Deco what?

I was in a friend's office and I needed to make a note.  So she hands me her clipboard.  Her clipboard looked just as exciting as these...

Boring!!!

My friend's job as a counselor is to help people, giving them hope and inspiration.  (I know that sounds cheesy and corny - are there any other applicable food-y terms? -   but she IS a counselor, sometimes she says things like this and she does NOT sound cheesy or corny - or any other food-y term!)

Let me just say...  The clipboard was so UNinspiring !    It looked hopeless.   OK, I know that's overly dramatic, but seriously, it was just so...  brown.

I told her she needed to decoupage it.  I think she may have said something like, "deco what it?...  Yeah, like that's gonna happen!"

For those of you who don't know - decoupage is just a fancy word, derived from the french, that means gluing paper to stuff to make it less boring-ish.    (That's not the definition you'll find in the dictionary, or any book, but that's what it means to decoupage)

Doesn't decoupage sound more glamorous than gluing??  Gotta love the french for that! 

So, of course, I had to decoupage a clipboard for her!

I found some scrapbooking papers that I thought she would like.

Calming, Soothing, and Inspiring. 

I knew the edges of the clipboard would show, so I painted them before gluing the papers to the clipboard.

 Then I decoupaged the papers onto the clipboard (again, just a fancy word for gluing). 

Yeah, those are wrinkles in the papers.  It adds character!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I really like the paper on the back. (The side with the bird cages on it).  The bird cages are glittery!   I thought it was pretty and inspiring, reflecting what she does on a daily basis - she helps people "learn to fly".  (Yes, I know - cheesy and corny - still haven't come up with any other food-y terms to use -  but remember, she's the counselor, and it sounds completely natural coming from her.)

After decoupaging the papers onto the clipboard, I used a varnish to seal both sides.

I really like the pen too!

This is the back side  

 
I attached the pen to the clipboard with braided embroidery floss to keep it from getting lost (I'm not saying that SHE would lose it.  I actually bought the pen a while ago and I didn't want to be the one to lose it).  Then I added the stamped washers (they were an experiment in metal stamping with Sarah).  I like them.  

I hope she likes this clipboard and her clients find it more inspiring than the boring brown one and, with her help, learn to fly.  (again, I know, cheesy and corny.  Just imagine her saying it.)

You may be wondering.....   What was Sarah doing during my project?....

Sarah's philosophy on Spicy Nacho Doritos....  1 bag = 1 serving.

Doritos and Mountain Dew!!  What's not to like?

You may have noticed there were 2 clipboards in the photo at the beginning of this post.

 I decided to decoupage a clipboard for myself.
 

Sarah helped pick out these very calming, soothing colors and prints.  :-)

I found the pen and HAD to have it!   It matches so well. 

I wasn't sure if this is my style, but I guess I must have a suppressed "wild side" because I really like it.