Back to School Challenge: What We Learned Board Tutorial

Can you believe back to school season is nearly here?  I know, it's coming up fast!  Michael's stores contacted me and asked if I'd like to participate in their First Day of School Blogger Challenge and create a craft project to celebrate the First Day of School.  

This was a special challenge for me, since we're homeschoolers and the usual lunchbox, teacher gifts, backpack type stuff doesn't really apply to us.  I came up with something that is ideal for all families, no matter what way you do school.  The What We Learned Memory Board.

This reusable board gives a fun & easy way for kids to show off what they're doing.  Not only is this a great way to summarize a day's activities or for making a visual "report" for a particular theme, it makes it easy for Mom to save the memories.  

Just keep the pinned items or - better yet - photograph the board and just save the photo. How's that for saving space!

 Materials Needed:
- Chalkboard paint
- Corkboard sheet - 8.5x11
- Unfinished wooden frame - 8x10
- Scrapbook notes - I used Recollections Creative Chaos Pads.  These are perfectly themed for this
- Foam paintbrush, scissors, chalk, pushpins

Start by removing the back panel and cover sheet from the wooden frame.  Paint the the front and side edges with the chalkboard paint.  I did 3 coats for good coverage, leaving an hour between coats and then a full 24hrs to cure.

Trace the back panel onto the cork sheet and trim to size.

  
Condition the surface of the frame by lightly rubbing with chalk and then wiping off.

Place cork into frame, followed by the back and close.

Then fill out and add the scrapbook notes.  It's a great way to help the kids put what their doing into words.  No more "What did you do today?" questions being answered with "I don't know".

Add some extra details or descriptive words or images for that day or a particular theme in chalk on the frame.  

Since it's now a chalkboard & bulletin board combined, this can have different notes, drawings or projects everyday:

Are you ready for school to start?  For more fun ideas, check out Michael's Back to School Challenge Pinterest Board and Lookbook. 

I'm also sharing this project with my FAVE LINK PARTIES.

Click HERE to check them out!

I was not financially compensated for this post and received a Michael's gift card to use for purchasing supplies for this project.  The opinions are completely my own, based on my experience.  For my complete disclosure policy, click here. 

Smarter Not Harder - Repurposing Projects & Calling For Crafters!

I love making crafty projects, but sometimes the ratio of time spent to use it gets can be pretty lopsided.  This is where chalkboard paint is brilliant.  By using chalkboard paint on a couple of terra cotta pots, I've been able to reuse them over & over for loads of stuff.  I originally made these pots for a St. Patrick's Day decoration:

I set aside the coins & pipe cleaners for next year and grabbed a couple of cheap flags & $1.00 bin ribbons and pinned them into the florist foam I'd had inside & jotted down a quick holiday message:

What else can you do with the same pots?


- Draw on some cute shapes colored chalk and beautifully arrange plop in some pretty silk flowers
- Toss in some herb plants and write their names on the pots
- Store your bits & bobs of crafting stuff like thread, ribbon, scissors or paper tools in them & fake looking organized
- Have the kids decorate them for birthdays, holidays or when you just need to distract them with a non-disaster-causing art project in order to get 5 minutes of quiet that can be cleaned up in 2 seconds with a wet sponge

There are endless options, so these really are the ultimate easy, cheap & recycled craft project.  I really wanted to mock a few of those other ideas up for you, but ran out of time (we're currently on a family vacation, so the blog had to get to the back of the priority line this week).

On that note, it being summer & with free time ebbing and flowing for a lot of us part-time crafters, my CraftShare guest list has grown in some topics (yay!), but shrunk in others (boo!).  The "crazy crafter" in me would love to try to dream up some last minute projects to fill in the gaps, but my time plate already has enough portion control issues without tossing on a few more helpings, sooooooo....I'm putting out an APB to all of you:

I'm looking for a few good Crafters who want to share Liquid Starch + Fabric or Felt Craft projects as featured guests for CraftShare here on Sew Can Do.  

Just to clarify - it doesn't have to be something you've just made or that you have to make it exclusively for CraftShare, it just has to fit either of the themes mentioned above and share some info on how you made it (a tutorial would be ideal, but even just a few tips is ok!).   I've got a mix of old & new projects on these topics I'll be showing myself, so a fun project made a year ago is just as welcome as something made yesterday.  Show us what you've done so we can bask in your craftastic aura!  Email me asap if you've got something you want to share, since these topics are fast approaching.  I'd really love to add a few more crafty bloggers to the lineup!

Chalkboard Projects For Kids

There is something about chalkboard stuff that always seems to get the adults & the kids excited. Probably because it's fun to make & to use. It's also a great way for a timid crafter to unleash creativity, since there are no special tools or know-how required.

