Photo Tip: Adding Text to Pictures by Using Blank Chalkboards

It seems chalkboard lettering/art is sweeping across the nation....pinterest.  I love chalkboards and I love adding them to pictures.  I wanted to show you a way to use a chalkboard over and over without having to actually write on it.  

I first got the idea when I had family pictures taken.  My five kids are under seven and I was really worried they would smudge the chalk and I was worried my hand writing would look sloppy.  The photographer and I decided that she could just add the text later when she edited the picture.  

 It turned out adorable, right?  The photographer used photoshop but there are also free websites you can use to add text.  I've heard PicMonkey is great.  When I add text I just use my phone.  I usually use InstaFrame.  You can also get fancy using the app Rhonna Designs and other similar apps.

I couldn't find any 8x10 chalkboards so I made my own.  I got 4 frames at Dollar Tree and put black card stock in them.  I then removed the glass so there wouldn't be a glare.  If you want it to look more like a chalkboard you could rub a little chalk on it.  If you would rather write on the board you can actually write on the card stock with chalk.  You would just have to replace the card stock each time.  Or you could make your own chalkboard by cutting medium-density fiberboard the size of your frame, painting it with primer, then painting it with chalkboard paint.

A popular thing to do on the first day of school is to take a picture of your child holding a sign with their name and grade on it.  I didn't want to print off a sign so I just had my twins hold the blank frames and I added the text later with InstaFrame.  Using white text looks more like chalk but I thought it would be cute to match their clothes.

Halloween is just around the corner.  Here are a few ways you could use a blank chalkboard.  Using a chalk font makes your sign look like a chalkboard but I like to use other fonts too.

Here's another great idea for Halloween pics.  Before you carve your pumpkin, take a picture with your child holding it.  It's a little off topic since a chalkboard isn't being used but I wanted to share the idea anyway.

Each year I put all the gifts my kids received on the couch and take a picture.  They love looking back on previous years to see what they got for Christmas.  You could write, "From Santa" or "Christmas 2014."

During each of my pregnancies, I took pictures of my growing belly every few weeks.  I just wrote my weeks on a piece of paper.  Using a chalkboard would have looked so much better.  (I'm not expecting baby #6.  I just stuffed my shirt for the picture).

If you would rather have your sign look like a white board, you could use white card stock instead of black.  

Many people like to take pictures of their growing baby each month.  

You could even send Grandma a little note through a picture.

You could also lay the frame next to your baby to better measure how much she is growing.  Adding milestones would also be fun.

The possibilities are endless!  You could use these blank boards for high school dances, first sports game of the season, new car, graduation, vacations, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

I may or may not be a little obsessed with taking pictures of my kids.  It is so much fun!  My $1 chalkboards have made picture taking even more fun.  It's important to create fun memories with your kids but just as important to have pictures of those memories.