Free Faux Chalkboard Signs Tutorial {Plus a Free Printable}

A few weeks ago I shared a fun little chalkboard sign I made by using an old picture frame and painting the back with chalkboard paint and then writing with chalkboard markers.  One of the hangs up I had with the sign is that my fancy handwriting and chalkboard lettering leave much to be desired.  The feedback I received from all of you fine people made me feel much better...I'm not in this bad lettering boat alone.  

So today, I thought I'd share a fun and free ways to make faux chalkboard signs.  You read that right...these are not the real deal, but they look like the real deal.  They do not require any chalk, chalkboard paint, or handwriting.  All you'll need is a computer, an internet connection, and a printer. Sound like it's your kinda project? Yeah, me too.

Pottery Barn Knockoff Chalkboard Frames

I was perusing the Pottery Barn Kids catalog last week when I spotted their adorable chalkboard frames.  Oh they're just so cute..and so expensive at $39 for just one!   I knew I could knock them off very easily and they'd be perfect in the playroom to display the kids artwork.

Photos: We Got Our Craft On at the Hometalk & Michaels Pinterest Party

Well, stick a feather in my cap, I have officially made my first 'public appearance' as a blogger.  Hahha. That sounds kind of ridiculous...but I did wear an official-looking apron with a name tag AND I handed out business cards.  Apparently, I was so official people thought I worked at Michaels.   I actually wasn't working but having fun on a recent Sunday when I hosted a Pinterest Craft Party at my local Michaels store sponsored by Michaels and Hometalk.   Every Michaels store nationwide held the event and I have to say I'm thrilled with the turnout at my store.

During the three hour party, I had about 20-25 crafters come through ranging from children to grandmothers.  The group was a mix of personal friends and family and a few of my blog readers who happen to live locally.  Others were Michaels customers who had heard about the event and were just excited to have someone to craft with.  

Crafters picked one of six popular Pinterest projects and then got further inspiration from the 100+ projects crafted by the Hometalk bloggers hosting the Michaels Parties nationwide.

DIY Chunky Wood Frame (Makes a Great Personalized Baby Gift)

After I had both of my children I received some really beautiful gifts.  I loved every one of them, but those I cherish the most are the ones that are personalized.  This sign for instance is one of my favorite.  A friend of mine had casually asked about my son's nursery theme during a conversation and then ordered a sign on Etsy with an airplane tugging a sign with his name on it.  I just love it.

So when a friend had a baby recently I thought - ya know, I wanna be the one that gives that gift.  Of course, I had to make it.  Honestly the basic chunky wood sign was easy to make.  All that text did make the project a little hairy at times, but I have a few tips to make it easier.

DIY Faux Chalkboard Menu Board

My husband and I recently hosted a small dinner party for about four other couples.   Since I wasn't doing much in the way of decorations - my house is already decked out for Christmas - I decided I would just do a few extra special party decorations.  I had been given a free trial upgrade by PicMonkey to use their Royale Package I decided to make a Faux Chalkboard Menu Board.  It came out awesome - despite my misspelling on Nutella (sorry 'bout that, 'Tella- I hope we can still be BFFs).   More on why I didn't fix it in a minute...but first how I made it using PicMonkey.

I started by "creating a design."  Since I was printing it at home and wanted it to be as large as possible, I selected the 8 x 10 canvas.   Using the chalkboard background in the 'School' theme, I was able to make the entire canvas a faux chalkboard.  Then I added an overlay at the top and made it transparent before adding my "Menu" text.

Then it was time to start adding my menu items.  I used all the different chalkboard-like fonts available on PicMonkey.  Some of them are part of the standard free package, and a few like Sketch Block and Stroke Dimension I could only gain access to because I had the free trial of PicMonkey's Royale (indicated by the little crown).  

My Favorite FREE online photo editor: PicMonkey (Upgrade Trial Offer)

Ever wonder how bloggers like yours truly easily edit photos (and design graphics like the one to the left) with all those overlays (ie the adorable elf hat) and fun fonts (hello, marquee!)?  There's actually a lot of thought that goes into the editing of a photo and it starts with snapping the picture: Is there logical, clear and unobtrusive spot on the photo for an overlay or banner? Is the photo's orientation blog friendly? Is the edited picture Pinterest-friendly? Is the font color and size easily legible?  Will text be cut off if only a square thumbnail of the photo is displayed?

Many people don't have Photoshop - perhaps the most well-known photo editing software.  While there are many free online services to edit photos PicMonkey is a favorite of many bloggers - including this girl right here.  Why?  There are many reasons, but #1 and 2 in my book are ease of use and a huge selection of graphics, fonts, options, and overlays.

I have no affiliation with PicMonkey, I just like to use it and do so on a daily basis.  Here a few ways I've used PicMonkey recently on the blog and even on my family's Christmas card....

DIY Cheap Photo Cards for Christmas

I don't know about you, but I have noticed that with every year that goes by we get fewer and fewer Christmas cards.  I'm sure part of it is friends figure you keep up with photos and happenings on Facebook and the other part of it is expense.  Between the cost of Christmas photo cards and the postage to mail them, it's not cheap to send out dozens and dozens of photo cards.

