Cameron Clark at Chalkboard Fridge

Chalk Lettering Made Easy – & Chalkboard Letter Stencils

Do you want to learn how to do chalk lettering for signs, menus or home decor?

This book, The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering, shows you how to create all sorts of letter styles as well as graphics. Plus, you learn how to develop your own style, which actually makes chalkboard art much easier.

This comprehensive guide contains 60 lessons, including 12 projects where you can practice your newly-learned skills. However, you don’t have to complete all lessons to become proficient in chalkboard lettering.

1. Learn How to Write with Chalk:

First, you learn the basic handwriting and letter styles. For example, serif, sans serif and script.

2. Chalkboard Art Layout Ideas:

Next, you get the steps to making a design layout, including how to combine letter styles together. Plus, you’ll find out how to create that 3D look with easy shadow techniques.

3. Get Advanced Chalk Writing Techniques + Art Tips:

In addition this chalk writing guidebook has instructions on drawing borders and framing to emphasize text. Altogether, you can combine these creative strategies to put together an attractive, professional-looking chalkboard mural – and have fun doing it!

Video Chalk Art Tutorial:

The video tutorial below demonstrates how to make calligraphy lettering. I particularly like the eraser trick with the Q-tip for creating clean, crisp lines because it makes erasing mistakes super simple. =)

Chalk Lettering is Easier
than You Think:

Chalkboard lettering doesn’t have to be complicated to create great art.

In fact, adding a unique frame around your board can transform a boutique sign or cafe menu into something that looks really cool.

For example, check out the sign to the right. You can even incorporate this concept into chalkboard wall art in your kitchen, entryway or home…

Alternatively, you can buy a set of chalk stencils for making larger signs.

Liquid Chalk Markers for Drawing Colorful Chalkboard Art:

If you want to get more artistic, you can incorporate color into your lettering and designs. This liquid chalk marker set contains 32 different colors and reversible pen tips.

Therefore, you have lots of options as far as what colors you can use. Plus, the darker and lighter shades make it really easy to create shadowing on colored letters and objects.

When used on non-porous surfaces, pen marks wipe off clean very easily. For example, chalkboard decals and wallpaper, menu boards, labels, windows, mirrors, etc..

In addition, the pens have a water-based chalk “ink”. Therefore, any marks wash off easy from your skin or clothes (kid friendly too!).

Note: Many people prefer liquid chalk markers because they don’t make a lot of dust.

Plus, this set provides a lot more color options and artistic pen tips, so you can achieve a fancier look with less effort. =)

Can I Paint My Refrigerator? Yes You Can. Here’s How…

Painting an appliance may be a fairly new concept. However, with chalkboard paint making an appearance in homes and in the kitchen, people are now wondering, “Can you paint a fridge?”

The answer is yes, but there are a few painting tips you want to follow to make sure your refrigerator looks nice and that the paint stays intact.

1. Give a Light Sanding to Your Fridge

First, lightly sand the surface of the fridge to make sure the paint adheres. This is actually the same advice I would give someone when painting a surface that is smooth or shiny. You don’t want the paint chipping or peeling off, so give it a surface that it can stick to more easily.

A fine grit sandpaper works well, plus it will help with giving you a smoother surface to work with. However, if you only have medium grit sandpaper laying around the house, don’t worry about it. It will work fine. The idea is simply to rough up the exterior of your fridge so it is not glossy smooth.

2. Apply Extra Paint Coat “Backups”

Second, apply more than one coat of paint. Some people recommend three coats, some people go with 2. If you have enough paint on hand, three coats won’t hurt your fridge and will provide you more coverage.

According to Sunset Books’ Decorative Paint & Faux Finishes, the smoother the surface is that you will be painting on, the shorter the roller nap you want to use. For this reason, many people choose foam rollers.

Kitchen appliances are in a high-traffic area of the home and are known to get scratched and dinged. With multiple coats of paint, if your painted refrigerator does get bumped, scratched or chipped, the marks won’t show up as much because there are “backup” coats underneath.

On this note, if you have unused paint when your finished with your painting project, keep it on hand for any touch ups. Plus, as the saying goes, if you are prepared for dings and are ready to repair them – most likely they will never happen.

That’s really all there is to it. I hope you were not hoping for something more complicated. The problem may be that once you actually experience how easy it is to do and how fun it is to create your own chalkboard art, you may go crazy painting other stuff in your home. Watch out!

Get Started: How to Paint a Refrigerator

New Dry Erase Chalkboard Fridge (+ Freezer) with 2 Doors

The dry erase chalkboard fridge from Whynter that I discovered years ago is no longer available. However, you can easily and affordably create your own dorm-size chalkboard fridge with a standard appliance and chalkboard decals.

You simply peel and stick these removable chalkboard stickers to the door of your refrigerator, and you instantly turn it into a write-able surface. You can then later remove the decal without damaging the surface of your fridge!

Alternatively, you can make your own whiteboard fridge with a dry erase surface by applying dry erase stickers. These stickers are clear, so you can use them on black, white or stainless steel fridge doors without changing the look of the appliance. Cool, right?

As a result, you can choose from a variety of different compact refrigerator models, including shite, black or silver/stainless steel. This peel-and-stick concept also works for single door or 2-door models.

For example, here are some popular brands and models affordably priced at about $200 or less:

Stainless Fridge Freezer

Stainless Steel 2-Door Compact Fridge Freezer

White Fridge Freezer

White Dorm Size Refrigerator Freezer with 2 Doors

Black Fridge Freezer

Markers to Write or Draw on Your Dry Erase/Chalkboard Fridge:

Need more neon dry erase pens? Get them here for less than $2 apiece instead of paying more at your local store, if they even have them.

And yes, liquid chalk markers work perfectly on dry erase boards too. In other words, you can easily wipe away the dry ink with a regular rag or cloth.

The neon brightness makes handwriting easier to read on black surfaces. Plus, you 10 different colors too. Therefore, you won’t get board, I mean bored.

Details on the Previous Model Whynter Write-on Compact 2-Door Fridge:

Here’s a cool “chalkboard” fridge that I just ran across. It’s the first compact fridge+freezer model that I’ve seen with a dry erase surface. I know, some of the single-door compacts do have what they call a freezer space. However, I don’t really count that, as it can’t accommodate more than the mini ice cube trays…

I’ve got a compact 2-door refrigerator myself, and I like it better than the single-door models because it has a “true” freezer. This feature comes in very handy if you need to make ice cubes, store ices cream or other freezables. This model also features an energy star rating. You won’t feel guilty about having a second fridge (if that’s what you’re getting).

Obviously, it’s great as a dorm room fridge as well because it doesn’t take up much space. That said, it has more versatility due to the separate freezer. It’s also perfect for a kid’s playroom if you need to store snacks or drinks because of the fun writable surface.

The dry erase surface makes it a good addition to office, workspace or garage as well because it doubles as a notepad and bulletin board. You could also turn it into a cool mini bar in almost any room. With the dry-erase surface, it can look more like a work of art than a regular appliance. =)

SALE

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7-Foot Long Chalkboard Wall Sticker to Write, Draw, Create Calendars & More. Cut to Size. Great for Kitchens, Kids, School, Labels. Get it Now.

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