Pottery Barn Knockoff Chalkboard Frames

I was perusing the Pottery Barn Kids catalog last week when I spotted their adorable chalkboard frames.  Oh they're just so cute..and so expensive at $39 for just one!   I knew I could knock them off very easily and they'd be perfect in the playroom to display the kids artwork.

Fortunately, I had everything I needed on hand so these didn't cost me a penny.  I had some old picture frame mats sitting around from frames I saved from my mom's garbage.   (In case you missed what I did with the largest frame, check it out here.)

As you can see, a few mats were originally made to frame two pictures.  I just cut that middle section out to make it one large mat.  The middle divider on the left mat below has already been cut and the gold section removed.  Couldn't even tell, could you?

Other than that I used some chalkboard paint, bakers twine, and mini clothes pins - all of which I had from previous projects.  Even if you don't have any of the supplies this won't project won't cost you much more than a few dollars and certainly not anywhere near $39 a piece!

I started by punching two holes in each mat with a mini hole punch.  You could also use a small nail and hammer it through to make a hole if you don't have a mini hole punch.   Since I planned to hang some frames vertically and some horizontally, I did a mix of holes at the top and holes on the side.

I gave each mat three coats of chalkboard paint....allowing each coat to dry before applying the next.

Then it was just a matter of adding the string.  I pulled the string through the first hole - from back to  front - and tied a knot to keep it from slipping through the hole.  Repeat on the other side.

Since these are just the mats and not the full frame with the back, like Pottery Barn's original version, I needed a way to insert a picture.  I used a small dot of hot glue and attached mini clothes pins to the top of each chalkboard frame to hold the art work.

The clips make it super easy to change the pictures and art.
 

I love displaying my kids' art work and it makes them so proud! I have another kids art gallery in the basement, too. (Please excuse the dark basement photo.)

Next week, I'll be sharing a really easy way to save all your kids artwork digitally eliminating the need to keep bins upon bins of doodles, drawings, and masterpieces.

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