DIY Chalkboard Globe – Pottery Barn Kids Copycat

Make this easy chalkboard globe that looks just like the one from Pottery Barn Kids.  It’s the perfect DIY project for back to school or your playroom.

Generally speaking, I don’t browse stores and think “I could make that in a second!”  But it’s happened a couple of times lately.  One time involved a pair of rhinocerous bookends.  The baby obviously NEEDS rhinocerious bookends.  More on that later though.  The other involved a chalkboard painted globe.  A $59 chalkboard globe.  Child please! 

Okay, it was a $59 chalkboard globe from Pottery Barn Kids.  I’m not going to rag on Pottery Barn Kids because the reality is that they have a ton of awesome drool worthy things (a bunch of which have graced our home) and their quality is really nice.  However, if you’re like me you feel yourself on the verge of breaking out in hives when you want a look but feel like you’re overpaying for it.

 So here is their version.  Which is really cool and very nice!  It’s been on my mind for the last few weeks.   Then I found this.

It was just staring at me on the shelf in Target (obviously) for $14.99.  Which is conveniently a price that leaves me with no guilt destroying a perfectly good educational globe in the name of chalkboard paint.  Hey, my kid likes a chalkboard!  I like a good decorative object too…

So I whipped out the paint.  And despite my deep desire to paint everything under the sun some shade of gray I went with black.  I used this Martha Stewart chalkboard paint to paint a table for Kayla and was pleased with the results.  It does go on thin and requires you to use a few coats, but I don’t think it’s a big deal unless you were doing a huge job like painting a really big piece of furniture with many sides/angles on it.

I put a couple of coats on immediately and then let it dry for an hour or two while I made dinner and got Kayla ready for bed.  After she was in bed, I added a couple more coats and let it dry again.  The next morning I seasoned it by lightly rubbing it with the side of a piece or chalk and then rubbing that in with the sleeve of an old sweatshirt.  I suppose you could use a rag.  And I suppose I was wearing said old sweatshirt.  Ssshhhh!  This helps to keep from getting those chalk indentations you might get if you scratch hard into a new chalkboard to write a word.

I was pretty happy with the end result.  While I’ll still say that the Pottery Barn Kids version looks like it’s better quality overall, this version is plenty cute and functions well, especially for a quarter of the price!

Think you might want to make your own?  Pin the image below and you’ll be all set when the mood strikes to paint something fun for the playroom.