Chalkboard Coasters - MOPS Craft

I love that God cares about every detail of this ministry. He continues to show me that He even directs in what craft we do for each meeting.

I had decided to make these chalkboard coasters before I knew the topic we would be discussing. When I found out that it was about our words, I loved that the craft actually complemented the topic. 

Growing up, my mom had this cross stitched verse in her bedroom. 

She lives by these words. She has always been my cheerleader - celebrating who I am and encouraging me to be more. Even Monday morning, she sent me a sweet text telling me that she was proud of me and was praying that I would be a blessing to someone else. 

I am excited that I get to be my kid's cheerleaders - complimenting the unique things about them. These coasters can be used to label who's drink is sitting on them. But they could also be a way to write our kids a verse or an encouraging thought as we set the breakfast table. 

Using 16 cent tiles from Lowes, the coasters were super simple to make. 

First, they picked up 4 tiles and 16 adhesive felt squares. I had purchased the bigger sheets of the adhesive felt and cut them into one inch squares. 

After peeling off the paper backing, the felt squares stuck nicely to the back of the tiles. This will help protect tables from scratches. 

They also picked up a piece of cardboard to paint on, labeling it with their names. 

After applying a thin first coat, we listened to our speaker encourage us to use our words to speak blessings over our children.  Any chalkboard paint will work - I prefer Rustoleum brand myself. 

I love that she said, "You've got to be the person that you want your children to become."  

"It takes a year to learn how to talk - but a lifetime to learn what to say." 

Suggested Reading:

The Blessing

Shepherding a Child's Heart

Hugs in a Lunch Box

A second coat was applied to the dry tiles. 

I suggested to let the tiles dry for 24 hours before writing on them. After 24 hours, it is safe to "prime" your chalkboard by rubbing chalk all over the entire surface. Erasing all that chalk gives the surface that chalky feeling we are all used to. 

If you don't prime your chalkboard surface, your first written message will always linger in the background. 

Twine and leaf shaped gift tags were available in case they wanted to give these coasters as a gift. 

I also had a stack of paper bags for them to easily transport their coasters. 

I always love my time with these moms. I am so thankful that the Lord led me to this MOPS ministry. And I am excited to see what God teaches us in the meetings to come. 

Chalkboard Clipboards at MOPS

Finally...I was able to finally attend a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) meeting at my church. We had been planning meetings, praying over participants and preparing crafts all summer long. But the kickoff meeting was just days after I had Miss Nora Lynn. This past Monday, I was finally able to join in on the fun.

I was greeted by adorably decorated tables and yummy snacks. Since our theme for the year is "Be You Bravely," each table had previously chosen a "brave" woman for their table name.

 

Some were Biblical. Some were fictional. Some were historical. All were brave women in their own way.

Our theme for this meeting was Finding the Significance in the Everyday. As a mom...there is a lot of monotony. There are a lot of times in which I feel insignificant. And there are definitely days when I feel inadequate. It seems there is so much pressure to be a certain type of mom. It seems every time I log onto Facebook, there is another article listed that makes me feel the things I'm doing as a mom just aren't good enough. Sometimes it seems all the other moms have it together and I don't measure up. Sometimes I feel like I will never measure up.



As a craft for this meeting. I thought it would be fun to make Chalkboard Clipboards. We wanted to keep the cost down for the crafts yet make something useful and cute.

Using some painter's tape, sticker letters, chalkboard paint, foam paint brushes and clipboards - this project cost less than $1.50 each.

And, I am now obsessed with that scalloped painters tape! It comes in chevron too. I bought myself a roll of the scalloped - I am just trying to decide where to use it in our house.

 

After applying two thin coats of chalkboard paint, the ladies peeled off their stickers and tape.

Some then chose to further embellish their clipboards with fabric flowers and ribbon.

Other ladies added a piece of twin to tie on their chalk.

I don't know what the other moms might use their new memo boards for,but I plan to use mine to encourage myself to find significance in those everyday tasks. Sometimes a pretty to-do list or an organized place for my grocery list and coupons is just what I need. Other days, I might write a verse or a quote on my board.

I found myself encouraged by the other moms in attendance, inspired by their ideas and comments during discussion and excited to attend future meetings.

All moms need a break and a place to find a little encouragement. I look forward to our next time together.  

Quick! Do a project!

I have never claimed to be an artist...I am a big fan of tracing. In fact, I've always wanted to own an overhead projector (yeah, those old things) for future projects. I used to love those coloring books that had tracing pages in them (Remember those?). Tracing makes me feel like I can draw.

I also love decor items that are versatile. I try to fill our home with items I can change or rearrange when I get the "redecorating urge." And that's probably why I have lots of chalkboards and painted thrift store items. When a room's decorations get boring, I can easily repaint or erase.

A while back, I picked up a faux canvas at Walmart. It had been marked down due to a scratch across the picture. Yesterday, 2 minutes and a little chalkboard paint transformed that marred canvas into a message board for our overnight guests. Since Nora's nursery also doubles as our guest room, I wanted to add an element that made our guests feel welcome and less like they were sleeping beside the changing table.

I recently received DIY Type from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. This book is basically just a collection of modern looking stencils.

Each page of stencils can be easily removed from the book by tearing along the perforated lines. I love the handwritten typography trend, but I am too much of a perfectionist to be satisfied with my handwriting.

Using these stencils, I was able to quickly draw a cute message. If I had one of those chalk pens on hand, I could have further embellished my letters. But I was still pleased with the plain typography.

The book contains a few example pages as well as two styles of stencils.  One smaller set of the alphabet and one larger.

I only wish I had more fun stencils like this. I love the look of several fonts.

I used the bigger stencil for a quick fall message.

The stencils are made of a thick glossy cardstock that looks as if they will hold up well. They will work well for many craft projects such as banners, posters, notecards, etc. The book provided inspiring images in the front of possible projects.

Since I am a mom of two kids under two years, these stencils are the perfect addition to my craft tools. I can easily finish a chalkboard message in just a few minutes. I will be on the lookout for more stencils to use on my chalkboards!