DIY Printable {Firefighter} Chalkboard Birthday Board

It's that time again!  Holden's 2nd birthday is right around the corner (23 days to be exact!) and I'm crafting up a storm.  Last years theme was Mustache, this year is Fire Fighter!  Pretty fitting for our family!  :)

I hand drew his stat board out last year.  Not too shabby for not being an artist, crafty is an art yes, but I cannot draw like my talented brother!

Taken with my cell phone, sorry for poor image quality!

After a little Pinterest inspiration, I discovered I could go digital ya'll-- MIND BLOWN!  :)  Having said that, it was NOT easy for me in the beginning, but I figured it out none the less!

Let's just dive right in!  The chalkboard sign I made was a 16x20 Poster size.  In the Haus of Hughes, you go big or you go home!  So, just keep that in the forefront of your mind when you are making your board; as to what size you want and what size to look for in a download.  Everything I used to create this was FREE!  Major bonus in my book! 

First and foremost, I will try to make this as simple as possible, but it really isn't in reality.  Well it is, and it isn't.  You gotta do some prep work before you can just make the stat board. 

Before you Start:
 -I can't remember what blog/site I found my chalkboard background, (I wanna give credit where credit is due!) but I did bookmark the link!  So here is the link I used for a large chalkboard background   Save this photo to your computer.

-Go to PicMonkey (a FREE photo editing site) to re size the background the the size you want.  PAY ATTENTION CLOSELY HERE.  Chose the make a collage option; upload your photo.  When you start you will have three sections to chose from, delete any two, doesn't matter which ones.  Now re size your photo; at the bottom on the one section you have there is a small white box with two different numbers in it "1234x1234" Change those numbers to 2400x3000 which is equal to 16x20.  On the left side of the screen you will see your uploaded photo, drag it over into the white box and there you have your newly sized chalkboard background, be sure to save it!

-Go to DaFont and check out the basquillion different fonts they have!  Oh, did I mention they are FREE as well!  Chose to your liking what you want on your stat board.  Here are a few of my favorites.  The possibilities are endless!  ***be sure to install all your fonts you've downloaded before making your sign, otherwise, they won't be there***

- It's very helpful if you have Photoshop, but I don't have an extra $700 laying around to buy a program I don't know how to use.  What's the next best thing, Gimp!  Oh, did I again for get to mention this is FREE too!  Download Gimp 2.8 (the latest version).  Now I'm not gonna lie I spent half of my day trying to figure out how to use the program to make my sign.

So here in order is how I did mine; trust me this will save you a huge headache and time!

Open the program
Under File--choose "Open" and find your 16x20 chalkboard
Under Windows--choose "dockable dialogs"
When the drop down screen pulls up chose "layers"
Here is where you will see all the layers of your work on your project.
To start adding text to your sign on the left side there is a "T" in your toolbox box; which stands for text.  Just pick a spot on your chalkboard and start adding text where you want.  Change colors, fonts, size even rotate them if you need to. 

Doing my sign this was way easiest for me because when I have the layers box open, it showed me every single text box I used on the sign, and that is how you go back to edit/move the boxes where you want them. Take some time to get familiar with the program before you start on a project, so you will be comfortable and knowledgeable in all that it can do.

Drum roll please............................................... ta-da!  Here is Holden's Birthday Stat board in all it's glory.

I printed mine at CVS on satin paper, they are $13.99.  They have poster boards you can print on, but I wanted to be able to save these for memorabilia for Holden and I can't roll up a board and stick it in the attic. Food for thought!  ;)

If you have any questions or need some help on making your sign, please email me and I will do my best to help!  Please link my blog if you do a chalkboard birthday sign yourself, I'd LOVE to see your creativity and hard work!  :)

 Have a blessed day!