Chalk Couture
How to Become a Chalk Couture Designer
I have been an independent Chalk Couture designer for years and this is the page I wish had existed when I was deciding. The costs, the rules about where you can sell, and an honest word about who should not do it.
By Debbie Westbrooks, independent Chalk Couture designer. Prices and product lists checked 2026-08-28.
The numbers, up front
| What | How much | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Designer Kit | $99 plus tax and shipping | Once |
| Shop fee | $20 | Monthly, so $240 a year |
| Personal volume | $167 | Quarterly, so $668 a year |
The two figures behave differently and the difference matters. The shop fee is money gone. Personal volume is money you spend on product, and your own purchases count, so a designer who joined to buy at designer pricing for their own crafting meets it by crafting.
Where you are allowed to sell
This is the part people find out too late, so here it is early. Chalk Couture does not allow selling its products at a fixed retail location, and that includes listing them on websites that are not Chalk Couture. So no shop counter, no Etsy listing of transfers, no eBay.
What is allowed is the party or gathering method. Expos, festivals, craft fairs, vendor events and get togethers are all fine, and selling finished pieces you made is a different thing from reselling product, so a booth of signs you chalked yourself is normal.
Read the current designer agreement before you make plans around any of this. It is the document that governs what you can say and where you can sell, and it is the authority rather than anything on my site.
How I actually sell
My favorite way has always been to show the making. I make a project on my Facebook page so people can see how fast and how forgiving it is, and then I share the link to my store so anyone who wants the same transfer can get it. Watching a thing get made is far more persuasive than being told it is easy.
Beyond that, finished products sell well at local gatherings, parties, expos and festivals. People who would never buy a transfer will happily buy the sign you made with it, and some of them come back later wanting to make their own.
What I will not tell you
I am not going to quote you an income figure, because I do not know what you will do and anybody who does quote you one is guessing. Chalk Couture publishes its own compensation information and that is what to read before you join. Treat any designer who leads with earnings numbers carefully, including if they are enthusiastic and lovely about it.
Who should not do this
Somebody who wants a shop counter or an Etsy storefront, because the agreement does not allow it and no amount of wanting changes that.
Somebody who makes two projects a year and joined for the discount. $99 up front and $240 a year has to be earned back out of what you save, and at two projects a year it will not be. Buy from a designer instead and skip the fees.
Somebody who does not enjoy showing their work. The method that works here is showing people the making, and if the idea of doing that regularly sounds like a chore, the part of this that generates sales is the part you will avoid.
Who this suits
Somebody who is already crafting a lot and would rather buy at designer pricing. Somebody who likes showing projects and has people who watch. And anybody who does local events, because a table of finished pieces is a genuinely good fit for this product.
Start with the kit
The Designer Kit is $99 and opens your shop. If you would rather ask me something first, leave your details below and I will get back to you. I would far rather talk you out of it than have you join and regret it.
Ask me before you join
Questions I get about joining
How do you become a Chalk Couture designer?
You buy a Designer Kit for $99 plus tax and shipping through an existing designer's link, and that opens your own shop. The kit contains what you need to start making projects. From there it is a $20 monthly fee to keep the shop open.
How much does it cost to be a Chalk Couture designer?
$99 once for the kit, then $20 a month for the shop. You also need $167 of personal volume per quarter to keep designer status, and that can be met with your own purchases rather than sales.
What is personal volume and do I have to sell to hit it?
Personal volume is the dollar value moving through your shop in a quarter. As of 2023 the minimum is $167. It counts customer sales, your own purchases and inventory orders all the same, so a designer who joined mainly to buy at designer pricing for their own crafting can meet it without selling anything.
Can you sell Chalk Couture in a store?
No. Chalk Couture does not allow selling products at a fixed retail location, and that includes listing them on websites that are not Chalk Couture. What is allowed is the party or gathering method, so expos, festivals, craft fairs and events are fine.
Can you sell finished Chalk Couture projects?
Yes. Selling a sign you made is different from reselling the products, and finished pieces at local gatherings, parties, expos and festivals are a normal part of how designers work.
How much do Chalk Couture designers make?
That depends entirely on what you do, and anybody quoting you a figure for what you personally would earn is guessing. Chalk Couture publishes its own compensation information and that is the document to read before joining. What I can tell you is my own approach, which is to show a project being made and let people decide from that.
Is Chalk Couture worth joining if I only want the discount?
It is a real reason people join and nobody should feel odd about it. Run the arithmetic first. $99 up front and $240 a year in fees has to be covered by what you save on the crafting you were going to do anyway, and if you make a couple of projects a year it will not be.
I am an independent Chalk Couture designer, so I earn a commission when you shop through my links. See my disclosure for more.