DIY pretty patterned binder clips

Drake's starting preschool soon. It makes me incredibly happy and sad all at the same time. I don't know how he got so old so quickly. As part of a teacher gift, I created some pretty patterned binder clips for his teacher. They're really easy to make, but they're such a cute little accessory. Here's the final version:

I used an old map that I printed out from an image online. To make it "antique" I aged it a bit, which I'll explain later. You can use any scrapbook paper that you happen to have on hand of course.

Here's what you'll need:

Binder clips (as many as you'd like)

Scrapbook paper or printed images

Glue, I used quick set crazy glue

Sealer, I used Martha Stewart's decoupage glue and sealer

Tea bag or two

Here's what you'll do:

Step 1: Print out the images you'd like to use. Keep in mind that these binder clips are very small. The largest one that I had was 1.25" by .625" on each face. You'll need a strip about 1.25" wide by 1.75" tall to fit one of the largest binder clips. If you already have pre-printed scrapbook paper printed, you might just want to trim it down to size. You can hold the paper up next to the clip to get a good idea about the size that you'll need.

Step 2: Trim down the paper to fit your binder clip, making sure that the paper wraps all the way around the clip. Make sure that if you have any text that it's right side up (not upside down) when measuring it. Once you have the correct size, glue the piece of paper to the clip. Press firmly on the paper for a bit after adhering it to ensure a good seal. I suggest starting at the main face and working your way across the top and back down the backside when adhering the paper to the clip.

Step 3: Skip this step if you're just using standard old scrapbook paper and you don't want that aged look. But if you want to age your clips to give them an antique look, follow this step.

To age your clips, brew a cup of tea. Don't throw away the bag of tea, though. You'll want to squeeze out the excess water (leaving very little inside the bag) and rub the bag over your designs. Pass over the designs as many times as necessary (allowing them to dry between passes) to age the paper as much or as little as you'd like.

Step 4: Once you're happy with the "antiqueness" of your design, seal the entire clip with a couple coats of your sealer (again, I used Martha Stewart's Decoupage Glue and Sealer).

Let dry, put them in a cute drawstring pouch along with some other cute teacher essentials and you've got yourself one cute teacher gift.

Linking to: Todays Creative Blog