DIY Sunday

Altered* Clipboards

Note: DIY Sunday will be a semi-regular feature about the craftiness that lies within us.

Altered clipboards are an easy project that I adapted for Christmas gifts for my teacher friends this year. Aside from being functional as actual clipboards, they can be used to display photos or other mementos (New Pornographers concert tickets, love letters, college acceptance letters ... the list of flat, paper-like items is nearly endless).

Here are the (easy) directions -- which as I said, I adapted after trolling through several craft books and websites.


Materials needed:

• Clipboard (not plastic)
• Acrylic paints
• Stamps, ink, beads, baubles, craft paper, and other mostly-2-dimensional decorative items
• Mod Podge and glue sticks
• Paint brushes
• Penny

Pre-step 1: It might help to plan a color scheme or theme that you're going to use. Alternatively, let the creative juices simply flow, depending upon your personality. I'm a planner, so I planned.

Step 1: Using the acrylic paint, paint the clipboard front and back. You can use a penny, propped on its side, to hold the clip open so you can paint under it. Let the paint dry (this is a good craft to do in stages).

Step 2: If you're using stamps, stamp a design on the painted surface. Regular stamping ink will work perfectly. If you make a mistake, it's cool. Just dab some of the acrylic paint over it and you're good to go.

Step 3: Cut the craft paper to fit the clipboard. Use the glue stick to glue it to the clipboard. Don't worry that the glue doesn't seem firm. You're going to cover it with Mod Podge in a couple of steps. I also used a printed craft tape in the example below, to make the edges look more square. Like I said, I'm a planner. Which is the nice way of saying, a little anal sometimes.

Step 4: Decorate the clip in any way you see fit. Lots of websters used profusions of ribbon. I used these beads which are meant for pendants; I found them at the craft store. I hot-glued them. I think glitter and fake rhinestones would also be rad.

Step 5: Paint Mod Podge (or other sealant) all over the flat parts. Use the penny again to prop open the clip. Let it all dry. You're done!

Look! Even Wily likes the altered clipboards!

* If you're wondering why they are called "altered" it's because crafters use that term to indicate that they glued stuff all over other stuff.