DIY Chalkboard and Lettering Tutorial with Free Template

 My youngest daughter is an amazing little athlete with a sweet disposition and a "go-getter" attitude.  She plays softballs, runs, cheers and not only loves but most often excels in pretty much anything that involves sports.  She is also a total fashionista.  Because of all this, she literally has to wear a lot of different types of shoes...shoes to dress up her school uniform, cleats, sneakers, cheer shoes, dress shoes and so on and so on.

When I ran across the quote, "Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can conquer the world," I instantly fell in love with it.  When researching the quote, I have seen it attributed to both Marilyn Monroe and Bette Midler.  I'm not sure if both or either attributes are correct but I do know that it is a perfectly true statement.  Women CAN conquer the world with the right pair of shoes. Women today wear everything from ballet shoes to combat boots and rock the world around them.  I couldn't think of an a more encouraging or appropriate to hang in my daughter's room.

First I started with a plain wood board I picked up at a craft store.  I taped off (use painter's or masking tape) the square inside and painted it with two layers of chalkboard paint.  When totally dry, I removed the tape and painted the outside of the frame and scroll work using a coral colored craft paint.  Once the board was totally dry, I conditioned the chalkboard with a piece of chalk.

See my Chalkboard Upcycle Project and Lettering Tutorial  for more specific instructions on the entire process. 

I also made a paper flower for the top using cupcake liners. I just flattened a cupcake liner, folded it in half and cut ridges on the outside.  No pattern needed.  I cut two different sized petal layers and a center out of another.  I then just glued the layers on top of each other and added a stick on rhinestone in the center to complete the flower.

Note: For my flower, I used black with white polka dots and lime green liners.  A white liner is used for a cutting example below.

I glued the flower at the top of the flower at the top of the board using regular craft glue and added more of the stick on rhinestones along the frame as seen below.  I also took a strand of faux pearl bead trim and draped it along the top (held in place with hot glue) as seen in the finished pic.

I then typed up & printed the quote in the desired font to create a template.  I rubbed chalk on the back of the paper template and taped it into place on the chalkboard.  I then traced over the letters with a pen to create an outline guide for my lettering and removed the paper.  I used a chalk marker to fill in my outlines and the writing was complete.  Once again, if you need more in depth instructions regarding this process, see my Chalkboard Upcycle Project and Lettering Tutorial .

As a bonus I also uploaded the exact template I created into a google docs for your use if desired. This template is for personal use only. Click below in order to view and print  :)  

Borei Design "Give A Girl The Right Shoes"Template 

To finish the project I took the tab off a soda can and bent it slightly.  I then glued it to on the back create an easy wall hanging tab and the project was complete.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and if you create one of your own, please be sure to send me pics! It will make my day!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!