DIY: photo booth chalkboard

As you can clearly infer from these posts, I am obsessed with the wedding photo booth phenomenon. Or is that fauxtobooth? I don't know.

Either way, I'm lovin' it. And most of my favorite examples include a chalkboard upon which guests write their messages to the happy couple when they get their photos taken. See below.

Loooooove.

In spite of this love affair, there was no way in hell that I was going to fork over $30 or more for a pre-made chalkboard. Plus, I wanted one in a fancy frame which suited the colors in the backdrop which has yet to be decided. And that means, I'd probably have to get something custom done. Because I'm picky. And since we still don't know for sure what we're doing as a backdrop, there was no way I could commit to a color at this point. Remember how indecisive I am?

Thankfully for me, there is a wonderful invention known as chalkboard paint. So a couple weeks ago, we head over to Home Depot to grab a can. For a mere $21. Sweet.


But what good is a chalkboard without a pretty frame?

Originally, I had planned to get a really cool antique frame which I hoped to locate at one of the many local antique stores. But with exams and a trip to Florida in the works for next week, we have had zero time to go antique hunting.

Once again, thankfully for us, there is a wonderful little invention known as the dollar store. We were in there last weekend when we stumbled upon some of the ugliest frames I have ever seen. Okay, the ugliness aspect is not the good part. The good part is that they were frames. And the other good part is that I happen to have an extensive collection of acrylic paints left over from our centerpieces.

So I've got a before and after for you today. Although I ended up forgetting to take a picture of the frame before I painted it, the one below has the exact same finish so it's a pretty good example of how ugly it was beforehand.

Yeah, I know, ew. We're not bronze people.
But after a few coats of paint, it gets much better, I promise.

Ta-da!

Although you can't really tell from the photos, instead of going for a matte finish, I chose of the acrylic paints that dries with a glossy finish and I'm glad I did, because it's more durable and it's gives it more of an antique look.

And after the 3 days is takes for the chalkboard paint to dry properly, I was able to make sure it actually works. "Chalk"... I know, how creative am I?


Even though I hate waiting for the paint to dry for 3 days and I wouldn't recommend it for use in an apartment because it's stinky, it was all worth it. The $21 can of paint is going to last forever. I've already done this frame, a plain canvas and a few large pieces of cardboard with it and the can is still 3/4 full.

The acrylic also ended up working out great for us. But it's not super durable, especially the ones that aren't glossy. So if I thought it was going to get a lot of wear and tear, I'd probably go with a spray paint that's designed to bond with plastic.

The cost is what really makes me smile. Since I already had the acrylic paint, the only costs involved were the $1.50 for the frame, $1 for chalk and $21 for the chalkboard paint. And since we still have an abundant amount of paint left, it's really works out to about $6. Crazy.

Of course, there were a few more costs. Once I saw how well this worked out, I decided to buy a few more frames so our guests would be able to use multiples. Mr. FP thought 1 was enough. I did not. But since they were a dollar, he couldn't object too loudly, bless his heart.


An extra $6? Totally worth it.