HOW TO: Chalkboard Art

I love those chalk typography signs that are everywhere these days. I decided I wanted to put some chalkboard art in the kitchen to tie in our new black table so I found some free printables, printed and framed them (which I'll show off in another post). But I really really wanted a sign that said "Eat, drink, and be merry" because it's one of my favorite quotes and I just thought it would be clever in a kitchen. I couldn't find a free printable anywhere. I did find a photo of a wooden painted sign on Pinterest that I liked, so I decided to DIY it (if anyone knows the original source let me know so I can give them credit for the actual design!). Here's how....

I headed to the craft store and bought some chalkboard paint and a piece of wood (12" x 12"). You can use whatever size/shape you want though. I've done a sign like this previously with a piece of scalloped MDF. 

First, I painted the wood with chalkboard paint. I used three coats because the wood was pretty absorbent. In the past, using MDF, I didn't need so many coats.

I printed a picture of the wooden art I saw on Pinterest. I zoomed to 125% in my printer settings in order to get it to print across two pages. Otherwise it would be too small for the 12" x 12" board. After I printed, I cut the white edges and taped it together. 

Then I colored the entire back of the paper with white chalk (sorry I can't figure out how to rotate that picture!)

Next, I turned my chalky mess over and centered it on the painted board. I traced each letter with a pencil. You want to press down hard so that the chalk transfers to the board.

The image should transfer like this!

Tah dah!

Then I traced the chalked on letters with a white paint pen. I like to put a piece of paper under my hand so I don't smudge the rest of the chalk and lose my outline. 

Comparison. (Again, I don't know why I can't rotate this! The image is saved right side up!)

Next wipe off your board with a damp lint-free cloth. Let dry. Then decide whether you want to fill in your letters with white paint or not. I'm short on time today, so I hung it up as is, but I think I will fill them in sometime soon!