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, Chalk Couture's highest selling designer of all time and the only designer to hold Legend status in both sales and sponsoring. Prices and product lists checked 2026-08-28.
The numbers, up front
| What | How much | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | Changes, see below | Once, to join |
| Designer Access Pass | $20 per month plus tax | Monthly, so around $240 a year |
| Personal volume | A minimum each quarter | Quarterly, amount below |
The monthly fee is the one I can point at. It is $20 per month plus tax for the Designer Access Pass, confirmed against Chalk Couture's own support documentation on 2026-08-29, and it is the number to budget around because it goes out whether you sell anything or not.
Enrollment is the part I will not quote you a figure for. Chalk Couture has changed how you join more than once, and right now you will find designers naming several different numbers depending on when they wrote their page. The enrollment page shows the current options, and it is the only place that is right on the day you read it. Same for the quarterly personal volume minimum. It has moved, so check it rather than trusting a blog.
What does not change is how the two behave. The monthly fee is money gone. Personal volume is money you spend on product, and your own purchases count toward it, 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.
Why the designer you sign under matters
You join under somebody, and that person is who you ask when a transfer lifts your paint or a customer asks something you cannot answer. Most people pick whoever posted the link they clicked, and then find out later that their sponsor stopped chalking two years ago.
Three things worth checking, whoever you sign under. Are they still actively making things, with recent work you can look at. Will they answer a question that has nothing to do with a sale. And will they tell you not to join, because a sponsor who cannot say that is selling rather than advising.
For what it is worth on my end, Chalk Couture has named me their highest selling designer of all time, and I am the only designer holding their Legend rank in both selling and sponsoring. The sponsoring half is the one that should matter to you here. Selling well means I have made a very large number of projects and hit most of the problems already, so when you ask me why something went wrong I have probably done it myself. Sponsoring well means I have walked a lot of people through their first ninety days and know where they get stuck.
My results are my own after years of work and are not what a new designer should expect. No earnings are guaranteed by Chalk Couture. No designer earns money solely for sponsoring somebody, and there are no exclusive territories. Chalk Couture publishes its own compensation information and that is the document to read before joining.
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. The enrollment cost plus around $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 here
Enrolling opens your own shop. The page below shows the current options and what each one costs today. If you would rather ask me something first, leave your details 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 enroll through an existing designer's link, which opens your own shop. From there it is $20 per month plus tax for the Designer Access Pass, which is what keeps the shop open and gives you designer pricing. Enrollment options change, so the enrollment page is the place to see what joining costs today.
How much does it cost to be a Chalk Couture designer?
The monthly cost is $20 plus tax for the Designer Access Pass, confirmed against Chalk Couture's own documentation. Enrollment is a one time cost that has changed over the years, so check the enrollment page for the current figure. There is also a personal volume minimum each quarter, which your own purchases count toward rather than only 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. 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. The minimum amount has changed over the years, so check the current figure rather than trusting a number on a blog.
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. Around $240 a year in fees, plus whatever enrollment costs on the day you join, has to be covered by what you save on the crafting you were going to do anyway. 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.