Monday, February 8, 2010

Tutorial:Chalkboard Valentines with Sweet Book Page Ruffles

Trends of '09
-Chalkboards
-Text & old books
-Ruffles
Chalkboard Valentines
Check! Check! Check! Got them all into my valentines for Sarah's Sweetheart Swap! I actually did this shortly after New Years in anticipation of a busy Valentines season and it's been burning a hole in my pocket ever since. I had to share it with you all today!
Chalkboard Valentine
Here's how I made them:

Supplies:
 2" squares of old book.
plain cardboard
chalkboard paint
chalk
ribbon scrap
heart shaped cookie cutter
hot glue gun
pinking scissors
pen

I had tons of these 2" squares leftover from this project. Goodness knows I couldn't just throw all those little bits of perfectly aged text away! I also had a great cardboard box to recycle. My heart cookie cutter was about 4" wide.
Cardboard Getting A Coat of Chalkboard Paint
First paint the cardboard with the chalkboard paint and allow it to dry. Then cut out two hearts.
Dozens of Paper Rolls
Next roll those squares around a pen and secure with a dot of hot glue. Dot. Dot. Not a lot! (Sorry! Couldn't resist a little teacher talk.) It takes nearly 30 rolls to really cover one heart.
Gluing Tubes to Heart

Gluing Tubes to Heart
Really jam them in tight.
Gluing the Tubes

Then glue a second layer to fill in the gaps at the curves and the point.
Tubes all the Way Around
Next, glue your ribbon bit to the second heart and load that baby up with hot glue.
Ric Rac Hanger
Tubes Sandwitched
Now, carefully feel for the points and the curves on the back and sandwich the two layers together. This is a bit tricky.
Trim
Trim around as evenly as possible with the pinking scissors. This part was is not a perfect science. One side looked better than the other.

Rub chalk all over both sides and wipe off. This will give it that great chalkboard patina.
Chalkboard Valentine
Write your Valentine a message. Something short and sweet.
This might be my favorite Valentine yet!
Valentine '09
Valentine '08

I have been thinking of making one that is wreath size.

If you make these, please send me a link or a picture! I'd love to see what you do with this idea.
Linking to:
DIY Day
Trash to Treasure @ Reinvented

18 comments:

Jenn said...

What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing!

Laura said...

OMG, too cute. I needed something for my son's teacher's at day care (he is 8 months) this would be perfect. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Jane, they're DARLING! Whenever I see the Valentines you made, I'm always kicking myself that I didn't join Sarah's swap. You'd think I'd learn after 3 years in a row, right?

Ruth said...

I love them. They are so cute. You can even buy the wooden hearts already cut out and it would be even easier. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Ruth

Kate @ The Gaines Gang said...

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! This what a great idea! And so original.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Tammy @ she wears flowers said...

This is SO cute. You have such wonderful ideas!!

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State said...

THose are completely adorable!

jodi said...

That would be so cute to give for next years class.

Amanda Lee said...

These are soooo cute! Clever idea!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

These are so, so cute! Thanks so much for the how-to, I'll be linking.

Kelly said...

what a great project!

WhisperWood Cottage said...

These are fabulous! All the details make them quite special!

Amy

Michaele Sommerville said...

I'm one of the recipients!!!!!!! I love the tag and the fact you've shared a tutorial!

I've put up photographs of the goodies I received thanks to Sarah's Heart to Heart Swap at my blog: http://kidney-garden.blogspot.com/2010/02/heart-to-heart-swap-valentine-goodies.html

I made the blue banner that was hopefully included in your goodie box! I'm so glad to have found your blog,

Michaele

sara said...

LOVE the chalkboard paint valentines!!!

Cheryl said...

Great idea.
Thank You.
Happy Valentine's Day.

julie (jane's apron) said...

I LOVE these...and a wreath-sized one would be really cool. Thanks!

The Elephant Nest said...

Hello I featured your tutorial on my Valentine Tutorial blog posting!http://theelephantnest.blogspot.com/2011/01/homemade-valentine-gift-tutorials.html

Tami said...

Just stopping by to let you know that I've featured your craft on Family Fun Crafts! You can see it here:
http://funfamilycrafts.com/chalkboard-valentines/

If you have other kid friendly crafts, I'd love it if you would submit them. :) If you would like to display a
featured button on your site, you can grab one from the right side bar of your post above.