Chalkboard Ideas for Every Season

A LONG while back one of my sisters requested that I do a blog post with ideas for chalkboard designs and messages.  Over the past 3 years, I have been snapping pictures of the chalkboards I have in my home each time I change the design, with a plan to one day share them.  

Now that I have an good number to share, I am finally fulfilling my sister's request. 

I made my chalkboards from thrift store pictures and chalkboard paint a few years ago, but they can be found just about anywhere. I have a small board in the kitchen (similar here), a larger one in my dining room (similar here); and I also use a tall, skinny one as a menu board. 

I have tried out the chalk markers that your can buy nowadays. This one writes beautifully, but if you plan to change your board very often, I recommend classic crayola school chalk. It is dirt cheap, and is super easy to wipe off and change often.

Be sure to pin or bookmark this post, because I will continue to add photos to it as I add new designs in the coming months and years!

This was from this past Christmas. My talented 13-year-old son drew the Santa. 

 I kept this one up for several months. Here in rainy WA, I need a reminder of all the bright spots in my life!

 Newsies. I hope you are singing and dancing now.

 Valentines Day. Or just because.

A little reminder for each of us as we leave the house each day. 

I did this one for a bridal shower and wedding reception. 

In the kitchen.

Halloween

I love layering my chalkboards in with my other decorations. 

More kitchen fun.

I did this for the first week of the art class I teach.

Another Christmas design. 

Home Tour: Fall and Halloween Decor

Happy Fall, Y'all!  

I frequently get asked about my handmade fall decor, so I decided to share a few areas of my home and how the decorations came to be.  I have a kid-friendly house, so nothing is fancy or expensive.  I like decorating (especially handmade stuff), but I LOVE how excited my kids get when they see that I have added fun festivity to our home! It makes me smile, too. (:

MY SIDEBOARD

 (pictured above), located in my dining room 

• Autumn Grasses. Purchased at JoAnn's, similar here and here. 
• BOO letters. I spray painted them with a warm white, then painted the rims gold. Find the letters here. 
• Chalkboard. Made using a second hand framed picture from Goodwill, using this tutorial. 
• Fabric Pumpkins. Handmade using this blog post. 

DOOR WREATHS

• Wreath form purchased at Joann's (similar here).  After trying several kinds of forms, I now have a pretty strong opinion that the kind made of pressed, shaped straw wrapped in plastic is the most sturdy. Just my 2-cents.
• Burlap and fabric flowers made using tutorial found here and here. 
• Feathers made from yarn and liquid starch. Tutorial found here. 

FOYER

• Floral pieces and Pumpkin from Joann's. 
• Thankful board: 1x4 wood, painted light brown, then sanded around edges to distress. Vinyl "thankful."
• Sitting scarecrow: This was a hand-me-down from my mom. :)

DINING ROOM

• Table: Tray and metallic balls from Pier One.  Leaves from JoAnn's. Vintage lace table runner made according to this tutorial. 
• Mini mason jar floral arrangement:  These are the Atlas Mason jars that Classico Pesto comes in. I always save them. They make excellent small drinking glasses for my kids, and they are adorable in decorating.  I painted these with a warm white spray paint.  Floral pieces are from JoAnn's.

FIREPLACE

• Painting (of Colorado Rockies in Fall) available here. 
• Wool Ball Garland made using these.
• Fall Feather Garland tutorial found here.  
• Letterboard is "The Poet" from Letterfolk.

Vintage Lace Table Runner

Layers of vintage lace make this one-of-a kind runner perfect on your dining or console table. It goes with any decor and looks fabulous layered over other runners or tablecloths!

I recently bought a bag of vintage lace pieces on a boutique deal. I have since discovered that Amazon carries the same thing for a great price and free shipping. You can get an assortment of cream or white lace, or if you like to mix it up, some of both!

   

This is also a super way for crafters to use up old lace scraps that, if you are like me, you never throw away!

To make your own Vintage Lace Table Runner, you will need: 

• 12 yards Vintage Lace, varied styles
• Cutting Mat, Ruler, and Rotary Cutter 

    

• Sewing pins
• Sewing machine

Instructions: 

1. Determine how wide you want your table runner, and add an inch. Cut your lace pieces to this length using the ruler and mat to make straight cuts. I wanted a 12 inch runner, so I made my lace 13 inches. 

2. Pin lace layers together in about 2 foot sections, overlapping just enough to sew (about 1/4 inch).  Use plenty of pins! Lace can be slippery!

3. Once you have three 2-foot sections, pin those sections together and sew.  If you find (as I did) that the lace stretched or slipped some and your edges aren't as clean as you want, don't worry! This is why you added that inch at the beginning!

4. Iron the runner if needed, then use the ruler and mat to carefully square up the entire runner. Take your time so you get it right! 

And you are done! I hope you love your new runner as much as I love mine! 

Sharing at these link-ups. 

DIY Modern Yarn Wall Hanging

My sister sent me a picture of one of these wall hangings she found on Etsy a while back and I was immediately swooning. I love modern home decor--especially of the hand-made variety. 

So when my 5 year old and I had a movie night together and she chose Disney's original animated Peter Pan (which I love, but could enjoy without my eyes glued to the screen!), I sat next to her on the couch and cut yarn for my wall hanging! 

What is fun about these is that no two will ever be the same--especially if you use a branch as your anchor! Many I have seen on the interwebs use a wooden dowel at the top. I don't have rustic style, but I do like adding natural elements where I can.  I definitely prefer the look the branch gives my hanging to a plain dowel. 

I will walk you through my process of making one of these hip yarn creations. Other methods exist, but this way worked well for me, and I think you will find it easy as well!

You will need: 

• A sturdy stick or small branch 
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Optional: Iron and spray starch

1. Cut yarn in several lengths that are double the length you want your hanging's height to be.  I won't give you a number here since it varies so much according to the size of your stick. 

*Tip: I pulled out 20-30 lengths of yarn at a time in long, even loops, then just cut the ends off one side to get several equal strings cut at once. 

2. Make a plan for how the colors will be arranged on your stick. I decided to do a bit of an ombre fade.  

3. Tie the yarn on the stick as shown in the pictures.  Push the tied-ends right up next to each other to really fill in the wood. 

4. This is optional, but is nice if you want your yarn really straight. With the proper heat setting for the type of yarn you are using, iron the yarn to get out any little unwanted wrinkles. Spray starch is also helpful for making the yarn nice and stiff before you cut it. 

5. Use sharp scissors to trim the bottom of the yarn to your desired shape. I found it helped to hang it the way it will go on the wall to make sure all the threads are in place. 

6. Tie another piece of yarn to each end of your stick to use as a hanger, and you are done!

These are great additions to gallery walls. They add nice natural texture to any room and can be made in whatever color and size you want! 

Sharing at these link-ups.