I am so very proud of my latest project. The inspiration came from a couple of different sources. The first one was a few years ago when Chris and I were flying to Denver to visit my family. We were sitting in a row of three seats and our seat partner was a 7 year old girl who was traveling alone to visit her dad. She was very organized and very prepared to keep herself busy during the flight. She had a small wheeled carry-on bag that she kept under the seat in front of her and as soon as we were safely up in the air, she pulled out her case and it was jamb packed full of treasures. The best little gem that she pulled out was a portable chalkboard very much like my new little project that you see here:
It kept her busy for most of the flight. Over the years, both Chris and I had mentioned several times that we would like to find a little travel chalkboard like the one that that little girl had on the flight, but we never ran across anything like it. A couple of weeks ago, we found a travel case that contained dry erase crayons. Since Sophia loves to draw, we thought this would be a great thing to keep with us in the car to keep her occupied... then came the 80 degree weather and 90+ degree temperatures in the parked car, hence melted crayons. Yulk!
This inspired me to do a search on the internet to see if I could find someone who sells this portable and pliable chalk board. I found one source on Etsy.com which is a great website for anyone who wants to buy or sell handmade items. I am particularly drawn to the creative jewelry that I have found through that site, but I digress...
I decided to do a little more searching and WAH LAH, I found this site with step by step instructions on how to make my own Chalk Mat with Storage Pocket. No more melted crayons! Simple, simple, simple. Thank you Maggie Reno for posting this. 
As you can see, it folds up very compactly. To the right of the chalk cloth surface are two vinyl pockets. One to keep a damp sponge in for erasing, and the other to hold the chalk. I was so excited about this project that I didn't have the patience to wait to get a sponge before I took these photos. Sophia and Chris helped me pick out the fabric and I was able to complete the project in a few short hours while Sophia was napping. I just made it today and Sophia has already spent quite a bit of concentrated time drawing on it. She even demanded that she use the back of it as a place mat while she ate dinner... good thing that I made it out of laminated cotton so that it could be wiped clean. hmmmm... perfect to take with us next time we go out to eat. I think I have a few gifts to make now...
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