Altered Clipboards

I am always being inspired left and right by others’ organization! Pinterest is no stranger to pictures of organized spaces! And I LOVE organizing, as mentioned here. So, the tutorial that I’m sharing today is one I am very excited about.

Lately I’ve been drawn to numerous pictures like these of altered clipboards mounted on walls. The clipboards are hung in craft rooms or home offices and re-purposed as hanging storage for memos, pictures, projects, or whatever!

(Click picture for original source; left: Better Homes and Gardens; center: Martha Stewart; Right: Apartment Therapy)

I have been looking forward to doing this so that I can have a handy visual for the materials and inspiration of my next project. At the same time, I wanted my clipboards to 1) be eye-candy for me and serve as wall art whenever they are empty and 2) coordinate with the green/white/silver theme of my craft room. Here are the materials and steps for my creation:

Materials:
- 1 clear clipboard
- paper cut-outs (scrapbook paper, magazine clippings, etc…)
- Mod Podge
- sponge paint brush
- ribbon

Directions:
1) First, wash the clipboard off and dry it with a dish towel in order to ensure each side has a clean surface.

2) Cut out the designs or words you want to cover your clipboard with. I used my Cricut Expression to cut out the designs you see here. I used Cricut Cartridge Accent Essentials, accent 17.

3) (Do not glue anything in this step!) Arrange the paper cut-outs how you want them. If you place them on top of the clipboard, it may make the next step a little easier.

4) When you are ready to adhere the paper, flip the clipboard very carefully, but quickly onto the table. Now the pieces are on the table upside down in the arrangement that you desire.

5) Pick up one piece at a time and paint mod podge across the top of the piece (on the pattern you want to show).

6) Repeat step 5 for a couple of pieces to make a row of glued pieces on the clipboard.

7) Press down the pieces so there are no air bubbles. This will make a much neater appearance on the top side (the side you will see).

8) Now, paint mod podge across the back of the row you just adhered. This will seal the pieces of paper in place and create a smooth surface for the back, instead of bumpy paper. Now the paper will be less likely to peel off in the future.

9) Do steps 5-8 repeatedly until you have the entire design completely glued on both sides.

10) Lay the clipboard face down, leaning on the table. Allow at least 15 minutes for it to dry.

11) Embellish the top of the clipboard with whatever you desire. I used ribbon. On the first clipboard I tied a nice bow, and on the second one I tied strips of ribbon in knots until the metal clip was covered.