I have always admired my sister for putting in that little extra effort to write a note to remind everyone to have a beautiful day or smile. Whenever she leaves on a trip she scatters hidden notes in cereal jars, under pillows, in undies and a zillion other places around the house for her kids to find. Her habitual outbursts of written positivity have inspired me to try and do the same, which is why I fell in love with this multi-functional chalkboard tray from Happy Together. You can use it to write a quick note to your little kiddos while they eat a snack, or use it as a magnet board to post silly pictures drawn throughout the day.
Jessica from Happy Together is always coming up with new creative ideas like the cozy football blanket that is perfect for a new baby and the reworked flower girl dress, do I hear wedding bells? The Gotta Love Sequins Shirt Tutorial…I think the name says it all.
Before we jump to the tutorial here’s one of the first quotes I would write on my chalkboard tray, tell me if you can guess what book it’s from. Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!
Chalkboard Tray
This tray was something I had been thinking about for a while and finally had a chance to get it together before our move.
Of course, I had my oldest daughter in mind 😉 She just LOVES to create art. I figured this would be a good thing for her on a road trip too. It can be used in so many ways! You could use it as a serving tray and write a little note on it.
Or even use it as a magnet board since magnets will stick to the tray.
I found this set of 3 baking trays at Walmart for $5 to use. They aren’t the best cookie pans ever, but they are perfect for this kind of project. These are lighter and thin enough that if you wanted to poke holes in it for threading a rope to hang it up with, you could easily do that.
To get started you will need:
– Vinyl Frame (mine was from Say It On the Wall. She has a ton of options!)
-Cookie Pan/Baking Tray (make sure the frame will fit in it)
-Chalkboard Paint (I actually made mine using this tutorial)
-Chalk
-Paint brush
1. Start by painting on your chalkboard paint. I ended up doing a second coat after the first one dried.
2. Set the paint by taking chalk and coloring all over it. Then wipe it off with a wet towel. Make sure to use an old one because some of the color might come off with the first wipe off.
3. Take your vinyl frame product and take the back off.
4. Then place the frame on the pan where you like it and press it down firmly in place.
*You might need to use a flat ended object to help get the vinyl to stick really well. I used a wooden kitchen spatula from my daughter’s play kitchen.
Then it’s all ready for you to write on.
Dr. seuss’s book… Oh the places you’ll go.
Oh! The places you’ll go! ThiS is my 2nd favorite Dr. Seuss book! I love the tray, too! I also leave notes around for my kiddos and this will be great- thanks for the inspiration today!!
I love this idea! I might have to do this one day. It would be great when I’m flat sharing at uni so we can easily leave messages for each other.
I love this craft and can’t wait to make a couple for my granddaughters. I have been at the site for the vinyl embelishments and for the life of me I can’t find a frame like the one on your tray. Would you be kind enough to tell me what the name of it is. I just love it. Thanks so much.
Pat
Hi Pat 🙂 You can find it here: http://www.sayitonthewall.com/products/view/779/Chalkboard_Tray_Frame_Vinyl
Love this. I’ve been into chalk paint lately. And I just pinned something the other day in which someone talented and crafty had replaced the icky vinyl on the top of an old folding card table with chalkboard cloth. Great ideas!
[…] little chalkboard tray made from a baking sheet is absolutely adorable! (@ Prudent […]
Love it! This is super cute, I’ll have to make some for my kiddos!
Legit! Thanks for this awesome idea. I love it! How has it held up to toddler use over the last 11 months?
The chalkboard tray is a great way to keep all of your supplies organized and within reach. If you are like me, you have a collection of pencils, pens, markers and even erasers scattered around your desk.
A chalkboard tray is a great way to keep your little one’s food organized. It can be used as a table, snack bar, or place to store craft supplies.
The game is extremely attractive, you need to play the role of a Donkey Kong and overcome obstacles to rescue the princess in distress.