It’s no secret that I love to draw and doodle. Heck, my parents paid for four years of college so I could do just that! Although my job isn’t often a creative one, I find time wherever I can for artistic endeavors. The first few times I drew with chalk were for my daughter’s birthday parties, because she loves sidewalk chalk and was used to having me draw her fancy things in our driveway. I never imagined it would turn into anything other than a way to spend time with her.
In the past several months, however, I’ve done quite a few commissioned pieces and it has been so much fun! I’m hoping to continue this as a side venture and I can’t wait for the day when I have a house big enough for a chalk wall of my own. This week, I finished up a lettered project of the United States. The client sent me a screenshot from Pinterest and I managed to hunt down the original source. The map itself is a little out of proportion so you’ll have to suspend your knowledge about how the states are shaped — specifically New York. The fact that it isn’t a coastal state here is driving Josh crazy!
inspiration via Parcel Post
And as if chalking isn’t fun enough on it’s own, we decided to film a little time lapse video to share the process with you. One of the things I want to do more often this year is share videos and vlogs. Josh & I have been talking about how to do this and my first chalk drawing of the year seemed the perfect opportunity. Fortunately for me, he’s a whiz at editing and put this cute little video together just for you!
Music: “American Beauty” by Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors
Now for some detail shots…
And since it’s 5 on Friday around here, let’s flashback to five of my favorite chalkboards of the past year!
ONE: Sophie’s Ballerina Birthday. This board stood outside the dance studio entrance with big gold balloons to greet our guests and Sophie loved it!
TWO: Next up was Hudson’s first birthday in July. His mom threw a beautiful woodland themed party {that I’ll be blogging about next month!} and I drew this board to coordinate with the invitation suite. For client work, I’m usually working in white chalk only, so this was pretty fun to do in color.
THREE: There are a few things I might would change about the bottom of this one now, but I love the lettering and the floral motif. This was for a client who had recently renovated her entire house and it worked beautifully with her new decor.
FOUR: Really. What is better than an Alabama chalkboard during football season?!
FIVE: This one might be my favorite board of the year. When football season was over, we reworked this one for the holiday season. It makes me want to put an earth on everything! You can see how beautiful it looked in her home here.
And for all of you local friends, I have a few more United States chalkboards available (the remaining ones are navy blue, but still pretty fabulous!). You can click the contact button in the sidebar for more information. Have a great weekend!!
Kristin is married to her high-school sweetheart and the mother to two daughters. Professional by day and creative by night, she is a family lifestyle blogger who writes about faith, family, and fitting it all into a busy schedule. At Taz + Belly, you’ll find healthy recipes, children’s party ideas, tutorials, DIY projects, and more. Click Here to Read More About Kristin
