Chalkboard art is all the craze these days, so today I am going to share a few ideas for how to bring that trend into your Halloween decor {for really cheap!} I am classifying this as a $5 Friday post, because some of these projects cost me less than $5, some were a little more, but they are ALL frugally fantastic! If you’re new around here, you can check out all of our $5 Friday projects here. First, we’re going to talk about digital chalk art. Love it. You can get a true chalkboard look without doing all the work yourself. Plus, they can be sized to fit the project you are working on. Here is my latest Halloween project, and I can’t wait to show you how I did it…
I love the huge impact this piece makes in my front room, and it cost me less than $15 to make the entire thing! I was inspired when I found these amazing Halloween Chalk Art files at The Caravan Shoppe:
You can purchase and download a 3-pack of these Halloween designs {high resolution files} for only $5! They are designed to be able to print up to a 36″ x 48″ size, but you can size them down as small as you need 🙂 {Just so you know, this is NOT a sponsored post, we just love their stuff so much we can’t help ourselves!}
For my first project, I uploaded the “Double Double Toil & Trouble” file to Staples.com and ordered an Engineering print in black and white. This is the BEST secret and I can’t believe I haven’t tried their large format prints before! I ordered it in two sizes – 24″ x 36″ {$3.49} and 36″ x 48″ {$7.29} and ended up using the biggest size for my wall hanging.
I decided to use what I had at home to figure out a way to display my new artwork. I had a bolt of burlap fabric in my craft room and thought it would be a cute way to back my print and add some texture.
Supplies I used:
- 1 and 1/2 yards Burlap
- 5 yards of black glitter ribbon {American Crafts brand}
- jute string
- 36″ length wooden dowel
- hot glue
I cut my burlap piece approximately 3.5″ larger than my print on the sides and bottom, and left 5″ at the top. I frayed the edges of the burlap on all sides {except the top, which is where I created my dowel pocket for hanging.} Then I just got busy with my hot glue gun and attached the print to the burlap by gluing down the ribbon trim along all of the edges of the print. Make sure you have something underneath the burlap as you go, or the glue will go through to your floor. This part was a little tedious, but super easy.
Once I finished gluing the trim and attaching the print to the burlap, I made a dowel pocket at the top {just with hot glue} by laying the dowel and jute string in place, folding over the edge of the burlap and gluing it down. Because the wall hanging ended up being so HUGE it is a little awkward to move around, but it didn’t wrinkle or tear at all. It is actually surprisingly sturdy! I hung it on the wall using two small nails, and I am in love with the result:
If you are looking for something on a little smaller scale, you could print out the awesome Skeleton design in the 18″ x 24″ size {for less than $2} and frame it. I found this black frame in my garage, and took out the glass {so it would look like a real chalkboard… glare kind of ruins the effect!}
I will definitely be incorporating this into my Halloween Mantel this year!
Do you remember my homemade chalkboard from last year’s Disney Villain Halloween Mantel?
This is another cheap and easy way to create chalk art in your home. I thrifted this picture frame and created a homemade chalkboard for less than $5 (including paint!) To this day, it is one of my favorite DIY projects and something I change out for every holiday.
For the full details on this project, check out my DIY Chalkboard post. Next week, I’ll be sharing another project I made using the Skeleton print… perfect for kids!
And if you are looking for some more simple DIY Halloween decor ideas, check these out:
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Great projects; thanks for the information about Staples!
This is so cute! I’ve used their prints before and just love them – thanks for re-introducing me. 🙂
Oh my goodness – what a genius idea! One thing that has kept me back from trying those engineering prints is the whole hanging conundrum. But this idea?! Love it. Love, love, love it!
I love what you have done!
It’s darling… But that chair?! WOW!
I just downloaded the files and sent them over to Staples. I’ve never tried using their engineering prints but I’ve definitely heard about them. Thanks for the great project- can’t wait to hang them up in our living room!
Have you blogged about that cute chair?
((Obsessed)) 🙂
I think this so cute!
Holly, you are SO creative! I love this and I bet you can make a Christmas one too!
What is the wall paint color in the first picture? I have been looking for something that looks good with burlap.
This is great! Once I saw this I knew it was a must! 🙂 I was able to print mine as the largest size (36×48) at alphagraphics for $4.26 and it turned out great! I then ran to my closest fabric store (Walmart) and picked up the yard and 1/4 burlap… However, when I brought it home the fabric wasn’t enough. 🙁 The width was 49 inches. Maybe your bolt of burlap was wider than walmart’s. Just letting those know they might need more than 1 yard and a 1/4 if using a 36×48 print 🙂 Thank you for sharing your fun ideas!
I just made this & 3 more for my neighbors! THANK YOU! It looks A M A Z I N G! After I purchased the materials, it only took me 10 minutes to complete one. Thank you for all of your awesome ideas, I am grateful! xx
OMG OMG OMG…..you had that printed? IamSoExcitedIDon’tKnowWhatToDoFirst. I figured I would pop over and it would say “I grabbed a chalk marker and hand lettered it…” I can’t hand letter anything. So I am thrilled. Thanks for the best kept secret.
Wish I had read the comments first. Finally got all the items home after having to take all three small kids out in the rain and there isn’t enough fabric. Get 1 and 1/2 yards if you plan to do this.
I’m so sorry about that!! I think when I originally did this project, I had a wider than normal remnant piece of burlap and may have used less for that reason. I am updating the post to recommend 1 1/2 yards. I’m sorry you had to go back with kids! I know how hard that can be… hope it turned out well in the end!