THE ALTERED FLEA: chalkboards

Monday, July 2, 2012

Handmade Gift Exchange

Sometimes crafting can be a solo sport. Other times, it can bring friends together and even provide opportunities to make new friends, such as participating in Linda's Craftaholic Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange.

Linda coordinated a huge gift exchange with crafters across the country. We were each assigned a "giftee" and, in turn, a "gifter." My giftee is Cathy who lives in South Carolina. As you may recall, I recently posted a tutorial on an altered chalkboard here. I thought this would make a pretty as well as useful gift. Using a brown and turquoise color combination, I altered this chalkboard with a garden theme.

Garden Theme Chalkboard

Layered Flowers & Watering Can Button

Upcycled Mint Tin becomes Chalk Holder

Sure hope Cathy likes it.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing what my gifter has made me!

Is that the mail carrier I hear?

Thank you, Linda, for hosting and organizing such an incredible and creative exchange.

Summer 2012 Handmade Exchange Linky Party

You can never have too much of a good thing. Like good friends. Good coffee. And a good place for notes. Combine these three, and you get a Coffee Notes Chalkboard!

While casually strolling the clearance bins at "T" last week, I spotted large chalkboards at 70% off the regular price of $2.50. A quick calculation told me that is only 75 cents each! At that price, I ~~quickly pounced on~~ picked up the seven that were left in the bin, and ~~raced~~ made my way to the checkout line.

Since I wasn't planning to use this as a scoreboard, I gathered crafting goodness from my stash with a coffee theme including chipboard letters, stickers, scrapbook paper, ribbon, ric rac, buttons and twine.

With Mod Podge [don't leave home without it], I adhered paper and ribbon to the top of the chalkboard and added two coffee stickers to the board as well.

Since this is, after all, a chalkboard, I needed a place to hold chalk. This mint tin container was the perfect size.

I Mod Podged the tin container with paper, ribbon and ric rac. Typed out the word "chalk" using my handy label maker [which I've owned since the 3rd grade]. Using the chipboard, spelled out "notes" and, just for fun, placed the "s" onto the altered tin container. Using adhesive squares, I adhered the container to the chalkboard. And, of course, included a few pieces of chalk.

I tied twine around the chalkboard, finishing it into a bow, and added two buttons (a coffee pot and a cup) to complete the altered project.