Use Your Chalks

by Cindy deRosier (Jan 4, 2013)

Do you own a chalk set? When was the last time you used it? I'm guilty of not using my chalks nearly as often as I should. They're versatile, fun and easy, yet I rarely think to pull them out to use on a project. I'm going to share some of my favorite ways to use chalks, so pull out your chalk set and try a few of these techniques!

Create a Background

You can make beautiful backgrounds with just your chalks and plain white cardstock. Use a cotton ball to chalk directly on the cardstock. Instead, tear a sheet of scrap paper, apply chalk to the torn edge, lay the torn sheet on cardstock, and use the cotton ball to push the chalk onto the cardstock. Keep moving the scrap paper and you'll end up with a gorgeous variegated background.

For my "Enjoy" card, I started by stamping my sentiment onto white cardstock. Next, I chalked a yellow circle shape directly on the bottom of the paper. I used a torn edge to push orange chalk onto the bottom fourth of the paper, then moved the paper and applied a darker shade of orange. I continued adding pinks and reds as I moved the paper. Finally, I added a torn strip of black cardstock and a bird.

I used a similar technique on my "Thanks for all you do..." card, except this one was made with a single color of chalk. I began by stamping the sentiment and the butterfly trails, and then applied blue chalk to the edge of a torn paper. I pushed the chalk off the scrap paper and onto the cardstock using a cotton ball. Each time I reapplied chalk, I moved the paper which created a more realistic sky than a solid application of color would have made. The last step was adding punched clouds and butterflies.

Change a Paper's Color

Sometimes, a piece of paper isn't quite the right shade to go with your picture. Chalks to the rescue! For this layout, I gently chalked my purple over the blue glittered paper to make it coordinate better with the photo.

Chalk over Ink

Stamp a sentiment with VersaMark ink, and then immediately chalk over the ink like I did on my "Congratulations" card. With this technique, you can quickly and easily make stamped images with any color (or even multiple colors!).

Chalk over Stickers

Use your stickers like a mask by applying them to your project, chalking over them, and then peeling them off. You can leave them as is, like I did with the stars on the "Congratulations" card above, or you can outline them, like my five-year-old son did on this gift bag that he made for his friend Jordan.