Make your own chalkboard menu with a few supplies and a Cricut Maker. This DIY menu board is the perfect way to get your kids to stop asking!
“Mommmmmmmm, what’s for dinner?” Between my three kiddos, I hear this phrase about 8 times a day. How about you?
Sometimes I’m very good about meal planning and know what we will be eating every night and other times I’m a hot mess pulling random things out of the freezer. I actually prefer to be organized so that’s why I decided making a chalkboard menu that I hang in my kitchen would make me accountable and stop that never-ending question!
I have wanted to make a DIY menu board for a long time so when Cricut asked me to make a project with the Cricut Maker to share I knew now was the time!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
If you’ve been following me for a while you know I LOVE making Cricut Maker projects. Almost all of my tutorials use my Maker in some way. Now that I’ve had it for almost a year I’d thought I’d share what I love most about it.
5 Reasons I LOVE My Cricut Maker
1. I can personalize everything and anything! Making sentimental gifts and custom unique gifts are one of the main reasons why I love my Cricut Maker. I believe giving a homemade gift is by far the best thing you can ever give to a friend or loved one.
With the extensive project library associated with the Cricut Maker in Cricut Design Space, you could find an idea to make for everyone on your list. Adding a quick monogram or favorite saying to almost anything you can think of will be well-loved by the recipient.
This is my go-to machine for making teacher gifts, baby gifts, wedding gifts, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day gifts to Christmas gifts and tags.
One of the favorite gifts I have made with my Cricut is when I transferred my Grandmother’s handwritten apple pie recipe to an oven mitt. Another one is when I transferred my daughter’s hand-drawn flowers to a tote bag with Infusible Ink markers.
2. The new Cricut Maker blades and tips are amazing! When Cricut released it’s 4 newest Cricut Maker blades, the doors of possibilities even opened wider. I can easily switch between any blade in the same project to add engraving, debossing or perforation for extra effects. There really is no end to my creativity with these blades and tips.
3. The Cricut Maker tells me what to do! I love that CDS tells me exactly what blade or tip I need and will check to make sure the correct one is inserted. This keeps ruined projects and wasted materials to a minimum!
Every time I need to insert a new blade or pen, the Cricut Maker will pause, start blinking and my screen in CDS will tell me exactly what to do. I mean exactly!
From what way to place the material, to the blade number, the pen I need, to taping it down. This is perfect for someone like me who loves handheld instructions.
4. The Cricut Maker cuts out a huge array of different materials precisely. There are literally hundreds of different materials the Cricut Maker can cut out so whatever your favorite medium is, the Maker can probably cut it. I did love my Explore Air also, but with the ability to use more advanced tools to cut more materials, I was hooked quickly!
The Cricut Maker can cut very delicate and fragile paper materials, tons of different fabrics, and a bunch of thicker materials like leather, chipboard, and basswood. It amazes me every time I cut a new material!
5. The Cricut Maker helps me decorate on a budget! Since I’ve remodeled my house over the past few years, I’ve been able to do it for cheap because of my Cricut Maker. I’ve made almost every sign DIY style in my house. Not to mention all of my DIY Christmas decor!
Which brings me to my newest DIY kitchen sign, the chalkboard menu! Let me show you how to make it with a Cricut Maker.
Materials Needed for Chalkboard Menu
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links from Cricut.com and/or Amazon.com. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my links (purple text).
- Cricut Maker
- Fine Tip, Wavy blade, and Knife Blade
- Chalkboard Vinyl
- Chipboard
- White Adhesive Vinyl
- Corrugated Cardboard
- Cricut markers
- hot glue gun
- a piece of wood – I found a scrap piece that was 11.5 x 22 inches that I used
Designing a Home Menu Board in CDS
I wanted to make this blackboard menu as easy as possible. It only took a few supplies to put the entire thing together. At first, I was going to use basswood for the “what’s for dinner?” letters but then I remembered I had this pretty damask chipboard in my stash and I knew that would be perfect!
Since lining up letters and making sure they are perfectly straight takes the longest time of any project, I decided to have my Cricut draw the outlines of the letters exactly where I wanted them. Then I just had to hot glue them on!
Here is what my design looks like in Cricut Design Space. You can access this project by clicking here and then change the sizes to suit your board.
I first inserted a rectangle the size of my board. Then I made thin rectangles the length of the board to be my corrugated cardboard trim. I wanted to add a little pop so I changed the linetype to Wave so I could use the wavy blade.
To get the Cricut to draw all the outlines on the chalkboard vinyl, first insert the text in the font you want. Size it and align it exactly where you want it on the board.
Once it’s the size you want, make sure to duplicate all of the letters. You will need those to cut out of chipboard and cardboard. These are the blue and black letters in the screenshot.
Now, click on the letters on your board and change the linetype to draw. The outlines of the letters will appear.
Use your cursor to put a box around the rectangle and all the letter outlines. While they are all selected, click attach on the bottom left. Now, the rectangle will be cut out and the letters will be drawn on.
Make sure to save the design and then click Make it!
Cutting Out Materials for the Blackboard Menu
I cut out a white rectangle piece of vinyl to add some extra color.
Select the material for the first mat that the Cricut selects.
Make sure the chalkboard vinyl is perfectly straight on the 12×24 Cricut mat so that everything is drawn on straight.
In between the different mats, make sure to change the material setting to correspond to the material you are cutting. CDS will tell you which blade or pen you need to insert.
Tips for Cutting Chipboard
For the chipboard, make sure to move the letters over and down an inch since you will need to apply painter’s tape to the sides of the material.
Move the white rollers on your machine to the sides. Put the chipboard in the middle of a strong grip mat, press it down well, and tape all four sides.
CDS will prompt you to insert the knife blade.
Punch out the letters.
Cutting Corrugated Cardboard
I used the wavy blade on the corrugated cardboard for the MTWTFSS letters and the trim pieces. If you click on Compatible, corrugated cardboard will pop up on the top.
Then you will be told exactly what to do! Place the corrugated cardboard on a 12×24 mat (I put two pieces of 12×12 cardboard right next to each other). Insert the #31 blade and click the blinking light.
Remove the extra corrugated cardboard and the letters and trim from the mat.
Now Let’s Put Together the DIY Menu Board!
Remove the backing of the chalkboard vinyl and apply it to your board. Scrape it down.
All that is left to do is hot glue on all the letters to the chalkboard menu. Easy peasy with the outlines already there!!
For the trim, I learned after I started applying it that I should have put a score line down the middle with the scoring blade. I used a bone file so the corrugated cardboard would fold over easier.
Then hot glue the trim on. Be careful! I burned myself a few times since I forgot to put on my silicone finger protectors.
You’ll need to press it down hard so it sticks well. I added some rubber bands around the entire board while it dried.
Then I put on the white vinyl rectangle on the chalkboard menu and I was done!
A very easy and pretty quick to put together blackboard menu to hang or set up in your kitchen. Use some chalk markers to write the dinner menu down week after week!
If you’d like to save this idea for later, simply hover over the top left of the image below and PIN It now!
Thanks so much for stopping by and have a creative day!
