Guest Blogger - Wannabe Crafty - PB-Teen Chalk Movie Sign

I am thrilled to be unveiling my latest crafty project here at Someday Crafts! What an awesome privilege, thank you Michelle!!

Hi! I’m Nicole from Wannabe Crafty, where I blog about all kinds of creative endeavors like sewing, crafts, and home décor. I’m a SAHM to an incredible nine month old boy, and a wife to an absolutely amazing guy. Beyond crafting, I love participating in triathlons and traveling!

It’s hard to choose just a few, but here are some of the tutorials you can find on my blog:

Collapsible Growth Chart

Favorite Baby Boy Neck Tie Pattern

Subway Art… with a Twist

For a complete list, check out my Tutorials page, or my Project Gallery.

Now for today's tutorial!

A PB-Teen CHALK MOVIE SIGN!!

We are a movie-loving family, so when I saw this chalk movie sign from PB Teen, I knew it would add some fun anticipation to family movie nights! The $49 price tag was pretty steep, but I knew I could make it for a fraction of that. In fact, I had most of the supplies on hand so this project cost me just over $5!

(PB’s 18” x 22” dimensions were a bigger than I wanted, so I shrunk all the measurements down by about 70%.)

SUPPLIES:

One 12.5” x 15” piece of wood (3/4” thick)
Two 1.5” x 15” piece of wood (1/4” thick)
(I recommend using actual wood with a smooth surface, not particle board like I did)
One 1” binding post screw
Drill and drill bit the width of the binding post (mine was 13/64”)
(If you don’t have access to a drill, you could glue the top clap piece in place; it just won’t be able to open and shut. If this is the case, you don’t need the binding post)
35” of white vinyl
Black chalkboard paint
E6000 or other craft glue
Sandpaper
(Optional) White acrylic/craft paint

MAKE IT!
The PB chalk movie sign had curved bottom corners, so I took my large wood piece and traced a spray paint can for my cut line, then used my jigsaw to cut the curve. If you don’t have access to a jigsaw it’s no big deal, just leave all your corners square.

Now take your two skinny wood pieces. In order to open/shut the top clap board, the edges of these skinny pieces will need to be cut on an angle. I used my miter box to cut the ends off on a 40 degree angle (because that’s the angle of the white/black stripes on the clap pieces). If you don’t have a miterbox, you can easily accomplish this with a regular hand saw.

Smooth all your edges with sand paper.

Now it’s time for paint! I got my chalkboard paint at JoAnn for $4.20 (with coupon). Make sure to read the manufacturer’s directions because they'll be different from regular paint. I had to wait at least one hour between coats, and then let the paint cure for 24 hours once I was done.

It took me two coats to get full coverage.

After your chalkboard paint has cured, make sure to prime the surface by rubbing a piece of chalk across the entire board. It wipes up easily with a wet rag. If you don't, everything you write will leave behind a ghost sketch even after it's cleaned.

Once your paint is dry, it’s time to assemble the sign. Position your bottom clap piece 1.25” below the top of the large wood piece and glue it in place.

Now take your binding post and your drill. This is what a binding post looks like. One piece is long, smooth, and hollow. The other is short and has screw threads. I got mine in the hardware section of Lowe's for $1.

Use a scrap piece of wood to make sure your chosen drill bit is the correct size for your binding post.

Line up the top clap piece so it's flush against the one you just glued down, and drill a hole like this:

Place the long, smooth post through the hole from the front of the chalk movie sign. The shorter, screw-like piece goes through the back. Tighten as desired. Mine is tight enough that the top clap piece will stay in position if I leave the it up, but loose enough that I can still hinge it open and shut.

You're almost finished. Now it's time to cut and apply your vinyl. If you have a Silhouette and want the cut file I used for this project, shoot me an email at nicole(at)wannabecrafty(dot)com. At 35”, it is a long run of vinyl but I show you a little Silhouette secret in this post about how to cut it all in one piece. If you are cutting the vinyl by hand or with another digital cutter, remember that the stripes on the clap pieces are angled at 40 degrees.

To apply the stripes, first remove the binding post. Start from the hinged end and place your first white stripe right over the binding post hole, then make a slit in the vinyl over the hole and replace the binding post.

If you want to, add a dab of white paint to the binding post to help it blend in more.

Apply vinyl to the main part of the movie sign.

If you have any vinyl that hangs over the edges, just turn the movie sign upside down and trim off the excess vinyl with an exacto knife.

That’s it!! Now you have a super cute PB-style accessory for your home theater J. Now I really need to get me some of those wet erase chalk markers!

I also thought it would be fun to make these a little smaller for kids to play with. I sure messed around with my parents’ video camera a lot growing up and would have absolutely loved to feel “official” with my own movie clapboard! Simply change the vinyl text to say “Director, Take” etc. and you have the perfect gift for your little Hollywood Star in the making!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial! Please come visit me at Wannabe Crafty!! Thanks so much for having me, Michelle!

Thanks, Nicole! What a fun project! I know a couple of teens and tweens who would love to have one of these. Head over to Wannabe Crafty to see more excellent projects. Her bathroom projects are adorable!!!!