Saturday, August 15, 2009

Chalkboards: Moving Way Beyond the Basic Schoolroom Blackboards

polar bear chalkboard sticker

Bulletin boards work well for some - but maybe a chalkboard is more your style. The big craze in chalkboards seems to be the chalkboard decals or stickers, and Cocobohème has the largest variety of wonderful stickers I've seen. I've mentioned this company before, but since then Cocobohème has developed its "ecodesign" stickers made with potato starch: leaf-shaped stickers in green, and endangered animal stickers in black. You can get these stickers from French Bazaar in Australia and a number of other sites. Update on Feb. 19, 2012: You can now get them in the U.S., at the A+R Store.


chalkboard - UFOs and laser beam

But there are many other players in this arena. For example, take a look at the Chalkals from Modern Dose. [via babygadget] Update on Feb. 19, 2012: I'm now seeing Chalkals being sold by RoomMates; Modern Dose seems to have disappeared.


animal chalkboards - elephant, rhino, giraffe, and hippo

Over on Etsy, ShaNickers has some cute chalkboard decals.

Other options include Wallies, WallCandy Arts, Wallallure, A Sign of the Times, and Off the Wall Expressions.


chalkboards - man and woman

If you don't want decals, there are still plenty of interesting options. The chalkboards above are part of the Funky Family series. I've only found two online stores selling these, both in the U.K.: fabstuff.net and ABC Toys. Update on Feb. 19, 2012: I'm no longer finding these anywhere.


female chalkboard

This chalkboard from Fuz comes in a male and a female version. [via Green Your Decor] Update on Feb. 19, 2012: The designer behind Fuz, Josh Jakus, now has a business called Actual — but I don't see these chalkboards listed among its products. Uncommon Goods indicates they've been discontinued, so once they sell out, that's it.


gingerbread man chalkboard

Or what about a gingerbread man chalkboard? Update on Feb. 19, 2012: This chalkboard comes from T-squared, and is one of the many fun shapes available.


whale chalkboard

Ben Floeker makes a whale chalkboard. [via Better Living Through Design]


slate chalkboard

You can go simple and elegant with a slate chalkboard from Sundance (shown above) or from VivaTerra. [via Better Living Through Design and EcoSalon] Update on Feb. 19, 2012: The Sundance product has been discontinued.


chicken blackboard

Or you could go funky and get a custom blackboard from artist Karen Kearney.


duck chalkboard

And then there are the chalkboards from Twice as Nice: the dog breeds and the other choices: farm animals, dinosaurs, etc.


chalk board and cork board combination

Finally, if you can't decide between a chalkboard and a cork board, you could get this "triptych" which has both. Update on Feb. 19, 2011: Jonathan Avery, which sold this triptych, is no more. There's now Avery Homestore, but I don't see any similar products being sold there.

Related Posts:
Two Cool Chalkboards - see the chalkboard chickens!
Have It Your Way: Use Paint to Create a Message Board

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Jeri,

I can't seem to locate where you got this great country cork board/ organizer. Can you provide me with the contact information to purchase one?

thanks
Ruth

Jeri Dansky said...

Ruth, this one came from Jonathan Avery in Edinburgh, and I don't see it on the company's site any more. I've updated the post to reflect that.

You could try writing to the company (info@jonathanaveryhomestore.co.uk) and see if someone can help.

Melissa @ Chalkboard Decals said...

Oh my gosh! I love that gingerbread man, only because I love gingerbread man. And I absolutely adore that whale chalkboard. It looks, so cute!!!! Thank you for sharing!!! Will try and locate a seller for my area. Thanks!