Chicago Bears inspired chalkboard

A co-worker asked if I could customize a chalkboard for a friend of her's who happened to be married to one of the players from the Chicago Bears... specifically customized for their kids. 

Looking for inspiration I took to the stores, Hobby Lobby of course. Strolling down the frame aisle, I fell head-over-heels in love with a barnyard wood picture frame.

DESIGN:

That barnyard picture frame became my muse for my Bears inspired chalkboard. 

My husband and I toyed with some ideas and then came up with several sketches.

 This is what I had envisioned in my mind...but the results were far greater than I could have imagined. 

CONSTRUCTION OF FRAME:

My husband then began building the frame. Using Aspen and Pine wood, he nailed 1x6's, 1x4's and 1x3's together and this would serve as the base for the project.

Don't worry about the pieces that might be sticking out a bit. The beauty of this piece are in its imperfection.

PAINTING FRAME:

My first coat was a Dark Walnut Wood stain which I covered the whole frame with.

I then highlighted some areas that I wanted to distress by rubbing candle wax on them. Specifically, the corners and the edges of the chalkboard.

      Once the walnut stain dried I applied a coat of dark blue Bears-inspired paint from Lowe's.

Here's a tip for you:  Lowe's and Home Depot sell trial size paints. You can choose any color as long as you bring your color sample to the counter. They will match the color and it will only run you about $3 and some cents. Lord knows I love a bargain.

CHALKBOARD BACKING:

To make the chalkboard backing we (meaning my husband)... we took a piece of hardboard, measured it to fit the frame and cut it out.

I then spraypainted chalkboard paint on the backing. I've tried the canned chalkboard paint but I prefer the spraypaint; it leaves a very clean surface when dried. 

(Please make sure when using spraypaint that you are in a ventilated area)

Nailing it to the back of the frame I made sure to paint the back of the hardboard with the dark walnut stain and topped it off with the blue paint. I am all about paying attention to details.

I used a medium grit sandpaper to make the dark walnut lightly show through the blue; giving this frame a beautiful distressed finish.

 I wiped down the chalkboard to make sure to clear away any excess dust from the sanding.

Stenciling the Bears logo

I found a Bears logo online, printed it and traced it on to transparency paper. Then, using my cutting knife, I carefully cut it out.

I found a font that closely resembled the Bears players' jersey font and printed out the kids' names. The same process was applied to the Bears stencil.

Once the stencils were ready I carefully placed them on the frame where I wanted them. The transparency paper comes with a sticker backing, so I placed them on the frame and painted them with a Bears-inspired orange.

I then measured the lines, used tape to create them and painted them orange; white paint was used to highlight the lines.

Once all the stencils dried I distressed the entire board again, including the stenciled areas, with a medium grit sandpaper.

I wiped down the board once more to make sure all of the dust was cleared from the frame.

I finished the frame off by covering it with a miss mustard seed furniture wax.

For more on wax go to: http://missmustardseed.com/2013/01/topcoats-updated/

Lastly, I added a knob, flipped it upside down, and screwed it on the bottom of the frame in between the stenciled names. Voila! From knob to chalk holder. 

Again here it is in all of it's glory. It has a very rustic and chic, yet has a "man-cave" masculine finish.

Don't you think?

See link for instructions on how to season your chalkboard.

http://www.hgtv.com/handmade/how-to-make-an-ornate-framed-chalkboard/page-3.html 

Also for sale at: Aniah's Window