Upcycled Back to School Chalkboard Signs

I love chalkboards–which is strange since I hated having to clean erasers when I was in elementary and middle schools. Way back in the time before dry erase markers we had good old fashioned chalkboards. This year I decided to make upcycled back to school chalkboard signs from two old pizza pans I found at my Dad’s house. Seriously, I am pretty sure these pizza pans were the ones my mom used when I was a kid.

I cleaned them as best as I could but it was time for them to be retired. They have a new role as our back to school charlkboards now! I simply bought a can of chalkboard paint for under four bucks and sprayed it on.

I did two coats with about 45 minutes in between them, letting them dry overnight.

Then I took white chalk and conditioned them by lightly chalking over the surface with the sides of a piece of chalk.

(I confess. I prefer the look of chalkboards to the actual “chalking” part!)

I wiped them down and added each child’s grade and what they want to be when they grow up.  They turned out great and now there are two less baking sheets under my Dad’s stove.

We had a lot of fun taking pictures before leaving for school this morning.  I made sure we were ready an extra thirty minutes early so we would have time to take photos and still make it early enough to get a parking space.  Things mostly went according to plan.

Both kids were super excited about going back to school.  They made faces and laughed during the photoshoot.

The only hitch came up when Pork Chop said, “Look, Mommy! Someone put chocolate on the truck.”

Chocolate?  NO–-Do not touch…Don’t put it in your mouth.

“Why,” he asked with his finger almost at his lips.

Because that’s not chocolate, it’s bird poop and even if it was chocolate, we don’t eat chocolate off of my truck–or anything else.

Oh.

So then all my leaving early plans were shot because Pork Chop had to go wash his hands.

It’s okay though.  We’re looking forward to a great year!

Are you taking back to school photos?