Echoes of Laughter

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Organizing for Christmas~Project 1: Make A Fun Clipboard for Lists or Photos…

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This week, I am writing a series about getting organized for Christmas.
I am featuring a few little ideas to help make Christmas organized and pretty for the CEO of Santa’s workshop…..Mom.As Halloween wraps up, I am moving on to getting organized for Christmas.
This week I will be putting all the Halloween decorations away.
I will start decorating for Christmas after November 12.
At our house, we respectfully observe Remembrance Day for Canadian Veterans on November 11.
A few years ago, Linda at Restyled Home wrote an amazing post about how November is about getting ready for Christmas and December is for enjoying Christmas.
I so agree with that theory!
 
So in November, my goals are:
Decorate for Christmas~except for the Christmas Tree.
Take our Christmas card photo.
Make homemade Christmas gifts such as clipboards for teachers.
Start & complete Christmas shopping.
Wrap & mail Christmas gifts.
Prepare the Christmas cards for mailing on December 1st.
Tackle some Christmas baking projects {put in freezer}.
 
When December arrives~ I aim to:
Spend lots of time with my family.
Decorate the Christmas Tree.
Sip hot chocolate with marshmallows.
Spend lots of evenings in flannel jammies and warm socks.
Take drives to admire Christmas lights throughout the city.
Read Christmas books in front of the fireplace with my sweeties.
Watch Christmas movies.
Have family friends over for dinner.
Bake Christmas goodies.
Enjoy Christmas mail.
 
In doing this, I hopefully avoid:
Not having time for my children because I am too ‘busy’.
Busy stores.
Full parking lots.
Insane traffic.
Feelings of stress and pressure to get things ‘done’.
Going out in bad weather.
Impulse shopping that wastes money.
 
So in the spirit of November,
Here is a fun project to you get into the mood for the season.
A Christmas-themed mini-clipboard for keeping lists, displaying photos or giving as gifts.

All you need is some clipboards~mini or regular size.
{I pick up mine at the dollar store.}
I have built so many of these clipboards that I have made a template to use for cutting out the
paper to go around the clip part of the board.
You will need  Mod Podge in matte, a brush and Christmas scrapbook paper.
I like using  Mod Podge because it is non-toxic.
{I don’t like toxic glue sprays.}
Then make the project your own by choosing one or two papers to cover the clipboard.
I like using 2 papers….one for the top and one for the bottom for contrast.
{I don’t cover the back of the clipboard, but you could if you wanted.}
Trace the paper and cut it to fit the board.
Coat the clipboard with Mod Podge and then press down the paper.
{And give the paper a really good rub down to avoid bubbles}
When dry, trim the edges around the clipboard for a better fit.
Cover with another coat of Mod Podge to give the scrapbook paper protection.
Embellish with stickers or whatever you wish!
Tie different coloured ribbons to the clip for a fun touch.
Here is a project in traditional colours:~ I plan to use this one for my ongoing list for November.
 
Here is a project in more modern colours:
I also love adding quotes to my clip-board projects….
I plan to use this one to display our 2010 Christmas card photo~

 Like this project with the kids’ school photos:~

 

Last year I made 8 of these for Christmas gifts for my kids’ teachers.
{We included the music teacher, the gym teacher, the librarian, etc.}
I added a monogram {a letter for their first name} and a quote about teaching.
We also made them in each teacher’s favourite colour~ this made for some detective work for my son!

And here are some other clipboards that we made for a craft day~my Mom, my daughter & I~ in 2008 when the new Amy Bulter scrapbooking line came out at Micheals.

This is a super fun project to make~you can include the kids by getting them to help pick out papers and ribbons.
And the best part is~it’s only November and there is lots of time to make projects like this!
I am making more again this year for my son’s teachers for Christmas since he is going to a different school.
I hope you feel inspired to make something for someone special in your life!

If you liked this post, you may want to take a peek at these other Christmas craft posts here, here and here.

And these Pinterest boards:
Christmas Crafts To Love
Christmas Gift Ideas
Valentine’s Inspiration
Easter Ideas
Birthday Parties & Ideas To Love

 

 

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Comments

  3. I love these clipboards. What a great gift idea. Your tips on Christmas are so smart. I am usually so busy in December I miss most of what it is all about. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  4. I enjoy reading your posts so much because I can relate to the "timing" of the holidays because you are also Canadian. It was refreshing to hear about observance of Remembrance Day and not Thanksgiving in November. I totally agree with this month being the one to get ready for Christmas in so that you can enjoy ALL of December. I'm going to try even harder to do that this year! Fabulous idea of the clipboards for teacher gifts – Hmmm, I think I'd like one for myself and might try making one!

