In the stUdio: Altered Clipboard

I'm feeling a bit behind the 8 ball these days. Teacher Appreciation week seemed to pop up out of no where, but thank goodness for inspiring blogs like this to save the day! Here's what we're making:

Ready? Let's get started!

The stuff:

• a clipboard (mine is from Walmart, but you can get them at any office supply store)
• a small writing pad (also from Walmart and measures 5"x8")
• a 3"x3" Post-It note pad
• a 3"x3" piece of cork (I think I picked these up at Home Depot? They were tiles that measured 6"X6")
• 2 sheets of 12"x12" coordinating patterned paper
• ribbon
• 4 flat glass marbles
• 4 thumb tacks
• a clothes pin: the spring kind
• 1/2" circle punch
• acrylic paint and brushes
• hot glue gun
• Mod Podge
• craft knife and mat
• double sided adhesive

The How To:

1. Paint all edges and 1" or so on the top and bottom front and back of the clipboard. This is the most time consuming part of the project as it took 3 coats to get descent coverage (I'm not good at the waiting-to-dry-between-coats thing). You can skip this part, but I like a nice finished edge for where the paper will not quite cover the board.
2. Use the Mod Podge (although I like to pronounce it Modge Podge like my Mom does, it's more fun to say that way, don't you think?) and paint on a nice thin even coat to the back of the board. I was out of the regular Modge, so I had to use this brushstroke kind--it's a lot thicker, and harder to spread--don't recommend it for this project but it's great as a sealer over your paintings or photographs to give it that oil painting texture. I digress; onto step 3.
3. Use a brayer to smooth out the paper and any air pockets and ensure good adhesion. I think I have the world's smallest brayer. I purchased it at a speciality stamp store in Kennebunkport, Maine back in college. Goodness, I think my ADD is coming out in this post! Anyways. . .step 4 is next.
4. Use a craft knife and mat to cut off the excess paper (don't throw this scrap away, we'll be using it soon). Repeat on the front side of the board. I allowed my paper to cover right over the hardware clip at the top of the board. It saves me from having to trim carefully around it.
5. Embellish the clothes pin: disassemble a clothes pin and use a piece of paper from that scrap and some more Modge Podge to cover one side of the wood.
6. Use your craft knife to slice out the little strip of paper where the spring will fit.
7. Reassemble the clothes pin and give yourself a pat on the back if you are not bleeding. You just completed the very most difficultest part of this project. If you are bleeding, get a BandAid and hang in there--it's all coasting from here!
8. Make your marbles: Using one of the paper scraps leftover from step 4 and a 1/2" circle punch, punch four circles. Adhere these to the underside of the marble (I like to use the mini Xyron for this). Be sure to put your adhesive on the picture side of the paper.
9. Use a glue gun or some other strong adhesive (ie. Gorilla Glue) to afix the marbles to plain thumb tacks.
10. Cut a strip of that same scrap to cover the top binding on the note pad. Adhere in place.
11. Using a hot glue gun adhere the cork, Post-It pad, and clothes pin to the bottom part of the board. Clip the note pad into the clipboard.
12. Last thing--Make the pen: cut a piece of that same scrap about 1" wide and as long as the pen barrel (mine was 3 1/2"). Curl the paper and slip into the barrel of a clear pen.

Isn't this too cute? One down, two more to go!