A Week of Pinterest-Inspired Crafts: Day 4

I'm having so much fun this week!  My nights are a little busier, and my wallet is a little lighter, but it's totally worth it!

This was my pinspiration for today's craft.  This picture came from A Girl and A Glue Gun - a great blog full of crafty ideas.  I've seen a lot of decorated clipboards out there, but I really liked these.


This was a really cheap and easy to make craft.  I already had the scrapbook paper and mod podge, so I only needed the clipboards - which I found at the Dollar Store.  The most difficult thing about these clipboards was getting the paper to fit around the clip at the top.  I made a template with a blank piece of paper, then used that template to trace all the other tops.  I finished the boards with three coats of mod podge ... I might add a few more coats ... I've been known to knock my coffee over on my desk on more than one occasion.  I do have a tip - I used wood clamps to hold the clip open to apply the mod podge and let it dry.  It worked like a charm!

My youngest thought it would be funny to "pop" up from behind the chair just as I was taking the picture.  Too funny!

I made 4 boards for myself.  One for Language Arts (I use a clipboard when I'm conferencing with my students, completing running records, keeping track of DRA testing, etc.).  One for Phys Ed - I always bring a clipboard to the gym with me (makes for quick and easy assessment and observation), and I need one for coaching (volleyball season is just around the corner).  One for homework (I keep a board to keep track of completed homework, and assignments coming in).  And one extra - for whatever I want.  Voila!  LOVE them!  I wanted to keep the turquoise theme going, but I wanted them to be bright and colourful, too.  Mission accomplished!

Time for a confession - I'm one of those teachers with the "piles" on the desk.  OK - who am I kidding ... piles on the desk, on the counter, on the bookshelf ... you get the picture.  As a result, my clipboards sometimes get buried somewhere in the piles.  Enter great idea ... I glue gunned magnets to the back of the boards (took a few more than I thought it would, but I had lots left over from my magnetic pebbles).  The wall beside my desk is metal, so I can just stick these little babies up on the wall, and keep them away from the growing piles.

And the best part ... this morning when my girls woke up excited to see what craft I had finished last night, I surprised them with clipboards of their very own.  Which makes me THE BEST MOMMY EVER!!!


Happy Thursday!