    DD

    Reply

  5. Here's an idea I have done that is similar…I bought mini clip boards and decorated them like you have and then "clipped" a bag of candy or cookies on it, with the recipe attached…Love your choice of papers!
    Stop over to enter a giveaway!

    Reply

  8. So adorable .. might have to try and make one for myself. Do you cover the backs as well? Did you do a post when you made the teacher ones? I'd love to see what quotes you used for those! That maybe be our teacher gifts this year! 🙂

    Reply

  13. You are a woman after my own heart. Christmas is so much more enjoyable when the shopping & cards are done by December 1. Your clipboards are adorable – thanks for sharing a great idea.

    Reply

  15. First time here and I love this place! So warm and creative! I think true art is that which either slows your heartbeat or makes it race… 🙂 You slowed me down.. 🙂

    Reply

  23. I just love your clipboards. I made 2 for my daughter's teachers for Christmas. Thank you for the great post! Love your site!!

    Reply

  24. I've been searching for a teacher gift idea that is cheap, but still good. My son is in an "inclusion" preschool so we have the special ed teacher and 2 aides, the regular teacher and assistant teacher, the lady who comes in to prepare lunch and snack and 2 volunteer "grandparents"…so you can see the need for cheap. These are the most adorable clip boards ever! This is for sure what I'm making. What quotes do you recommend for teachers?

    Reply

  27. These clipboards are all so gorgeous! I've never modge podged anything before. Did you put it over the photographs?

    If you get a chance, I'd love for you to link to this on my blog hop 🙂

    Reply

  31. I love these. I just started my own blog and this is the first project I've included. Thanks for the great instructions!

    Al from Polkadots and Paisley

    Reply

  32. I've never used modge podge before either… do you just use it to glue the paper to the board, or do you then cover the top of the paper with modge podge as well (to avoid messing up the paper with stray pen marks, etc)?

    Thanks for the great idea!
    🙂 A

    Reply

  34. This is such a great idea, I am making some as gifts and one or two for myself! This may be a dumb question, but how did you go about doing the template for the top part? It is probably simple, but I am just not sure where to start! You can email me at va245312@gmail.com if you would like. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  36. I HAVE to adopt this philosophy next year that November is for getting ready for Christmas and December is for enjoying Christmas. I HAVE to!! Every year I make myself insane trying to get everything done and then I still run out of time. The clipboards are an awesome idea, I won't be waiting until Christmas to do this one. Maybe Teacher Appreciation week in May.

    Reply

  38. These are awesome! Did you modge podge after too to coat over the paper? or did you just use it to secure it to the clipboard. Thinking of making these for end of year teacher gift – thanks!

    Reply

  40. I found your clipboard idea on Pinterest and tried it today with my two girls. We had a great time, and now we've all got pretty clipboards to keep us organized. Thanks!

    Reply

  44. I wish I had a template. I tired doing it without and it didn't turn out good. How many tries did it take to come up with the template? I'm on 3rd try. But I love the idea.

    Reply

  47. I tried this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and the paper wrinkled a couple of minutes after I put it on. Any idea why that happened? I want to make more for gifts but not if they do that again..

    Reply

  49. How do you cover the edges with the paper? I have trouble with it not sticking down and coming back up because its a small slope and then an edge!

    Reply

  50. How do you cover the edges with the paper? I have trouble with it not sticking down and coming back up because its a small slope and then an edge!

    Reply

  51. Thanks so much for this idea! I just made two of these for my son and daughter's teachers. Love this! Also, I found it easier to just take the clip off and put it back on at the end.

    Reply

  53. Just reading your post that November is for preparing for Christmas and December is for enjoying Christmas makes me feel calmer and it's only June. This year I'll be trying your plan!

    Reply

  54. After I put the first coat of Mod Podge on and put the paper on, I smoothed it out really good and noticed no bubbles. After drying I put a coat of Mod Podge on top of the paper and it seems to bubble up in areas. Am I doing something wrong?

    Reply

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