Clipboard Challenge!

You’ve done your Spring cleaning. Now it’s time for Fall Organizing! I’ve got a challenge to help motivate you to organize while doing something crafty! I’ve also got a project and a sample to share so you can see the possibilities. The challenge

is to create a hybrid altered clipboard. You can make this as easy or elaborate as you wish. You’ll be using digi-products to create the backgrounds and even some elements for your clipboard. You can also use “traditional” craft supplies like ribbon, beads, glitter, flowers you name it! This can be an item for your own use at home or work; or perhaps, you’d like to make it as a gift to get a jump on the up coming holiday season??!!!

I’m desperately in need of organizing my grocery list and coupons. My current organization consists of storing them in a zip lock bag on the side of my refrigerator. Not very pretty! I thought a clipboard in my kitchen would help to keep clipped coupons, my on-going grocery list and a pen handy. Plus it would brighten up the room.

Rules for this challenge:

Participants can use any designer goodies they want to complete the challenge, of course we would love if you show us what you do with items from our designers at The Digichick Shop
You need to create an altered clipboard and load it to your gallery. The project must be new as of today, Sept 18, 2010
You need to post a link to your project in the comment section of this post
You will have 2 weeks to complete the challenge. Which means you have until Oct 2, 2010 to share it here with us!

And our prize is…. a $5 gift certificate to Kelleigh Ratzlaff’s shop! Have you seen all the great hybrid helpers in her shop? What a dream!

Supplies you’ll need:

plain clipboard (you can get these at an office supply store, Target, Walmart or dollar store)
digital products to print (Check out all the lovelies at The Digichick Shop)
paper (I like to use Epson Premium Presentation Paper)
adhesive to glue and seal the project (ie; Mod Podge)
brush or sponge to apply adhesive
craft knife, scissors or trimmer to cut papers
embellishments as desired

First thing you’ll want to do is to remove the clip hardware from your clipboard. This will make it much easier to apply papers to the board. You can use a screw driver to do this. Keep the hardware together in a safe place where it won’t get tousled. You don’t want to lose the little washers and nuts.

I wanted to have a photo on my clipboard. I know it will get covered up when I have items under the clip, but each time I lift those items, I’ll see a photo of my family and be reminded of how truly blessed I am. So I designed the layout for my clipboard in Photoshop. I used the adorable Everyday Gratitude kit by {simply.scraps} and Elise’s Pieces. I also wanted to have a pocket on my clipboard to store my coupons and grocery list. I used the Fat Envies Template Set by Kelleigh Ratzlaff to create the pocket.

Once I had them created in Photoshop, I printed them out. I really like Epson Premium Presentation Paper for my hybrid projects. The inkjet printer ink sets well on it, doesn’t smear, and gives true brilliant colors.

Trim your printed items and prepare the surface of the clipboard by making sure it is clean and dry. If you’d like, you can paint it first. I chose not to. You’ll see what I did to treat the sides of the clipboard in a little bit.

Using a brush or sponge applicator, paint the surface of your clipboard with Mod Podge and adhere your base paper/design. Be certain to smooth it on to the board carefully removing any air bubbles.

Allow this to dry thorough, at least 20 minutes. I then sanded the edges for a nice textured effect. I applied some ink to the edges too. I did this instead of painting the clipboard. Be sure your surface is clean of any dust and debris, and you can now begin to apply the sealant coats of Mod Podge. I used the Paper type Mod Podge to adhere my design to the board. I used the Hard Coat Mod Podge as my sealer. I really like this type as a sealer for a project like this. It gives a nice finish that has none of that tacky feel and once it cures, you can actually clean it with a damp cloth. Great advantage when this project will be located in my kitchen. It gets messy in there!

When applying the sealing coats of Mod Podge, use a steady brush stroke and apply a thin coat. Allow it to dry for about 20 minutes. You can lightly sand the surface between coats. Making sure to remove any dust before applying the next coat. I usually apply 4-5 sealant coats.

Once the sealant coats are all applied and dried, use a pin or craft knife to cut the holes for where the screws need to go back through. Re-attach the clip hardware. Now you can decorate your clipboard. I used the Fat Envie template to create a pocket. I simply tucked the upper flap of the envelope inside and glued it so that it would be a pocket rather than an envelope. The little grocery sack on the pocket came from a collab kit at ScrapMatters. I also adhered some of the Everyday Gratitude papers to a clothes pin and sealed it using Mod Podge. I’ve adhered that to the bottom of my clipboard to use for holding little notes. I attached some Prima and Bazzill flowers and leaves to the clip.

Here is a sample from Sharyn that is really advanced. I love that she has compacted so much organization into this one project. It’s totally adorable and super functional!

Don’t let Sharyn’s project intimidate you. You can make your clipboard as intricate or simple as you would like. And think of all the uses it could have in organizing your home or work life. Keeping track of chores, children’s schedules, meeting or project deadlines, keeping important papers handy, or maybe just a place to jot and display notes to family or co-workers.

Joana has shared a mini clipboard that she altered to use to keep her calendar handy. She used ABC & 123′s by Sugarplum Paperie.

I can’t wait to see what you create. So get working! And remember to come back here to this post and leave a comment linking me to your project by October 2, 2010.

Happy crafting and organizing!

Clipboard Challenge!

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