{DIY Party Decor} Chalkboard Serving Tray

I know chalkboard decor is trendy right now.   I am not sure how long it will last, but for right now, it's kinda in.  So, I decided that I'd incorporate it into some of my parties this year.  If you didn't notice, I had a cute 'silver' chalkboard serving tray that was used for the sweets table for my Black & White Gingham Valentine's Day Party Kit.

Today, I'm sharing a little step by step with ya on how you can make your own.

What you'll need:

• Cheapy serving tray a la Dollar Tree
• Chalkboard Paint (I used Martha Stewart brand in black...but apparently, they come in lotsa colors)
• Paint brush
• chalk
• baby wipes or dampened paper towel

I read the directions on the back of the bottle, and there wasn't much to do to prep the surface of the tray, other than making sure it was clean (used a baby wipe for that).  If  you notice, however, my tray has some discoloration on it.  I don't know how, why or when that happened, but it's there; since I was painting over it anyway, this didn't really pose a problem.

So, I poured a bit of paint onto the tray and started painting away.

As I went along, I also used a baby wipe to clean up the edges to make a smooth line along the curves of the tray.

The instructions say to put an initial coat of paint onto your surface, wait one hour and then paint a finishing coat to dry for 24 hours.  I couldn't really wait a whole hour and took matters into my own hands and dried it with my trusty space heater turned to the fan setting.

When it was dry, I conditioned the chalkboard by rubbing chalk over it and then wiping it with a baby wipe. I wan't going for a really fancy sign, I wanted it to be very simple.  So, a simple sentiment and some doodling was all I needed.  In the future, I may try something more complex....if my brain is completely awake ;)

 I did manage to knick the paint a bit once it was dried.  Not sure why the paint came up so easily as I did allow it to dry overnight.  I don't know if it's the paint itself or the surface or how I was writing on the chalkboard.  It didn't bother me that much since I was not going for perfection.  However, if I was, I would probably try a primer to the tray first before adding the chalkboard paint.

For more on chalkboard art....check out the links below:

If you need chalkboard art inspiration here's some pretty dope ideas on Pinterest.

Burlap & Denim has a very detailed tutorial on making a chalkboard sign.

Did you know that you could make your own chalkboard paint???

Check this gal out -she's like a chalkboard artisan!


I would love to hear your thoughts on this trend and if you plan on making this simple project on your own, make sure you send a photo and leave a comment!!!