Laura Ingalls School Slate ~ Day 3

 ~Today's craft: make a Laura Ingalls School Slate!~

This slate frame will be engraved, to look like Laura did it!

 " I don't care what that Nelly Olson says. The Lord blessed Pa's harvest, and my Pa is best. Laura Ingalls."

 ~Carved engravings on the frame~

They don't have to be perfect, remember, it is supposed to look like a child did it.

 "L.I. AGED 7 YRS.   1874"

Mixing capital letters with small letters makes it look more naive. Also, putting an engraved letter backwards adds to the child like effect.

 Halloween is my Husband's birthday! And, I thought this would be so cute for my children- to have this displayed "My Pa is best."

HOW TO:

1. You need a wooden frame from the dollarstore. One with defects is even better! (note top right corner)

I used an 8 x 10.

2. Remove the glass from the frame, and sand the corners round. The rounder the better.

SHORTCUT: You may also use a slate as is. But alas, (sigh) I live in Quebec, where craft supplies are NIL.

LOL. Yes. Here in the Montreal region, you can get stuff for jewelry making, and painting supplies, put a slate? Are you kidding me? I am serious. Do you know how hard I have to look to find stuff to make primitives? Anyways. Enough complaining. Lol. Besides. This was more fun. I love beating stuff up, and transforming things. 

3. I used an ice cream spoon to groove and bang marks and lines into the wood to age it. I used the front, sides and back of the spoon. It works well, since it is strong, and the shape of it makes nice curvy gouge marks. I also took a nail, and with a hammer put nail holes in all the corners.

4. Using a short bladed ultra-sharp knife, I carved away slices off the edges of the frame to age it even further. The wood is soft, so this is easy to do. PLEASE NOTE PHOTOS BELOW FOR SAFETY.

5. I used the tip of an eyeglass screwdriver to gouge the inscription into the wood. I wrote it lightly, then increased the pressure.

6. Paint black (acrylic) into the grooves of the inscription and the nail holes, and the gouges, then paint all the rest black as well.
7. Once dry, apply a mix of tan and black to make a greyish old wood colour over this, not filling in the inscription. Pass the colour over top of it. Try not to make it monotone. Leave some black, add light grey tan and dark grey tan.

 8. While this is drying, coat the glass with blackboard sticker. This also comes in a roll from the dollarstore.
Cut the blackboard paper slightly larger than you need, apply slowly from one corner, smoothing out air bubbles as you go. Trim with an exacto knife.(razor blade).

9. Rub chalk all over it, paying special attention to the edges. Do this before you put it back in the frame. This way, chalk "from the years" will be underneath the frame edges, looking more realistic.

10. Rub the frame with furniture polish, and put it all together!