For my summer handmade gift exchange I really wanted to recreate the look of these Anthropologie Take Note Ceramic Chalkboards. I just thought they would be fun to use for parties, holidays, hanging in an office, by a nightstand… the possibilities are endless!
You Will Need:
Start out by rolling and kneading out your clay. It’s pretty hard to get out every single air bubble but I think some small imperfections add character. When you are ready cut out the clay to the shape you want and put it on a cookie sheet.
Then you will want to stamp whatever you wish at the top of your clay piece. I wanted to mimic the Anthro Chalkboard so I stamped “take note” into my clay.
If you want to hang your chalkboard sign then make sure you stamp two holes into the clay for the wire. I just stamped them with the tip of my pen.
Bake the sign at 275 for 15-30 minutes.
You have to be really careful when baking to not over-bake. You want to bake it until it is hard enough to keep it’s shape but not too long that it starts to turn brown or yellow. I found that my signs never really got too hard. However, this makes it so they are really flexible and won’t break easily which I thought was nice. I lightly sanded the edges to smooth out any rough parts.
Take your wire and string it through the two holes to create a way to hang your sign and then using your Sharpie pen color in the stamped words.
All that’s lef to do is paint them with a couple of coats of chalkboard paint. I just used painters tape and taped all the sides about 1 inch all around. After the paint has dried season your chalkboards by rubbing chalk all over them and then wiping it off with a damp cloth. This will prevent the chalk from leaving permanent marks once the signs start being used.
I find that there is always a use for my little chalkboard.
These would also make great gifts. They would be cute for Christmas with a little Holiday quote or drawing too!
Super cute, and doesn't look too hard to do at all!!
xo-Laura
http://www.simplylowcountry.com
This has been on my DIY list for several years! I have the sculpey, I just always assumed it wasn't the right material to use. Thanks for the inspiration! Off to try it!
Looking at your post I was totally thinking Christmas and then I read that you thought the same thing! Love it!
Adorable! Great gifts for sure!
Love this project, anthro knock-offs are so fun! I featured you today on my Kick-Off Friday post. Have a great weekend!
http://craftivitydesigns.blogspot.com/2013/07/kick-off-friday_12.html
Erica @ Craftivity Designs