Chalkboard paint *** Flying Unicorn CT ***

The Flying Unicorn October Kit Of The Month includes a bottle of chalkboard paint and a pack of Crayola chalk.  My kids love chalk, but I admit it has been years since I've used it in scrapbooking, and I've never used chalkboard paint.  But the possibilities were very exciting. 

Here is my first project using the chalkboard paint and chalks:

 

One thing to consider right off the bat is that if you don't want the chalk to smudge you will need to seal it somehow.  Enter the Multi Medium included in the kit - it can be painted on to seal in your masterpiece.  I have also read that a couple of coats of cheap hairspray will do the trick, but you want to make sure to apply it in thin coats so that your chalk does not dissolve.

I painted a piece of black cardstock with two coats of the chalkboard paint.  It is a very thin paint and a little goes a long way. After it was fully dry (because it is so runny it dries completely flat without any pesky brush-strokes) I stamped it with a Prima stamp and platinum archival ink and waited for that to set completely then colored in the diamonds with pink chalk and the dots with blue. I applied my chalk thinly, which gave me a more subtle shading once I'd applied the Multi Medium; if you want the chalk to appear more boldly you will have to apply it darker than the actual shade you are aiming for.  Once I'd finished inking I simply brushed on the Multi Medium, taking care to only brush over each area once to prevent smearing.  And then I panicked, because it looked like my hour of chalking had been wiped away by the Multi Medium.  Luckily as it dried the colors reemerged; it took a couple of days for the color of the chalk to emerge completely.

Here is a closeup:



I then matted my chalkboard background onto Prima Craftsman papers from the October "A Journey In Time" kit and added photo corners and a Dusty Attic Fountain from my stash.  I finished the fountain off with some Ivory and Aqua Aged Embossing Powders from the store - these powders are amazing!  Look at how the details on the DA still show through clearly.



I finished the layout off with the gorgeous Prima butterfly vine from the Flower Add-On and a picture of me at one of my happiest places on Earth, Edinburgh.

How about using the chalkboard paint on a card?  I thought that a hand-written "Thank You" from my 6 year old son would make a great card for his teacher at the end of the year, and would be something he could be proud of helping to make.  I wanted to keep it simple so that Elliot's hand-written message would be the focal point.  I mounted it on Prima Craftsman papers from the October kit and embellished it with some cute little metal flowers from the kit and Doodlebug twine from my stash.

And here it is:



Here are some layouts by other CT members to get your creative juices flowing.

Kelly painted brilliant little chalkboards throughout her layout and scribbled on them in chalk.



Denise used her chalkboard paint on the "B" of her "BOO" off-the-page project - love the foggy effect she created!



And Adrienne shared this beauty on her Today post at the Flying Unicorn several days ago. Because the chalkboard paint is very runny you do not get a crisp image when you paint through a stencil, but this beautiful, organic flowing effect.



As you can see, there are so many possibilities with chalkboard paint.  I can't wait to see what you all do with yours!