{DIY Project: Chalkboard Speech Bubbles}

The new craze lately at weddings have been awesome speech bubbles.  They give some extra fun and spark to your photos.  Many have been using them for their photo booth wedding photos.  Admittedly, they are quite fun.  Anything that makes you look like a cartoon is awesome.  Now you can easily buy these on sites like Photojojo or Etsy, but being the craftaholic that I am, I decided to try to make my own. And it was a success! So here I am sharing it with you!  Now, here is what you need.

1) Chalkboard paint, or chalkboard contact paper.  I found my chalkboard paint at JoAnns for $6.99.  It came in all sorts of colors!  Hot pink, red, purple, blue, black, green, and white.  Personally, the chalkboard contact paper is easier to cut and use, and you get your results instantly-instead of having to wait for the paint to dry.  You can order the chalkboard contact paper online, I unfortunately, had no luck in finding it in any of my local stores.



You will also need a brush, designed for painting with heavy acrylic paint.  I found mine at JoAnns also.



Next you will need some type of foam poster board, thin wooden board, or any type of flat board (that you are able to cut) that has a porous surface.  I chose white poster board (the kind you show school projects/presentations on) from Staples.



And of course, you need chalk!



So here is what you need to do! Forgive me for not having pictures of the process, but it was late, I was bored, and I looked  a mess!

1-Lay out all supplies!  Chalkboard paint, paintbrush, foam board, scissors or knife (preferably an Exacto knife set), chalk, and large piece of paper to paint on.

2-Cut out whatever shape you wish your speech bubble to be.  For me, it was easy to make a square/rectangle shape since I was rushing and using a knife.  When you have more time, and an awesome cutting set, you can cut out circles, ovals, hearts, and whatever else!  Be sure to include the little triangle shape at the bottom that shows where the speech is coming from

3-Once your shape is cut out, open up your paint, and paint a thick layer of chalkboard paint onto your shapes.  Make sure the entire surface is covered evenly

4-Let first layer dry completely.  Probably about 1 1/2-2 hours.

5-Paint another layer of chalkboard paint onto your shapes.

6-Let dry completely for 24 hours.

7-Condition your new chalkboard!  The way you do this is taking the chalk, rubbing the side of it all over the board, and erase.

8-Have fun!!!

I had a blast using these to "speak" to my husband without actually speaking to him.  The conversation went on for about an hour!  Here is my final result:





Now my edges look rough because I was rushing through the project with a knife, and didnt properly finish it.  So remember, paint the surface and the edges!  Or you can take a contrasting color of ribbon or paper in the width of the board, and glue it on!
So have fun and get creative! Perfect to use at your weddings, parties, or like me, just around the house!  Send me some of your completed projects!!! I would love to see,
And for all things awesome, check out the DIY section of the WeddingChicks website (I am so in love with everything they offer!)

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