CHRISTMASY CRAFTING

Wow!  It's been awhile!  Work has been so busy and sort of stressful, that I feel like I haven't had time to breathe.  It's sort of telling when the holidays looming ahead of me look like a cakewalk compared to daily life.  I can't complain - I love my job.  This time of year though has its challenges.  I'm thrilled to work with new folks and thrilled that our football team is going to playoffs and that there are daily challenges with students and lots of opportunities for professional growth but.... whew.  Time for a breather.

The other night I sat down and to de-stress I just started to design a chalkboard based on one I saw on the internet.  I loved the idea, but it was very winter/snow/cold inspired.  That doesn't always translate perfectly to So Cal.  I changed it up to match our holiday here - not so much snowmen and mittens, but family and traditions.


I had an old framed picture that has hung in our bedroom for a VERY long time - mostly because we didn't really have anything to hang there and this print matched the paint.  I didn't like it anymore but was ambivalent about replacing it.  When this crafty moment took hold, that picture was perfect!  It's 36 x36 and had very heavy glass.



That gold frame had to go.  It didn't match anything.  So I pulled it all apart and started by chalkboard painting the glass and matte white painting the frame.



After that, it was just taking the original design and re-doing it on a 36x36 piece of paper using lots of lettering and pictures.  To me, that was relaxing - just turning on my favorite Pandora station and drawing and erasing (lots of erasing!!) until I got something I liked.  Using Google images gave me ideas too.  When the paper/pencil drawing is ready, use this technique to transfer it to the chalkboard: link here to the craft instructions page.



I painted the chalkboard using colored paint this time.  That was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the variety.


I would encourage you to try this technique and make some holiday decorations.  Big or small, it's a lot of fun and, if you find frames in a discount store, on sale, or on clearance, it's very inexpensive!  





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