The 4 A.M. Crafter

Supplies Needed: Clipboard Paper (scrapbook not just printer paper) Adhesive (scotch tacky glue is awesome) Craft knife (or really tiny scissors) Embellishments Instructions: For making one similar to above, you will need two pieces of patterned paper.  Decide how far down you want the first paper to go.  Trim one sheet of paper to that length.  Sit the second piece of paper aside for the moment.  Now, the top of a clipboard is where most people get discouraged.  PAY ATTENTION to the clip itself when purchasing a clipboard.  It makes a difference when you start to put paper around it.  All clipboards are not created equal!  The one featured here is actually sold at Family Dollar.  Okay, back to what we were doing.  Take that piece of trimmed paper and line it up at the top edge of board.  Take a pencil or pen and draw a line at the bottom edge of the paper.  Remove the paper and cover the area with adhesive.  You can use a piece of scrap paper or foam brush to spread it.  You want a good thin coat because a thick coat might wrinkle the paper.  After you spread the glue lay your paper on there.  Don’t worry about trimming the sides, we will get to that.  Now spread glue on the rest of the clipboard.  Align the second sheet of paper to butt the bottom of the first sheet.  Place on the clipboard and sit aside.  Let dry for about 30 minutes, so the adhesive has a good strong hold.  Get your craft knife or tiny scissors and trim of excess paper around edges.  Now we have come to the embellishment stage.  This is where you have to decide things on your own, sorry.  I will tell you that running a thin ribbon between the papers looks cute.  Also tying small pieces of ribbon to the clip is great.  Almost every clipboard I design winds up with a huge silk flower on the corner, taking up two to three inches of space.  You don’t have to do any of these, they are just things I wind up doing.  Creativity is about freedom.  It is your handiwork and no one can take that from you! Altered composition book: Supplies needed: Composition book Adhesive Paper Embellishments Craft knife or small scissors Instructions: Spread adhesive all over cover of book, leaving the spine of the book uncovered.  Place paper over adhesive.  Flip to the back and repeat.  Sit aside to let adhesive dry.  Trim off excess paper from both sides.  Okay, now to the fun part.  Again, this is the part of the project that is up to you, it’s your book.  You can add stickers, run ribbon along the black part, add flowers, etc.  Have fun with this project.  You can personalize these books as presents, especially to teenage girls!  I buy these books by the stack just for altering. Okay, well it’s now 5:30 so I believe this segment of the 4 a.m. Crafter needs to draw to a close.  The baby is sleeping soundly in my lap so it’s time for this momma to catch a little shut eye.  Join me next week for another segment!  Happy crafting!]]]]> ]]>