DIY Chalkboard Platter

Over the holidays I was asked to bring an appetizer to one of the dinners.  I knew that dinner was going to be filling so I wanted to bring something light yet festive.  Immediately I decided to prepare an antipasto platter with goodies from my favorite local Italian market, Rubino's Italian Imports.

The presentation of an antipasto is just as important as the taste.  I remember when I was a waitress at a family-owned Italian restaurant, we treated each antipasto platter as a work of art and took pride in each order.  

I had an idea in mind and thanks to Goodwill, my new favorite chalkboard spray paint and this pin... my idea came to life. After a few trips to Goodwill I found THE PERFECT frame.  It didn't have glass but instead a clear plastic sheet (not shown).

And look how much (or should I say how little) it was...

All I did was remove the clear plastic sleeve (glass in most frames) and spray paint it with the chalkboard spray paint. After I replaced it I also hot glued felt to the bottom just so it wouldn't damage the tables.

Here's the finished product! As you can see my antipasto had salami, prosciutto, marinated olives (my favorite at Rubino's), provolone, pecorino, mozzarella, pepperoncini, eggplant caponata and some fresh Italian bread.  I just used dishes from my cabinets to add different heights and color.  So pretty and so yummy!

  

Don't worry, I will post the tutorial for the mini chalkboard clips later so stay tuned.  They were a perfect leave-behind gift for the hostess.

*Note: when using your own chalkboard paint, condition the surface by taking the side of the chalk (long side) and chalk up the whole thing.  Then just wipe it off.  This will make it easier to erase marks in the future.  Otherwise the initial marks may stay.