Back To School Teacher’s Chalkboard Tote

Ok ladies!  This fun and easy DIY is to show our teachers some love!

As mammas, we can all probably agree that we can get wrapped up into the emotion, excitement and anxiety of the “back to school hustle.”  But what some of us don’t realize is that the amazing people we are sending our littles to be with all day are experiencing exactly what we are…to the second degree.  Not only are they making sure their own children will have the absolute best first day of school, but they are also showing our own the same love before they even meet them.  They are prepping and planning endless hours for the day that they meet our children and making sure that their first days of school are absolutely perfect.  Let’s show those teachers how much we appreciate them and pay it forward this school year!

I love this fun little tote so much!  Not only was it SUPER easy, but the possibilities are endless!  Whether you fill it with all those school supplies that are too much for tiny hands or with a few fun items to make their first few days back at work special, you’re guaranteed a happy teacher with a happy heart.

What You’ll Need:

– Back to Basics Canvas Tote

– Craft Smart Chalkboard Paint

– Multi Surface Paint in Canary or any Primary Yellow

– Martha Stewart Stencil Tape

– Chalk

– Black Fine Tip Sharpie

– Foam Brushes (I purchased two, one for black paint and the other for yellow)

– Decorative Ribbon (optional)

**All items were purchased in a quick trip to Michael’s

How to Make:

1. First, I gave my bag a quick iron.  It was pretty creased from the packaging and a flat bag made painting a lot easier.  I then slipped a piece of cardboard into the bag so that any paint didn’t seep to the other side.

2. I blocked off a square on the front of the tote with the stencil tape and painted inside with the chalkboard paint and foam brush.  Make sure to press the tape firmly so that there are no openings or bubbles, this will create the straightest edge with very little to no seeping.

3. Per the paint directions, I let that dry 24 hours.

4. I then taped off the chalkboard edge with the stencil tape and another border around it to create the yellow border.  Press down firmly on all tape to prevent paint leaking and paint the yellow border around the chalkboard.

5. Once the yellow dried, I drew long and short lines around the yellow border to give it the look of a ruler.  You’ll see that I cut myself a guide, there is no measurement to that…just me being a perfectionist and not allowing myself to freehand it.

6. I primed my chalkboard by rubbing chalk all over it and wiped it off.

7.  Now your bag is practically done!  I added a fun starter message to bring in the new school year, filled it with lots of stuff to spoil our teachers during their first few days and tied it off with some decorative ribbon. (Below is the swag in our bags.)

And there ya go!  A fun, cute and functional Back to School Teacher’s Chalkboard Tote! We love love LOVE how these turned out.  Kade is so excited to give these to his teacher and I certainly hope this makes her first few days that much better!

Read more about how we can celebrate our teachers all YEAR long right here.