One of my closest friends is expecting!! She's still keeping it hush-hush but she gave me permission to post the chalkboard I made for her.
Here's our conversation via text that led up to this marvelous piece:
Her: Any ideas on where I can find a neat chalkboard?
Me: I would try Etsy first, Hobby Lobby or even TJ Maxx.
Her: Thanks! Let me know if you see any while you're out and about.
Me: Thought... So I can probably make you one.
Please note that we've never built a frame before (we leave that to the handyman, my Dad), especially not a chalkboard with a frame from all bare wood. But we're always up for learning something new and trying to conquer a challenge. The result?
Not to step my bounds here, but I was kind of obsessed with how well this turned out. She wanted something rustic and with a chalkboard size of 11" x 14". So JD and I rummaged through our scrap wood, found a solid 2' x 4' and cut it ourselves. The frame looked awesome as we pieced together the first three sides... but then we got to the fourth side and the measurements were way off. I'm not even sure how we could be off by that much.
So we went back to the rummaging pile, found another large 2' x 4' and walked it up to our neighbors for a more precise measurement. Whew. It worked that time.
I sanded the boards after they were cut to the right size, distressed them, stained them, then nailed in some massively intense nails to keep the frame intact (nails also courtesy of Julia, our awesome neighbor). The final dimensions are 17" x 20".
Voila!
I left one nail head jutted out a bit to give it that rustic vibe.
After making the chalkboard, I covered it with paper and drilled a few screws in the back to hold it in place. I also added some wire for hanging and later added a photo hanger in case they wanted to hang it vertically.
Before she came over (and knew that I wrote "Coming in September"), she asked me to write "12 Weeks, baby is size of a lime". So I erased my previous message and went with this instead...
I think she would've been pleased either way but oh well-ity. The saying turned out super cute too. I'm just an all-around pleased designer today. :)
I've also decided that this is the technique I want to use for our dining room photo wall. Whoop whoop!! Finally. Some more clarity in home decor.
Here are a couple of other chalkboards we've made recently using antique baseboards but both have been sold...
End Note:
I'm thinking we'll start carrying the thick wooden frame as a new line for Jitney's Journeys in the Todd Nest Shop and our Etsy Shop. Both chalkboards and photo frames. What do you think?
