Hello readers of Uncommon Designs!! It’s Krista from The Happy Housie back again and I am so excited to be here sharing this fun, easy DIY Chalkboard Pillow project that will add a whimsical touch to your home for the upcoming holiday season.
To make this DIY Chalkboard Pillow you will need:
- a pillow cover and form (I made my cover out of drop cloth material)
- Chalkboard paint (the recipe for my DIY Chalkboard paint is below)
- Chalk Paint Pen
- Painters Tape and a foam brush
I started out with a simple envelope cover that I had made out of a drop cloth. If you aren’t sure how to sew a simple envelope pillow cover, I have a really simple tutorial for it over on my blog.
Once I had sewn my pillow cover, I whipped up some DIY Chalkboard paint using Plaster of Paris, black craft paint, and water….
I taped off a border on the pillow and used a foam brush to apply my chalkboard paint. If your pillow cover is not made of drop cloth material I would also advise you to put some plastic or cardboard between the layers of your pillow so that the paint doesn’t go straight through onto the back of the pillow as well.
Once it was dry I gave it a light sanding…
For writing on your pillow you will want to use a chalk paint pen. If you don’t mind your image being permanent you could also likely use a white paint pen though I didn’t try this.
Lastly, I designed the “chalkboard art” for my pillow by researching quotes and images online. I settled on this cute, little autumn haiku poem and copied the simple bird silhouette from my burlap ribbon to create the design…
If you are nervous, I would suggest sketching the whole design out on paper first. Then you could even use some regular chalk to “chalk it out” first on the pillow before tracing over it with your chalk paint pen. The chalk paint pen gives a much more permanent finish and requires a good deal of wiping with a damp cloth to remove the chalk paint – I tested it out on a scrap piece of drop cloth that I painted with the chalkboard paint.
I’m really happy with how it turned out…
I plan to integrate this pillow into my Christmas decorating as well by changing out the “chalkboard art” to a more Christmas related poem or quote (much like this pillow, below, found at Pottery Barn).
If after a few weeks the chalk paint pen doesn’t wipe off as neatly as I would like with a damp cloth, then I will just throw another quick coat of my homemade chalkboard paint over top before decorating it with my more Christmas-y design.
Thanks again for having me over at Uncommon Designs today, Bonnie and Trish! I can’t wait to come back!
Thanks for reading. And remember my housie friends, HOME isn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey.
The Happy Housie is a home décor and lifestyle blog that was named this because I must admit to you that I am a bit of a “housie”… (think foodie but for houses). I love all things related to houses: decorating, DIY, organizing, crafting, gardening, and more. I love sharing projects and ideas, and especially love finding old pieces and fixing them up to make them vibrant and beautiful again.
Trish Flake
Latest posts by Trish Flake (see all)
- Easy Leopard Painted Pumpkin - October 18, 2021
- Embroidered Swedish Dishcloths - May 3, 2020
- Easter Egg Decorating Party - March 21, 2020
I love the pillow. It is so pretty!
Thank you Marie! I can hardly wait to see how I change it up for Christmas:)
I love your pillow. It’s so clever and I think I’m going to give it a try!
Thanks so much,
Jane
It was really easy Jane! I hope you do try it – the drop cloth is great to paint on and super inexpensive as well:)
What a great idea. I love this pillow.
Thanks Natalie! It really was a fun project to do:)
I had never thought of this before! I will definitely be trying it!
Gorgeous!! I love the graphic style of this DIY pillow!!
So cute! This is now on my to-do list! And, I love the Happy Housie. Such a fun blog!
What? Hello ADORABLE!
I am loving this so much… I am pinning! Thank you so much for linking up with The Party Bunch 🙂
Besos!
Desiree
Thank you for linking up at Craft, Create & Inspire linky party last weekend !!
Your awesome project is featured this week !!! please grab the featured button 🙂
Hope you will join us again this weekend !!
Claire x
This is so fun! There is nothing you can’t put chalkboard paint on ; )
Love your recipe for chalkboard paint & your pillow.
Can you wash the pillow with the chalkboard paint on it or do you have
to totally re-apply after? tia
I absolutely love this idea and I am so going to try it 🙂 Pinned for later!
This is absolutely brilliant. I think its a wonderful idea to paint them. I also love your saying.
That is very cool! Will have to try this, although my kids would probably erase my DIY artwork!! Visiting from Talk of the Town party.
I’ve made my own chalk paint, but never tried it with plaster of paris and on fabric. Definitely will have to give this a try.
I love this idea. I do make my own chalk paint so I have all of the ingredients for this project I will be adding it to my project list. Thanks for the inspiration.
I abSooooooLutely love this idea Krista. So unique
This is the first time I’ve seen chalk paint used on fabric and the result is fantastic!