Every year my list seems to grow, but this year I'll be trying to keep it to under 75 cards.  For that many photo cards, it can easily cost over $50 and that's not even including postage. This year I decided I would make my own cheap photo cards.  With all the online editing programs out there, it's actually really easy to do.

Thrifted Kitchen Chairs Makeover

A few weeks ago we shared with you all the details on Stephanie's $35 kitchen table makeover.  It went from drab to fab with the help of a stained top and a white painted legs.   Inspired by this $800 version, Steph's $35 table really was fabulous - if only you could sit at it.

Thankfully, she found a set of four matching chairs on the cheap at an area thrift store.

Happy Friday & Happy Halloweens (Family pics from past and present)

So today I thought I'd do a little something fun and share a few pictures of my family from Halloweens over the last few (or more) years.

Halloween 2013: Cow, Witch, Scooby Doo x 2

Halloween 2012: Hotdog, Scarecrow, Bunny

Halloween 2011: Pig, Farmer, Monkey, Cow

Halloween 2010

Halloween 2009: Pirates and their parrot

Halloween 2008

Halloween 198???

Halloween 198??? (My husband on the left)

Thanks for stopping by 2IY! If you like what you see, we'd love for you to pin it! 

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Vintage Table Makeover and ReSTOREd Update

So last week I made a sweep through my favorite furniture thrift store and took home two pieces. One was this little vintage table.  It immediately caught my eye as soon as I walked into the vintage room. The tag said 1960's vintage baby blue table. As I sanded her down it was obvious this table has not only been well loved, but also painted a few times.

Link it or Lump It Link Party Features

Wow, you guys certainly know how to make the new girl feel welcome! We had a great response this week with some really creative link ups and ideas!

As a guest co-host for the first time, I wasn't sure what to expect - so thanks for making it extra tough on me! :) There were so many great projects and recipes linked up this week it was hard to pick...

But here are my top three picks from this week...

Pallet Scrap Wood Planter box by The Pin Junkie.  What a great way to use scrapwood and create something so rustic.  It's perfect for fall.

Dorothy Sue and Millie B's Upcycled 1950's TV Cabinet is a stunner.  We think the paint color and distressing are spot on.  Great job, ladies!

And last but not least....the Potion Garland Banner from Made in a Day is just too cute and unique to pass up.    The different textures and designs on the paper - not to mention the 'potions' make this one of the most unique Halloween/Fall buntings we've seen.

Be sure to head over to Dream a Little Bigger where the wonderful Allison, who so graciously had us as co-host, shows off her top picks of the week.  We picked different favorites so if you didn't get featured her...you still have a shot!

Thanks for stopping by 2IY! If you like what you see, we'd love for you to pin it!

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Master Bathroom Renovations Tour {and my purchase list}

I'm so excited to finally be able to say we have a start date for the renovations on our master bathroom.  This is definitely not a DIY project - although I'm sure it will produce a few. 

Basically we are expanding our bathroom to make enough room for a double vanity ending our twice daily ritual of the toothbrush/facewash/hair styling dance around the mirror and sink.

When we first thought about making renovations to the bathroom we were told it would be major construction (and cost) and would entail cutting and bumping into the guest room which shares a wall with our master bathroom.  But I'm happy to say we've figured out a way to not disrupt the bathroom at all except for the vanity area.   Okay so...here's a little looksy look into what's happening.

Here's our master bathroom now.

Small single vanity

You can see it's pretty small and storage is minimal. 

2IY: The Best DIY of August (and a sneak peek of what's working in September)

August was a busy month for us here at 2IY.   Aside from the ongoing $100 bathroom makeover which included the pallet wood hanging bathroom shelf and a Pottery Barn inspired rope-wrapped dollar store trash can we also managed to fit in a few other fun DIY projects.   Here's a quick recap of some of our favorite from the past month.

Melissa's personalized wood pallet sign makes a huge statement in her dining room and for very little cost.   The best part of that project was making the homemade chalk paint which proved a huge success for this project and the painted nightstand-turned-hall table makeover.   

Small bathroom makeover: $100 budget challenge

We have 2.5 bathrooms...and lucky for me (okay, not so much) all of them need some updating (don't get me started on the demo needed in the master or the total reno needed in the kids/guest room bathroom).

The main floor powder room will far and away be the smallest project and really just requires some DIY TLC.  The Mr. is all about hiring out - but I'm not trying to spend my kids' college fund on the rooms where my kids pee and poop all over.  So...I've set a very tight budget for the powder room: a mere $100.  Yes, I recognize the craziness of this, but I figure if I set it low and plan ahead I can do it.  Pretty much everything is cosmetic and I am pretty sure I can do it all myself.

Okay, so here's what the bathroom looks like now. (I was literally standing in the coat closet across the hall to take this picture.) It's the same as it was 2.5 years ago when we moved into our home (I do have an excuse for not updating it until now and that is that my youngest was born 3 WEEKS after we made the out-of-state move.)

PHOTOS: Baby Nursery Furniture Makeover REVEAL

Apparently Stephanie will be all ready when she finally decides to give me a little niece or nephew.  She and her husband have been working hard over the last few weeks days (they work fast!) on restoring her old bedroom furniture.  They are using it in what will eventually be their baby nursery...whenever the time comes (hint, hint/wink wink/nudge nudge).