Clipboards Don't Need to be Boring ~ Creative Clipboard Design

Favorite magazine clips on left,
and family reunion display on right.
(Click to enlarge)

When I worked at Roberts Hallmark in Napa (also known as Roberts Bel-Aire and Roberts Variety), we used clipboards... a lot!  We were always taking inventory counts for different lines we carried, or making lists of what needed to be restocked or what needed to be done around the store.  There was an area in the backroom where a bunch of them hung on nails with yellow pads already filled and ready to go!  Since working in retail, however, I've found that there are other ways to use clipboards and ways to make them more "fun" to use.

Coach gift complete with son's badge
and other pretty options.
(Click to enlarge)

Sarah Sieck (Castro) and Helen Porter, owners of the former Scrapbook Addict in West Sacramento, loved creating unique clipboards for their customers.  I guess it rubbed off on me!

You can "alter" clipboards to make them more fun for home use, display pictures or other items on a wall, or you can give them as gifts.  They make a great gift for a teacher or coach and you can bet your gift will not be duplicated!

All you need to make a creative clipboard is a basic clipboard (you can purchase a pack of 3 for about $4.99 at Staples), a bit of scrapbook paper or photos, stickers or ribbon if you so desire and double stick tape.  My friend Betty even takes hers a little further and uses old frame glass to create a unique framed picture holder!

The main thing to do is to get your base paper or photo attached carefully and evenly with double stick tape.  Once you have done that, you can turn it into whatever you want. 

Teacher's gift complete with cello wrap
and my sister Susie with the finished project she helped to create :)
(Click to enlarge)

I enjoy using mini clipboards, and occasionally I use legal size clipboards as well.  For a teacher's gift (see photo), I used a legal sized board filled with a letter size yellow pad that allowed for her name to peek out under the bottom.  I added a special poem about teachers then wrapped it in a bit of cellophane and it was ready for delivery!

Have you ever created a unique clipboard?  If so, I'd love to hear your ideas or better yet, see them!

Have fun!

Wall Gallery - Kim Funk style ~

There is nothing like a wall full of family pictures to make a house a home. My husband and I had been talking about doing a wall gallery for quite some time and I finally tackled it. (It was definitely a Kim project… not a husband project). I thought it would be a fairly quick process, but I was wrong!

First of all, I had to figure out HOW I was going to get picture frames on the wall the Kim Funk way. Now, that might sound a bit silly, but there’s one thing you should know about me… anything I display must be perfectly balanced. Yep, I’m one of those people. I have seen beautiful abstract wall galleries online and in homes and I love them, but I can’t have mine like that. Scrapbooking, pictures, retail displays… everything needs to be balanced and equal on each side (for me).

I had watched my friend Michelle use paper to line things up on her mother-in-laws wall a few years ago and never forgot that. I decided to use that idea and of course, I wanted this project to be a reasonably priced as possible so I cut corners where I could
.
Follow these tips and you can cut corners too:





• Although there are “kits” (out there in the retail world) to plan out your wall gallery, using old wrapping paper works just fine. (No out of pocket expenses there!)
• Do your homework on frame prices! I carefully researched prices at Michael’s, Target, Walmart, Aaron Brothers and the like to find which store would have the best frame prices for my project. I wanted them to be inexpensive without looking “cheap”.
• Carefully plan which photos you want to display, and only order what you need. If you use Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly, or Snapfish (among others), you can order them online for pick up in your local Target, CVS or other drug store. This alleviates mailing fees, and quite often you can find a coupon, email or other form of discount to use towards a photo purchase.



Here’s how I created my wall gallery:



First, I measured the wall area where the gallery was going to go.
I used old Christmas wrap to create a map for the wall.

Then I went on my frame research trip, taking down all frame measurements.
I decided on sizes and created paper templates for each one.
This made it very easy to move things around and figure out what layout would look best.

After I purchased the frames, I did the daunting task of choosing pictures!
I ordered them online and picked them up at Target.
I even turned some frames into collages that weren't even meant for that...
choosing favorite pictures is tough!

I then filled the frames, and carefully traced the frames sizes onto the map in pencil.

I placed the paper back up on the wall, then got the hanging started.
Having the penciled map made picture placement very easy!

Using a laser level really helped to keep things straight.

And then... I finished!
I love this wall!
(The glass made it very hard to photograph with the glare - sorry readers!
My daughter used a photo editing app to try and get rid of the glare but it's rather light!)
The center/focal point reads,
"And they lived happily ever after".
I've had that for quite some time and knew we'd eventually find the perfect place for it.

Who's next?  I'd love to see your picture walls :)