DIY Chalkboard Fingernails!
Last night I was working on a little crafty project and I had pulled out my little tiny jar of chalkboard paint. After two coats on my project I went to wash my hands to make dinner when I discovered something. The chalkboard paint I had did NOT come off my fingers. Like at all. After scrubbing at it for a minute or two I gave up, decided my hands were clean enough for tacos and I made dinner. After dinner (fingers still black) I did the last two coats of paint on my project and then I got an idea.
Chalkboard Fingernails! And they turned out so awesome I snapped some pictures and am giving you a step by step tutorial. Not that I am any sort of expert on painting fingernails, I should add. I’ve painted my fingers exactly twice since I was 12 years old. But, here you go anyway. You’ll need chalkboard paint, a paintbrush and some fun colored chalk.
1. Using a small clean paintbrush, paint two or three coats onto your fingernails. My directions on my paint says to let the paint dry for an hour between coats, and then let it cure for 24 hours. But who has time for a 28 hour manicure? No one. Throw those directions out the window. 2. When your nails are dry color to your hearts content. 3. If you make a mistake, the chalk will wipe right off and you can try again. If you change your mind, wipe it right off. Of course, if your hands brush against your pants it will wipe right off too… 4. I need to do more things with colored chalk, it’s really pretty. (I got this chalk at Hobby Lobby last year.)
So, what with the whole wiping off your nail art on your clothes/towel/walls/couch etc. a chalkboard manicure is probably not a good idea for everyone. I know. I get it. But it was a fun experiment anyway. And it could possibly keep my child very entertained in a doctors office waiting room…
And after your chalk art wipes off on your curtains then you at least have cool gothic looking nails, right?
Now, a few pointers. After writing on my nails and wiping it off a few times the paint did start to scratch. Probably allowing the paint to set overnight would help with that. Also, my fingernails aren’t flat AT ALL. They are full of deep vertical ridges that made writing on them hard. I think if I do this again I’ll probably buff them good first and then do a base coat with regular polish to try and fill those in a bit. It would probably help me to buff my nails between coats of chalkboard paint as well, to smooth those ridges down a bit. Just sayin. Also, when you are done with gothic scratched chalkboard nails, I found that fingernail polish remover took it off just fine. Well, with a little scrubbing. Nail polish remover also took the dried bits out of my paintbrush bristles. And I only painted my left hand, I told you I’m not a nail polish expert. Just keeping it real. But I’ll try this again, it was a fun little surprise today.
pinksuedeshoe 
you are totally craft bonkers…perhaps thats why I get all excited when your name pops up in my sidebar.
Now who would have ever thought of that? 😉 I need to hide this from my granddaughter or she will have me going out buying that small jar of paint!
Fun to see your hand, and hear your voice as I read your words. Love you!
I laughed when I saw this! My daughter would think this is fabulous. Good to see you on Saturday!!
cute and very inventive! I’m thinking new beauty trend!
Pink,
Hilarious!
xo -E
P.S. black nails look nice on you. I’m not a big fan of black/super-opaque/non-shiny/weird nail colors, but me likey.
Oh. My. Laws. 🙂
xox
Also? You’re a nerd.
xox
I am an awesome nerd. You forgot a key descriptive word.
That is totally awesome! That’s a manicure worth having: one that is amusing and…uh, useful. 🙂
I’ll add it. You’re an awesome nerd. 🙂 This post cracks me up. I have a thing against the crazy amount of chalkboard craze that’s happened lately (seriously, I am not going to label my spice jars or garden markers with something so easily removable, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen), but I’m glad you’re enjoying it. 🙂
I can honestly say out of all the blogs I read, I would definitely have voted you Most Likely to Paint Fingernails with Chalkboard Paint, if ever that completely random activity had ever crossed my mind. Very funny.
Wow!! Awesome Find!! 🙂
San
BeesAndSans.Blogspot.com
You are a true inspiration to me. I love stopping in and looking at your blog when I get the chance! I have had a horrible week – well, not horrible because I have lived through it. I have MS and this week has been one of the worse weeks of my disease….but I wanted you to know that I am praying for your little family. I admire your attitude…and I love crafting, thrifting, painting and pink!!!!