DIY Teacher Gift - Altered Mini Clipboard

I love to give teachers a little something at the end of the year to show them

how much I appreciate the way in which they educate and nurture my Wee Ones.

This year I opted to alter mini clipboards that I found at the dollar store, so they fit in well with our family goal of operating on a leaner budget this year *smiles*.

To make covering the board easier,

try to find ones where the "clip" screws on and off.

I did not, so I had to be creative

by cutting pieces of paper to fit around the clip.

This is an excellent way to use up those paper scraps and left-over embellies

I know you have laying around.

Or switch it up and use fabric instead.

The bad news is that my camera is kaput so I don't have many pics to share but

I did snap some of the finished clipboards with my beloved phone.

Have fun customizing the clipboard to the teacher's tastes or personalize it with an initial.

Soften up all that metal with dimensional chipboard accents

or handmade flower posies and tied ribbon.

Pull out your craft punches and add some dimensional paper accents like the smaller butterflies.

Your store might even have the covered clipboards, like the one on the left (below).

I just cut a rectangular-sized piece of coordinating paper,

adhered it to the board and finished up with layered flowers, a little bling, paper punched butterflies and a ribbon tied cardstock initial.

Or, try themes, like the recipe clipboard on the right.

And don't forget ribbon always makes a pretty accent.

Here are the quick and easy directions to cover your own board:

Supplies:

Full size or mini clipboard

Pencil

Scissors

Mod Podge, glue stick or other adhesive

Sponge brush for mod podge

Scrapbook Paper

Embellishments

1. Unscrew clip from the board. (If you can't find ones that unscrew then paint that part of the clipboard or cut coordinating paper to fit).

2. Trace outline of board onto paper twice (for front and back)

3. Cut paper.

4. Use your favorite adhesive, gluestick, mod podge (I used my Xyron) and adhere papers.

5. Trim any excess paper and then sand the edges. Ink the edges is so desired(Remember to replace the clip!)

6. If you'd like your clipboard to have a little sheen, add a sealant such as mod podge and let dry.

7. Grab your embellishments and make your clipboard pop!

Tell your teacher the boards can be used for displaying pictures, notes, holding coupons, or recipe cards or as a decorative piece!

Handmade Baby Shower Part 3: Banner and Favor Tins

Did I mention I will be FLYING in for this shower???

So, yes, that means I've had to finish up certain items
like the banner and the jelly-bean filled favor tins

and ship them to Maryland!

Remember the banner in it's early stages here? Its almost ready to go in this pic...made a few more changes that you'll see when I get back!

I created a template (mine are 6 inch base, 9 inches in length) for the colored triangles and mounted them on a slightly larger white triangle.

After decorating the pennants, I punched holes on either side

at the top (about 3/4 inch in).

You can then ink the edges or add trim.

Lastly, string your ribbon or twine through the holes for an adjustable banner.

Found the palm trees and the whimsical wooden lion (already painted)

at Michael's! Perfect for the King of the Jungle theme!

And don't let me forget, the guest count for this co-ed shower is now at 100! Needless to say, ordering favors can get pricey, so I went with a fairly inexpensive option.

I already had some of these 2 oz. metal tins with clear lids in my stash, so I just ordered more.

I bought coordinating ribbon, ran strips through my Xyron >

The ribbon-wrapped tins would work well, but to give them a personal touch, I added punched circles in coordinating colors and stamped them with a lion (to match the theme of course), added thank you and adhered them to the lids!

They will add nice splashes of color to the treat table!

Easy Peasy Valentine Card/Mini Album from Cardstock Scraps!

First off, let me apologize for these less than stellar pics...I've been experimenting with the settings on my camera and somehow changed something and can't figure out what! Anyhoo, I fell in LoVe with this eco-friendly Kenner Road tutorial , which uses cardstock scraps to create a quick mini album, and you will too!

I adored it so much that I adapted it for Valentine's cards this year. All you need to do is cut your cardstock cover to the size that you desire...My card books are 6 x 6 and 5 x 8 inches.

Then gather your cardstock scraps, cut them into rectangles (different sizes work well!) and fold them in half. Stitch the spine of your book to hold it all together and it's ready for you to add pictures, journaling and embellishments!

Gabrielle Pollaco's beautiful blog, Such a Pretty Mess, inspired this flowered heart. I found this scrapbooking goddess on my beloved 2 Peas in a Bucket Gallery. To make the heart, I hot glued prima paper flowers to a heart I cut from pink adhesive-backed felt.

The different-size pages make the layout fun!

For this cover I tore strips of paper and cardstock and stitched them to the front.

I love tall, skinny cards!