Halloween Chalkboard Word Art

I was walking through Michael’s the other day, browsing the home decor aisles, when I looked up and saw it. You know those moments that people say was “love at first sight”? It was that for me when it came to this chalkboard. I love the shape, the color of the frame, the rustic beauty of it, all of it! The possibilities of what I could do with it came flooding through my mind, and I KNEW I wanted it  NEEDED it to come home with me. It was only $14 since it was on sale. Sold.

Halloween was definitely on my mind, and I decided I wanted to do something festive with the chalkboard and use it on my mantle. I have no skills when it comes to handwriting, but I wanted word art so much! I thought about it, and decided that I would just have to get creative if I wanted the chalked look and then it hit me. Vinyl, chalk, Silhouette. When these powers combine….magic happens. Let me show you how I got the Halloween chalkboard word art look without any of the actual handwriting skills. 🙂

Whenever you get a new chalkboard, you have to condition it before you can write on it, or else you won’t be able to erase very well. You can do this by taking a piece of chalk, laying it on it’s side and rubbing it across the entire board. Once it is completely covered, use a rag and wipe all of the chalk off and then you are ready to go!

I found the super cute Double Double Toil and Trouble cut file in the Silhouette store and fell in love. I purchased it, made it to the size of my chalkboard, and cut it out using vinyl that I got from Expressions Vinyl. Then I weeded out the letters and shapes, used transfer tape, and applied it to the chalkboard. It did get a little bit tricky getting the vinyl to stick to the board because of the chalk dust, but if you work slowly and keep rubbing it as you go, it will eventually work out for you.

Once the transfer tape is all removed, use a piece of chalk and carefully chalk in all of the spaces and letters. I found that the smaller pieces of vinyl wanted to move as I was going next to them, so I would hold them in place and be more cautious.

After the chalking is all finished, use a little toothpick or other hook/pin or anything other than just your fingers. You don’t want to wipe off all the hard work you just put into making this board! Using a pin will make it so you don’t smudge the chalk with your fingers and keep everything looking crisp and AMAZING.

I am in love with the whole look of the word art as well as the rest of my mantle too. You should see it at night with the little lights glowing. In case you are wondering, the bat specimen art is a favorite of mine from years ago. The jars are from Target, the plate is from Hobby Lobby, the bulb lights are from the Target dollar spot, and the pumpkin garland is from Tai Pan Trading from years ago. I don’t know if it is still available.

Good luck with your word art! Now go run to Michael’s and grab a chalkboard of your own, and don’t forget to use a coupon!!