Altered Calendar Clipboard

Materials:
1 plain brown clipboard
sandpaper (any grit)
spray adhesive or modge podge
(if you choose modge podge, a cheap foam brush works well to spread it)
Patterned paper (at least 3 sheets)
Acrylic Paint (at least 3 colors to match the paper)
a paint brush
Fibers & ribbon (several different colors to match papers)
Magic Mesh
rub-on words
vellum words
6 sheets white paper or cardstock (8.5 x 11)
a printer
spray laquer (optional)
Calendar Template

Notes: For this project, I chose to use the Basic Grey Fusion line of papers and fibers because they are made to match so well together and layer beautifully. I also chose red magic mesh and acrylic paints in orange, green and blue.

1.) Cut a strip from the sandpaper (about 2 inches by 2-3 inches). Sand all surfaces of the clipboard, including the sides and metal clip. This will give it a rough texture that will make the paint stick to it better. Use a clean cloth to wipe the excess dust off of the clipboard.

2.) Choose a base color from your acrylic paints and paint this color around the outside edges of the clipboard about 1 inch in from the edge. (I chose the blue.)

3.) Before this dries, pick up some of the other colors and brush and dab them around the edges to "mix" them with the base color. Be sure not to mix them in totally. You want to be able to see all the colors. Also be sure not to leave drips. Keep in mind, you cannot mess this up. This is to cover the brown edges of your clipboard where the paper will not reach. Wash your brush and allow the clipboard to dry for about 10 - 15 minutes.

4.) After the clipboard has dried, choose an accent color and paint the metal clip. If it doesn't cover completely, you can come back and do a second coat, but be sure to allow the first one to dry, and be gentle with the second one. Allow this to completely dry before continuing.

5.) Once the clip is dry, choose which patterned paper you will use for the back of your clipboard.

Line up the side and bottom of the clipboard with the side and bottom of the paper and then trace the shape of your clipboard onto the paper. Cut your paper to fit the clipboard.

6.) Now it is time to adhere the paper. If you are using spray adhesive, be sure to protect the surfaces around where you are spraying. I like to use a large cardboard box and place my paper into the bottom of it to spray it. If you are using Modge Podge, protect your table from stray glue on the edges. Also, Modge Podge works best if spread on your clipboard rather than the paper. Either way, coat the entire surface.

Once it is coated, place it on the back of the clipboard and use your fingers to spread out any bubbles and secure it down completely.

7.) For the front, I chose to use two papers. To do this, I traced halfway up the side of the clipboard and trimmed the paper at that point with my 12 inch trimmer.

I did the same with the second sheet. Then I cut them out so I now had two half sheets that could be put together to cover the entire front of the clipboard. Don't worry about making it exact. You will be layering them slightly. Spray them with adhesive on the back.

8.) When placing the top half, lift up the clip and place the curved edge of your paper underneath it, sliding it up until it hits the under-edge part of the clip that is attached to the clipboard. You will not be able to completely cover the top edge, because of the clip, so this is why the paint was important. There will be about a one inch open area above the top of your paper. Spread out any bubbles and smooth down the edges of the paper.

9.) Place the bottom half of your paper onto the clipboard, matching it up with the edge. There will be some overlap onto the top piece of paper. Again, spread out the bubbles and smooth down the edges.

10.) Take your piece of magic mesh (which is self adhering) and cut it in half lengthwise. Measure and cut one piece of that to the width of your clipboard. Use this to cover the raw edge of the bottom sheet of paper. Place it over the seam and press down to adhere it.

11.) Embellish your clipboard with the rub-on words and/or vellum words according to your theme.

12.) I chose to protect my clipboard with a spray-on laquer. This will help prevent water damage to the paper, dirt damage from skin oils, and also paint chipping on the metal clip. The laquer I used had a 30 minute dry time, and I sprayed both the front and back.

13.) Once the lacquer is dry, you can tie on the ribbons and fibers to the loop at the top of the clip. The more ribbons/fibers you use, the more "finished" your clipboard will look.

14.) The last step is to print and cut out the calendar pages. The file I am providing is a Microsoft Excel file. If you open it and print it as is, it will print two months per page on an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper. You can use your 12 inch paper trimmer to trim the calendar pages to 6.25 inches wide and then cut apart each month (each page is 5x5 inches tall). Once you've trimmed them, put them in order and place them under the clip. As each month is used, it can be removed from the calendar or moved to the back.