Chalk it Up!

What do you get when you combine muslin, chalkboard paint and embroidery hoops?

Why little round chalkboards of course!

These fun little creations have found a home in the boys' bathroom. 

I originally was going to do a "family rules" chart with lovely tidbits of advice like-- brush your teeth, wash your hands, hug your mom... but since they're pre-readers (early readers, at best), I thought it'd be better to keep it simple and use pictures.  I was going to a make a big chalkboard canvas, but I like the versatility and the shape of the embroidery hoops better.

Close-up of the "chalkboards" and my lovely artwork :)

{Here's a mini tutorial}

i'll be adding the photos soon. we're upgrading to FIOS on Saturday (at least i HOPE it's an upgrade) but since Verizon is inept and turned off our phone yesterday & our satellite service was just turned off this afternoon... i didn't even have a chance to watch the royal wedding-- boo verizon!!  anyhow, i want to get out this post before our internet connectivity is turned off too!

I simply cut out inexpensive muslin to fit the embroidery ring, leaving a 1 inch border. 

I taped down the muslin to the inside ring with a little masking tape... then painted on chalkboard paint.

I let the chalkboard paint dry completely, then drew on the design with a soapstone marking pencil.  I stumbled upon the soapstone pencil when I couldn't find a white piece of chalk.  It cleans up easily (just wet and wipe-off) and it's so much easier to draw with a pencil rather than a short stubby piece of chalk.

I painted the outside ring white then put the embroidery ring back together.  That's it!

So I'll be back later after we're upgraded to FIOS... hopefully by Sunday.  Verizon has been a miserable disappointment, so my expectations are lower than low.  We may need to go back to dial-up, "rabbit-ears" and smoke signals.  ;)  Wish us luck!

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