{A Silhouette Project} Vintage Clipboards

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I knew exactly how I wanted to design our new nursery if we were having girl. I had a vision of everything I didn't do in my first little girl's nursery, and I wanted to do just that. It was going to be modern, fresh, and unexpected...

So naturally we went to the doctor for our big ultrasound to discover we were having a sweet little...boy! Don't get me wrong, I was very, very excited! I have definitely always wanted one of each, and thought having a baby boy was the perfect addition to our family. I did not, however, have a clear version of the nursery or what I really wanted. So naturally I went searching for inspiration. And let me tell you, I found it in a little known treasure...Restoration Hardware Baby & Child. I mean do you know how fabulous there nurseries are? It seems to me Pottery Barn gets a ton of hype in the blogosphere these days, (and don't get me wrong, I love it too), but Rh Baby & Child is amazing!

I can't wait to share with you the nursery we have designed from it's inspiration, including the bedding we chose, but for now I have a simple project to share that jumped right off it's pages to me: These vintage clipboards...

 

If you look really close, you can see where I got my idea from this great page taken from the RH Baby & Child Catalog.  

 

There are many ideas I used from this room, but I particularly love how the clipboards serve as a great and unexpected display space. For some reason it just screams little boy! Seeing as how I was fresh out of old, vintage clipboards, I decided I would just have to make my own. Here are a few quick and easy steps I used:

1) I purchased memo sized clipboards from Staples. I wanted something that could easily hold flashcards or pictures in the future. A traditional sized board seemed like it would overpower smaller displays, so I decided I could just add some larger ones later when we actually had some art work to display. 

 

2) After some trial and error, I combined two antiquing mediums to get the look I was going for. I followed the directions from the back of the bottles for applying with a sponge brush, rubbing off, and rinsing while wet to get just the right look.

 

3) I wanted to add something to the boards to dress them up just incase I had nothing to display. I decided I wanted to add some simple numbers, so while the clipboard was drying, I turned to my Silhouette studio to look for the right font. I then cut them out in silhouette vinyl to create a super quick and easy stencil. This was the first time I have used the silhouette to create a stencil with vinyl, and I have to say it has revolutionized the way I stencil from now on! The pictures will show you just what you need to finish off this project!

Once I finished the first one, it was easy sailing from then on! I did all three in a matter of minutes.

 

(This picture really shows how the antiquing medium addeed some depth and texture to the very new clipboards.) 

I decided to prop the clipboards up on the  board and batten ledge just above the dresser, securing the stops with a very small 3M poster strip 'just in case.' I am loving the result (though I would love to find a quick and easy way to take the edge off those silver Staples clips?)

 

I'll be linking up to the CSI Project's Knock Off Challenge!

Happy Thursday!