Are you guys ready for a really quick, really simple tutorial? That will actually take you a bit of time… but the concept is just so simple. And it won’t cost you a boatload of cash. In fact, you might have everything you need to make this in your utility closet- I did!

If you didn’t catch Windsor’s Winter Wonderland first birthday party last week- you should probably hop over and check out the whole thing because it’s so dang cute! This post is all about that big chalkboard backdrop and how you can make your very own. Guess what… I went and made a video about it! Have you noticed I’ve been sharing more videos? If you are a video fan, I would LOVE to have you subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I’ll wait ;)

Check the video out and I’ll give you aaaalll my good tips below ;)

Alright, so you can see I made this baby with a drop cloth. I got the rad idea of painting a dropcloth to use as a backdrop from the incredible Brittany Jepsen and it just made so much sense to turn it into a chalkboard. Why? Well for starters, you can toss it in the washing machine and use it again and again. And secondly, I already have one chalkboard made of drop cloth and I love that thang.

Speaking of using it again and again… it’s a dropcloth so painting it certainly doesn’t wreck it. If you want to paint your bedroom- toss it down on the floor and it will still do the job. So the only thing you’ll be out is the paint. And it really does take a lot of paint. It took me almost one quart (I’d used the can for my hand stamped wall and book ledges) and was kind of a pain to roll on if I’m being honest. You can see how much it soaks up in the video. Now a bit about the paint… you don’t need to use chalkboard paint! You don’t need to use fancy expensive paint at all actually. Since you’ll wash it to get the chalk out, It’s just for color really.

A couple tips… put down garbage bags or an additional garbage bag underneath the one your painting. You’ll get impatient and really load it on, if you’re anything like me. I would have usually painted this on my grass BUT it’s the dead of winter which means I have no grass. I put down a dropcloth underneath to keep it from getting on my floor and I’m glad I did- it did soak through in a few spots. Also! Have a paintbrush on hand to brush paint in where there’s gaps that you don’t want to roll again. Unless you’re super particular, you’ll probably end up with a little patch in the middle of all this rolled space. You probably don’t want to load up your roller again and roll paint over the whole area for one tiny spot. Just use a paint brush.

Make sure you let it dry completely before hanging up. I hung it up with finishing nails- I have no fears of patching holes in my wall though. I’ve heard Command strips are amazing for hanging things but haven’t actually tried them- if you’re looking for an alternative.

I used regular old chalk for this. I love chalk pens for chalkboards BUT I know this coarse material would totally destroy the nib of a marker, so I’d go old school on this if I were you.

Then… you can write WHATEVER you want on it! Isn’t that rad? I’m totally in love with this thing you guys. Expect it to show up in future posts (like in a cake post that I’m sharing soooon).

What do you think- would you ever make one of these?

LIKE IT? PIN IT!