enough - the thicker the better (and the less coats you will have to do, I did have to do 2-3 coats on some earlier test pieces)
2) Be ready to get a bit messy.  Cover the surface space you are working on with newsprint or paper, remember you are painting here, and will be holding the piece, but often times dripping will occur.
3) Evenly paint the wooden shape - brush out any bubbles.  Let the piece set and dry for about 30 minutes (so it is dry to the touch).
4) Paint edges and re-coat top layer (if needed) or flip and paint other side (if you want two sided) but be sure to always have 1 side dry enough to put it down on the paper.  If you place a wet side down the paper will stick and when you lift the finished shape up it will have shreds of paper on it (not pretty).

And that's really it!  Add whatever fastener you want - in this case a hot glue gun was used to attach one of the mini clothespins.  Note: tacky glue or super glue works just as well.

**BIG TIP.  This cannot be a last minute DIY project.  Just as though you were painting a wall, the paint takes a while to fully dry - as in 2-3 days before it is suggested you write on it.  So plan any chalkboard paint projects out ahead of time!  (also, you do not want to chance having any black paint somehow stuck on you for your wedding day!)

A huge thank you again to Suzanna March Photography for capturing all of these fantastic photographs!