spruce it up….

It’s the time of year, the time of life, a whim…whatever the reason, it seems the right time to freshen up my home and the things I use daily. Take a look around your desk or workspace and the things on it that you use to organize, communicate and run your life. It’s amazing how we stop really seeing those everyday items!  Think of calendars, birthday/anniversary planners, writing implements, checkbooks, iPads, index card files, cell phones, file folders, etc.. Then, set yourself the challenge of making one of those ‘plain jane’ items into something that makes you smile, every time you use it!

I began by taking this old and uninspiring clip board and turning it into an item I will be happy to see and happy to use!..

 

 

I gave it a quick wipe with a barely damp cloth and used some oil to remove the adhesive residue on the clip. Then I scuffed the metal up with sandpaper and placed ‘low-tack’ tape around the clip, adding a sheet of paper below the tape to protect the board for the next step…

 

 

Krylon makes an indoor/outdoor, semi-gloss spray paint in my favorite shade of ‘Catalina Mist’.  It’s a little lighter than it appears in this photo…

 

 

The next step was to make a paper template in the shape of the board, going around the metal clip.  I decided not to remove the clip, since it was easy to press the paper up against the clip using my fingernail.  It was necessary to make a few cuts into the paper to allow it to go around the entire edge.  Then I cut the clip out, following the finger pressed lines in the paper.  I chose a sheet of printed paper and cut it out using the scrap paper template…

 

 

Using a foam brush and Ranger’s ‘Glue and Seal’.  I love this product.  It dries matt and doesn’t have a sticky surface.. so much nicer than Mod Podge!  I brushed the Glue and Seal onto the bottom half of the board and positioned the patterned paper.  I used two clamps to keep it from shifting and then added the adhesive to the top half of the board and pressed the remainder of the cover sheet in place.  The only tricky part is putting the paper in place while holding the clamp in an open position.  If you have an extra pair of hand available, then it’s easy the whole way!  If you’re doing this by yourself, then I suggest a heavy duty clamp to hold the clipboard clamp open.  Without waiting for that coat to dry, I applied a coat to the surface of the paper.  You can see in the photo above, a piece of waxed paper was placed underneath the contact point.  This was effective in keeping the clamp from sticking to the paper. If you’re using a clamp to hold it open, than no need.

 

 

After the first top coat felt dry to the touch, I sanded the edges of the paper down to the board and applied some light tan ink to gently distress the edges.  Then it was time for a second coat of Glue and Seal.

 

 

While I love the color on the clamp, I wanted to really dress it up.  Using a white button, I hot-glued pearls and small rose quartz beads to the button and then epoxied the button back over the hole on the clamp.  Nearly done, I just couldn’t resist some ribbon..hand dyed seam binding to be exact!  A wrap around the ‘waist’ of the clamp, tied in a knot with two inch tails, then a double bow, adhered on top the tied ribbon.  I prefer to add a separate bow, because it allows for four tails and I like the look!

 

 

 

Take a look around and set yourself the challenge of making something drab into something lovely.  I really hope you show us your creative transformations!!!

*Hugs* and blessings,

Rebecca

 

Clip board	standard	Office Supply store
Paint	indoor/outdoor,Catalina Mist	Kryon spray
Tape	low tack painters tape	hardware store
Patterned paper	your life/ beautiful	Webster’s Pages
Button	white	JHB
Pearls	white glass	Michael’s
	rose quartz	stash