chalkboard art

A great way to use your chalkboard fridge is… as a giant calendar. You can also buy a magnetic chalkboard calendar to stick on your refrigerator.

Not only can you erase it each month, it gives you lots of space to write. It’s also right in front of your face – perfect for meal planning or a diet too!

Using colored liquid chalk markers can help you categorize different types of activities within your calendar, so that you can easily locate the information you need. Colors also make it more fun!

A fridge calendar can also serve as a large message board for family members. Everyone can see it, so they know what’s going on. Plus, each person can add to it, making it easier to coordinate.

There are several ways you can create your chalkboard calendar.

Option #1:

First, you can paint your entire refrigerator and simply outline the area you want to use with chalk. This gives you maximum space.

Option #2:

Second, you can apply plain magnetic or vinyl peel and stick chalkboard fridge decals to your refrigerator door (or side if accessible). These are removable rather than permanent, and you can get them in several different sizes.

Depending on how big you want your calendar, you could get a single decal that measures about 25″ by 38″ or you could get several smaller squares and align them together.

Since they are plain black decals, it you decide to use them for something else besides a calendar down the road… no problem.

Option #3:

Third, you can get a pre-made peel-and-stick vinyl chalkboard calendar kit. These kits come with pre-marked days that you simply set-up for the particular month. They are clean-looking and actually really inexpensive (about $20-30). For this price, you could even use one as a menu calendar and another in your home office for scheduling.

Size measurements are about 17″ wide by 12″ high, so make sure your fridge door can accommodate the calendar.

If you want to create artwork or designs on your chalkboard fridge or other erasable surface, you will probably like liquid chalk markers better than regular chalk.

1. Thin, Chiseled Chalk Marker Tips:

For one reason, they are thinner and have chiseled tips. Your drawings come out looking crisp and clean looking. This also makes text easier to read, especially if you are using smaller font.

2. Liquid Chalk Markers Don’t Have Dust:

A second reason why people prefer liquid chalk pens is that there’s no dust! Some people don’t even know there is such a thing as liquid markers (I didn’t!). Therefore, they think that they have to use a dry erase board instead – but this is not true. Go for the chalkboard surface if you want to and simply use these special markers.

3. Use Liquid Chalk on Multiple Surfaces:

The third reason why these liquid chalk pens are so cool is that you can use them on other surfaces in addition to your chalkboard. Write on your bathroom mirror, a glass window or even whiteboards. Do you forget things a lot or just like writing notes to yourself or others? You may not be able to go without these pens.

4. Liquid Chalk Costs More than Regular Chalk Sticks:

The downside is that they are more expensive than regular chalk, especially the really dusty old school stuff. That said, chalkboard paint is cheaper than dry erase paint, so you can take the money that you save on your board and put it toward some really cool pens!

If you have a chalkboard, you can make some really cool Halloween chalkboard art without spending a lot of money. Aternatively, you can make a scary or fun design using re-usable (and inexpensive) Halloween stencils.

Essentially, you will need basic items:

1. Your Design or Stencil
2. Box cutter or X-Acto knife
3. Chalk or Liquid Chalk Markers

Halloween Stencil Designs:

You can buy Halloween stencils for cheap, or you can download image ideas for free on the internet. Of course, designs range from extremely simple to complex.

Keep in mind that the more elaborate the image or design, the more work they will require to cut into a stencil. I’ve listed a few below that are unique and interesting, yet they are not overly complicated.

• Pumpkin Face Templates
• Bats Stencil
• Ghost in Window Stencil
• Claw Hand Stencil
• Spider Stencil
• EEK! Stencil
• Scary Eyes Stencil

Save Money by Making Your Own Stencils:

The low-cost alternative to buying specially-made plastic stencil paper at $3-4 a sheet is to make your own stencil.

You can buy inexpensive plastic report covers or sheet protectors at your office supply store. The heavier they are, the easier they will be to work with. However, they typically will cost more. Therefore, keep this in mind when you are comparing items.

For example, Walmart carries report covers for less then $1 apiece. Sheet protectors are another cost-saving idea.

TIP: Another low-cost option is to use heavy card stock or thin cardboard as your stencil form. The thicker the material, the harder it will be to cut through.

Chalk:

A box of plain white costs a few bucks. However, if you want sharp, crisp edges, you may want to consider wet-erase chalk markers. You can buy them online, and I know that the craft store Michaels also sells them.

You can get away with buying just one marker and just using it for the edges. If you have a large object to draw, like a bat, you can use regular chalk to color the shape and then use the marker to finish the surrounding edges.

TIP: A cheap alternative is to use a wet Q-tip around the edges of your artwork when you’re finished drawing to make the edges more crisp-looking.

A big advantage of using chalk as your art medium is that it is not expected to look perfect, but rather more “sketchy”. Therefore, if you fall into the “non-artist” category like me, you’re fine.

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