This project literally took a hot second to throw together.  I got the plain canvas backpack at Michael's for $0.59 (at that price why bother to make one?!?), marked off a big rectangle with painter's tape and then painted it.

My 4yr old loves backpacks & I like how he can decorate this himself or I can put a message on it.  I think this could be ideal when out at a crowded place like the zoo or when on a group trip somewhere and you want to be able to spot your kid in the crowd by putting a giant shape or the name of the group on the it.

Another fun & cheap kid's project is this DIY puppet:

The blank puppet was another $0.59 Michael's find simply covered in white chalkboard paint that can be whatever the kids want.  Silly monster one minute....

Little girl with braids the next!  Endless possibilities, over and over again.

Now one thing I do want to mention is kid safety when it comes to chalkboard stuff.  There are a lot of chalkboard paints out there (crafters jars, spray paints, "regular" metal canned paint and chalkboard fabric).  The only one that is certified non-toxic and therefore safe for kids is the craft kind that comes in a small jar made by Plaid's Folk Art line (the company that makes Mod Podge).  I've seen a lot of cute kid's projects out there using chalkboard fabric, but it is not CPSIA certified.  What's the big deal?  This means that it is not free of lead or phthalates, which is a required of manufacturer's of most products for children under 12yrs.  As a crafter I love making stuff for my kids, but I feel that as a parent, I need to make sure what I make for my kids (or anyone else's) is in fact safe for them.  

For me this means checking on what goes into the crafting materials, even if it means taking extra time beforehand or having to pass on something I'd really love to buy.  This is why I cringe a little when I see baby bibs crafted from vinyl tablecloths or oilcloth & kid's place mats made from chalkboard fabric.  A lot of crafters don't know it, but these can contain lead & phthalates, so it is considered illegal for a manufacturer or a retailer to sell them because they do not meet safety standards.   I know this because I own a children's store and the products we carry require documentation proving their materials have been tested for lead & phthalates and in fact pass.  

So instead of buying chalkboard fabric, you can easily paint a bit of canvas with the Folk Art Paint and get the same effect, but without the worry.  Same goes for using laminated cotton in place of vinyl or oilcloth.  Same crafting fun, but without the concerns to the kiddies.  Sorry to get on my soapbox today, but it's meant to kindly inform crafters that may not know & help home crafted kid's items be as safe as they are pretty:)

Sharing this with my fave link parties too so check them out here!

CraftShare Week 6: Chalkboard Shoes!

This week's CraftShare topic is Chalkboard Paint. This handy stuff makes any porous surface into a chalkboard (wood, terra cotta, paper maché, canvas and galvanized tin) AND comes in a variety of colors besides the usual black, so there are tons of ways you can use it. Just paint on a coupld of coats, & when dry condition it by rubbing chalk on it. Boom! Instant chalkboard.

This was one of my first ideas: Chalkboard Shoes.  I can't tell you how many times I've been tempted to buy sneakers with designs printed on them for myself and for the kids.  They are always so cute!  The problem is they rarely go with much stuff, so they really don't get worn as much as they could.  Add in that there's usually a higher price (the Converse ones can cost $55 a pair!), so most of us can't afford to have more than one pair.  So I took matters into my own hands and came up with these.  They're cheap, give you loads of looks and are fun to decorate!

How To Make Them:

- 1 pair of canvas shoes (Got mine at Target for $9.99)
- 1 jar of chalkboard paint (There are several kinds: sprays, the craft kind, the "regular" cans, etc.).  I used the craft one.  
- Foam paint brush
- A roll of painter's tape (if you're like me & not the neatest painter)
- Package of chalk

I taped over the laces to keep them neat and then brushed on a coat of the paint all over the shoes.  Since I was doing white on white the edges near the bottom were pretty easy, but if using another color paint, I'd recommend using tape down there too.  After an hour I added the second coat and then let dry overnight.  The next day I conditioned them by rubbing chalk all over them:

And then wipe off with a a dry sponge or chalkboard eraser.  I had the not-so-hot idea of using a damp paper towel and blue chalk, so let's just say that could have gone better (read - that combo made some edges I missed a bit blue).  Definitely best to stick to the dry stuff.  Also using stick chalk gives way better control when drawing than those shaped ones or the giant sidewalk style ones.  Now you & the kids can decorate to your heart's desire.  Write messages, draw designs, get the kid's to make some wearable artwork, the possibilities are endless.

I really wanted to find some kid-sized shoes to do too, but didn't see any in shops around here.  I'll have to search around more.  If anyone knows somewhere to find them, I'd love the assistance!  I think this would make an awesome (and inexpensive) gift for a kid.  Just add in a box of chalk & eraser and it's ready for a budding artist to beautify!

Sharing this with my fave link parties too so check them out here!


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