I love to make lists. Don’t ask me why, but I do. In the spirit of my list making obsession, I decided to add some pizazz to a plain mini clipboard. Not only does my decorated clipboard look fun, but it also helps me to stay organized with all my lists!
For this project, I decided to use two complementary pieces of scrapbook paper with a coordinating ribbon to complete the look I wanted. To get started, I gathered the following supplies:
- Clipboard (mini or regular sized)
- Scrapbook paper
- Mod Podge
- Brush
- Scissors
- Paper Cutter
- Pencil
- X-Acto Knife
- Ribbon
- Glue Gun
I first measured a rectangle the size of the clipboard on the blank side of the scrapbook paper. I used this method because I did not want any pencil markings around the edges of the clipboard. Using my paper cutter, I cut out each rectangle.
For the paper I used on the top half of the clipboard, I first centered the paper over the clipboard and clipped the paper, design side facing up, to the clipboard. I discovered the hard way that the design side needs to face up. In my case, the clip was not perfectly centered. Using the blank side of the paper resulted in the paper not fully covering the clipboard after I cut out the area for the clip. I measured the gap between the top of the paper and the top of the clipboard. This will be important in a bit. To size the area needed for the clip, I marked slightly inside each edge of the clip on the scrapbook paper. This was not an exact science, but it worked out OK for me in the end. To mark the bottom of the clip, I added the gap measurement from earlier before marking the paper. If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the outline of the clip area that needs to be removed from the paper.
After cutting out this rectangle, I centered the paper on the clipboard and slid the paper under the base of the clip. The nice part about the clipboard I used for this project is there was space underneath the clip base that I used to help hold the paper in place. Next, I glued the paper onto the clipboard using Mod Podge.
Once the tricky part was over, I added the complementary paper to the bottom of the clipboard with Mod Podge, covering approximately 1/3 of the clipboard. I let the Mod Podge dry for 5 minutes or so, then used the X-Acto knife to trim the excess paper from the edges of the clipboard. To protect the paper, I added a coat of Mod Podge to the top of the papers. I let this coat dry overnight.
In the morning, I added ribbon to the clipboard where the two pieces of scrapbook paper meet. I measured enough ribbon to go all the way around the clipboard so that the ribbon ends would meet on the back side of the clipboard. I used my hot glue gun to secure the ribbon, using a small dot of glue on both sides of the clipboard front and two dots on the clipboard back.
On a side note, if I do this project again (which I almost certainly will), I am going to create a template to use for cutting out the paper to go around the clip part of the board. I think using a thin piece of cardboard would work perfectly for a template and will definitely simplify the process.