Cheap and easy holiday chalkboard art

I was recently invited to share a few tips on how to do seasonal decorating for less with the lovely and amazing women from the Ladies in Fellowship Together (LIFT) group in Juniata County, Pa.

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I had an absolute blast talking, laughing, crafting and snacking with these sweet ladies!

During our time together, I thought it might be fun for us to whip up an easy and inexpensive holiday chalkboard art craft/gift.

PicMonkey CollageEvent photos courtesy of LIFT

There are so many free Christmas chalkboard printables available through Pinterest right now. I chose a few of these and had 30 5″x7″ prints produced at Walmart for about 50 cents apiece.

Then I took some 2″x6″ boards that were collecting dust in our garden shed and cut out 30 pieces on my miter saw that were each 7 1/2″ in length. That made each piece 5 1/2″ wide by 7 1/2″ high by about 1 1/2″ thick (2″x6″ boards lose about 1/2″ of width and depth due to planing and shrinkage).

I sanded them really well on all sides and applied a coat of Minwax Express Color Wiping Stain and Finish in either Emerald or Crimson. (Of course I was sanding and staining like a madwoman the night before the event because I refuse to take my own advice and quit procrastinating!) 

Wiping-stain-art

I took the dried blocks and chalkboard prints with me to the LIFT event. The ladies chose a block and a print, then distressed the edges of their blocks with sandpaper and adhered their prints to the wood blocks using Mod Podge (matte finish).

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Tip: When using Mod Podge on wood, I recommend coating both the wood and the back of the photo with Mod Podge, then using something like a Bondo plastic spreader to make sure the seal is tight and to eliminate all air bubbles between the wood and the print. I also like to apply a coat of Mod Podge over the entire top of the print as well. (Don’t worry. It dries clear and won’t damage the photo.)

Chalkboard-Christmas-craft

These decorative holiday blocks look great standing on their own on a side table, windowsill or mantel. They also make inexpensive, yet thoughtful gifts.

Thanks again to all the lovely LIFT ladies for a fabulous time of fellowship!

I’m linking this up to Saving4Six.com and A Glimpse Inside.

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3 Responses

  1. Judy says:

    We were so blessed to have Susan come to our LIFT event. She is an excellent speaker and the craft was an added bonus!! 🙂

  2. Angie W says:

    Do you have a Pinterest link for this project? I want to keep it!!

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