Okayyyyyyyy… so. It may be different for you, but sending my kids back to school this year is looking quite a bit different than it ever has. With all of the changes and unexpected outcomes, I, of course, chose to turn to crafts to soothe my anxious mind.
It’s weird. Since March, I have seriously been having difficulty finding inspiration and motivation for new crochet/fiber projects. I’ve found that when I pick up my yarn and hook, I tend to use easy and repetitious rows and stitches as more of a means of getting the fidgets out of my hands instead of cognitively thinking about stitch counts and shaping or whatever. So, I went down new aisles at my local JOANN than I typically walk down, with my daughter at my side.
I had no idea what I wanted to make, but just knew I wanted to make SOMETHING.
My daughter LOVES to paint and wanted to look at the canvases, so we ventured down that aisle (after snatching up some 60% off fall decor - I even found a metal garden sunflower that I added to our garden as a way to have my Nana a little bit closer). I immediately thought it would be so fun to paint something also, so I looked at the unfinished wood section. Then, I found it. A simple 11” x 11” framed board allowed me to use chalk paint for the first time, which is really what I wanted to do… ha! My daughter and I had so much fun picking what color paints we wanted and talking about our ideas together.
Before we headed to the check stand, we needed to look at the doll eyes to see if they had any of the teal ones we were using for her stuffed animal she’s had for six years and needed an eye replacement. We found ONE pack left, hidden behind other packs and she about did a back flip - she was so excited!! While in that aisle, I found other basic craft supplies such as poms, feathers, pipe cleaners, felt, and all kinds of cool things. I imagined playing around with any of them and if that seemed fun, and ended up snagging a few packs of variety poms and a pack of rose gold pipe cleaners, with the intent to use these to add more personality to the chalkboard.
I am so glad I grabbed them.
Later that evening I was able to take an hour or so to quietly and slowly paint the board and decorate it all nice while listening to music and just giving myself a moment of peace in our chaotic day. I highly encourage you to give yourself a moment in each day to just simply exist and decompress so you can unravel the high stresses of daily life.
If you want to see how I made my chalkboard and possibly inspire you to do the same, check down below for the materials list (with links!) as well as a step-by-step tutorial of how I made this DIY Trendy Schoolhouse Chalkboard.
This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Jessica Carey, designer of The Hook Nook. This post was sponsored by JOANN Stores but all ideas and opinions are my own.
DIY Trendy Schoolhouse Chalkboard
Materials:
-Thin Wood Framed Square Sign 11’’x11''undefined
-FolkArt Home Decor Chalk 8 oz, Willow Mist
-FolkArt 2 fl. oz Metallic Acrylic Paint, Gunmetal Gray
-(3) packs Fab Lab Assorted Poms / approximately 60 poms
Step 1 : Using your chalk paint, paint the board surface. I chose to do three coats, letting it dry in between each coat, simply because I was having too much fun since I never get to paint.
Step 2 : Using metallic paint, paint frame of board. I did two coats because it wasn’t as much fun as the big open space.
Step 3 : Using your glue gun, glue your pipe cleaners (look how cute these rose gold ones I found at my local JOANN are!!) around the interior edges hiding all of your mistakes. Wait, is that just me?
Step 4 : Using your glue gun again, glue your poms around the outside of the frame to add a little bit of texture-love to this fun project that’s totally meant for the kids… not really. I mean, kinda.. you know what I mean.
Step 5 : Think of a witty (or actually useful) saying to write onto your chalkboard.
Step 6 : Take a nap because you deserve it.
Step 7 : Write your witty or useful saying onto your chalkboard.
Step 8 : Display your glamorous chalkboard ANYWHERE YOU WANT - yo house, yo rulez.
Ta da! Simple as that, you’ve got yourself a quick project to get your through those overwhelming moments in life, and leave you with something useful and beautiful that you can keep for yourself, or give to another. Don’t forget to get your hands on the latest The Hook Nook Collection products and yarn! I had so much fun designing everything with the help of my team (read about that here) and I hope you all love everything!
Don't forget to share your progress online and use hashtags #handmadewithjoann and #thehooknookers to share with our communities! Be sure to follow along with me on Instagram to see more fun inspiration and stay in the loop with what’s to come! Thank you to my friends at JOANN Stores for helping me create such a fun project!
Want to check out more beautiful, modern crochet and knit patterns? Check out ALL of our blog posts featuring patterns, projects and more designed and shared by some of the community's best designers and dreamers here on THNLife Blog!
xo,
Jessica
