"Chalk" back to school party

This post is to inspire anyone who thinks they don't have the time or the budget to create an awesome party.... :-)

We were out of the country on vacation until Saturday and my son's back to school party was today(!), which meant I only had a few hours yesterday to pull things together, amid a sea of laundry and unpacking! Granted, it wasn't a full blown party, just a "sign-up" table, but when has that ever been a reason not to be creative?! Chalk board paint seems to be pretty popular right now...but, well, I didn't have any, and I didn't have time to get any. So I improvised with black construction paper....an inexpensive substitute that created a similar look, don't you think?

What's great about this party is that it shows that you don't always need a large budget, lots of time, and custom party printables (although I do love printables!) Just repeat the same, simple element over and over to create a cohesive, themed look.