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Chalkboard Organizer

© Jackie Duda

It’s that time of year again. Time to put the little tykes back on the school bus and take another sip of your coffee while you wonder what to do with the house. The wonderful thing about autumn is the myriad of decorating opportunities that this particular season has to offer. Since it’s “Back to School” time, I thought a school-themed idea would be a nice touch. And this craft is so easy to complete. Virtually no prep work, no sealing required, and absolutely no paint brushes! Can you believe it? Complete this craft and you’ll actually have enough time to finish that cup of coffee and perhaps read your latest craft magazine before the kids get home from school.

Shall we begin?

Materials:

One wooden container (of sorts) with drawers, if possible. These can be purchased for a song at some dollar stores, local discount shops, and craft emporiums. I spent a whopping four dollars on mine.

Four or five fine tip paint pens. Look for ones that say “fast-drying, no mess, and non-dripping” and come in bright, primary-type colors. The no drip, no mess varieties cost a little more, but are well worth it. Mine were on sale for $2.00 a piece.

One can of chalkboard spray paint with a writable-erasable finish. This type of paint produces a wonderful matte finish when it dries, and it doesn’t require any sealer, a huge plus.

One sheet of fine sandpaper.

Directions:

1. If necessary, lightly sand the wood to eliminate rough edges.

2. Prepare a well-ventilated area by placing newspaper on your work space. If your wooden box has any adornments, such as brass plates on the drawers, cover them with masking tape to avoid covering them with paint.

3. Place your wooden piece in the middle of the newspaper. Read the directions on your can of chalkboard paint, and begin spraying. Coat the entire object, then open the drawers slightly so they do not dry shut. Usually, two to three coats are recommended. The advantage to chalkboard paint is that it covers wood completely without a base application of primer.

4. Allow several hours dry time, then set to work with your paint pens. Remove the masking tape very carefully, peeling slowly around the edges first to avoid bleed throughs or pulling off paint with the tape.

5. I used four colors, white, canary yellow, tropic blue, and china red. Working in a well-ventilated area, create a schoolhouse motif on your box. For example, I painted the ABC’s and 123’s around the sides, back, and top of the container. I carefully printed the words, “paper clips” and “push pins” on the bottom of the drawer fronts. I considered the drawers the ideal places to stash these tiny desktop items. On top, I printed the word “notations”, as this would be the perfect spot to stack my post-it notes and paper pads. Whimsical apples and crude cat and mouse drawings added to the blackboard effect on the drawers and sides.