Decorated Clipboards & Noticeboards

These decorated clipboards make super affordable, attractive and practical gifts, that can be easily personalised for that extra special touch.  They can be used for holding shopping lists, To Do lists, important pieces of paper, letters, phone numbers, notepads, reminders and notices from school. I am sure you can think of a million other uses for them too!

 

 You will need:
Clipboards (I picked up mine from a local Savemart Store - the small ones were $1.50 each, and the large ones were $2 each).

Strong craft glue
Craft knife
Sandpaper
Pencil
Ruler
Decorative Paper
Ribbon
Embellishments


Start by sanding your clipboards. I used a grade 2 sandpaper to create a rough edge for the glue to hold onto. The first time I made these, I didn't sand them - and the papers peeled off.

Sort out and co-ordinate your decorative papers that you intend using. I made several groups of co-ordinated papers before choosing which ones to use.

 

I found the clipboards had slight variations in size, so I drew around the clipboards onto the paper to get the sizes right, and cut out using a craft knife.


 

 Measure where the top of the clip is on your clipboard, and transfer the measurements onto the paper, so that the paper fits neatly on either side of the clip.

Spread glue over your paper and position on the clipboard. Use a brayer, a sponge, flannel, or a bone folder to smooth out the paper over the glue.

To make the cooking themed clipboard above, I used a green circle patterned paper as my base, with a lemon patterned serviette layered over the top. Pictures cut out from magazines were added, along with an Apron embellishment and strawberry stickers.

Start adding embellishments such as stickers, bling, stick-on gems, washi tape, paper doilies, etc.
Mini blackboards may be added and stuck on.

 

A pen/pencil holder can be made by rolling a rectangle of card around a pencil or pen. Use double sided tape to secure into a cylinder shape. Use another piece of double sided tape to stick the pencil holder onto the bottom of the clipboard. It is best for pencil holders to be horizontal rather than vertical, otherwise a pencil may fall out.

 


You may like to add a ribbon onto your clipboard. I didn't glue the ribbon onto the front of the clipboard, so that paper or the back of a notepad can be slipped through and hooked over the ribbon. If adding ribbon, you will need to make the ribbon approximately three times the width of the clipboard. Begin by gluing it across the back of the clipboard; take across the front; and glue down over the back again.

 

When I first bought the clipboards, I peeled the label off the back, and it made a rather unsightly mark. I simply covered the back with a piece of patterned paper to hide it. I placed the clipboard straight onto the paper and cut around it with the craft knife rather than measuring and drawing and cutting.

This one was created using a wooden placemat, rather than a clipboard. I used decorative papers, and stuck a notepad on one side (it is removable) and a blackboard on the other.  I have it in the kitchen and is great for jotting down items on our shopping list as I think of them or when I use the last of something. It is also handy for phone messages or any time I need to find a piece of paper and a pen.

It has one pencil holder for the blackboard, and one pen holder for the notepad.




Check out my other craft tutorials here.