Bombshell Chalkboard Menu

Happy Friday Bombshells!

Is anyone else ready for summer? It's Kim here with a Fabulous Friday Tutorial that is sure going to make you want to grab an icy drink! (with or without alcohol- take your pick!). It's a chalkboard menu created with the Tiki Party, Hawaiian Girl, Hula Girl, and Tattoo Font sets.

Supplies Needed:
-Bombshell Stamp Sets - Tiki Party, Hawaiian Girl, Hula Girl, and Tattoo Font
-A rectangular wood board - 10 inches high x 8 1/2 inches wide, about 1/8 of an inch thick (I purchased mine at AC Moore)
-Folk Art Chalkboard Paint in Black by Plaid
-1 inch foam brush
-Tsukineko Brilliance Archival Pigment Ink Pad in Moonlight White
-Tsukineko Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black
-White Cardstock Paper
-Scissors
-Small Thin Paint Brush and a regular size paint brush
-Heat Gun Tool
-Acrylic Stamp Block and Stamp Cleaner
-Mod Podge in Matte
- Martha Stewart Craft Paints in Satin (Pink Dahlia, Blue Calico, Scottish Highlands, Habanero, Chestnut Brown, Marmalade, Surf, Chamomile, Spring Pasture are the ones I used)
-Disposable Gloves, good ventilation, water, paper towels, and chalk!

Using the foam brush, apply the black chalkboard paint onto one side of the wood board. Once that dries, apply another coat of chalkboard paint. Then do the same for the back, making sure each coat is dry before applying another layer. I used 2 coats of paint on each side, but depending on the wood and chalkboard paint you use you may need to use additional coats. Apparently, drying time will vary from 1 - 24 hours depending on weather, so make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for the chalkboard paint you're using. Plaid has instructions and tips on their website for their brand of chalkboard paint. Also, if your wood is really rough, you may need to sand it down first before applying paint. The board I used was smooth so I didn't need to.

While waiting for coats to dry, I started planning out the placement of my stamps on paper. You will need to stamp your stamps in black ink onto white cardstock and fussy cut them out for later. Once the board is dry, ink up the stamps with a light coat of Tsukineko Brilliance Archival Pigment Ink Pad in Moonlight White and start stamping them onto the board. I used a lighter coat of ink so it would look more like the stamped image was drawn in chalk.

For the areas where the stamps overlap, first stamp the first image onto the board, example -  the Hawaiian Girl, let it dry, and then place the cut out image on top of it. Next ink the second image that will be behind the first one, example - the palm tree, and stamp it on top of the paper cut out image.

After all of the images are stamped onto the chalkboard, use a heat gun for a few seconds to dry the images a little bit and then let the chalkboard sit for 24 hours before painting. (The chalkboard paint itself needs to sit for 24 hours before it's conditioned according to manufacturer's paint instructions.)

Once that loooooong 24 hours is up, paint in parts of the stamped images using Martha Stewart Craft Paints in Satin and a small tiny paint brush. I used a very thin coat of paint and let some of the black chalkboard show through so the coloring would look more like it was colored in with colored chalk. I had to restrain myself and not color in the Tiki guys, banner, and Hawaiian Girl because even a light coat of paint washed out the small features.



After the paint is dry, apply a thin coat of matte Mod Podge only onto the stamped image areas and let it dry.

In the circled area on the left the Mod Podge clumped up a little, so I smoothed it out while it was still wet. On the right is the tiki guys after the Mod Podge has dried.

So after all that waiting for paint and glue to dry, it's finally time to condition the chalkboard area where there are no stamped images. I conditioned it with a yellow piece of chalk, but I think it would have been better to use white.

Clean the chalk off with a damp paper towel and your Bombshell Menu is all ready to use!

There are so many different kinds of chalkboard paint out there, so choose the one that suits you best and follow the manufacturer's instructions for it. I recommend wearing gloves while using the chalkboard paint and be careful when applying it because it's permanent when dry. Also use it in a room that has good ventilation (I find it to be a little smelly and I am safety conscious, as you can tell!).

And last but not least, this project is great for any Bombshell Stamp Set. Whether it be this Tiki Bar Menu, a Girl's Ruin Night Menu, a Halloween Skeleton Menu... And chalkboard paint comes in a ton of different colors. The possibilities are endless!

Happy Stampin!
- Kim