Scrabble Tile Craft Clips

From Sherri Osborn, former About.com Guide

When I was in my craft room trying to decide what to make using Scrabble tiles, I ran across these over-sized clothespins I had bought a few years ago. I figured there had to be a creative way to combine them together. These fun and functional clips are what I came up with.

I made my clips to hold mail that needed to be dealt with, but, of course, you don't have to write DO and DONE on your clips. You can write anything you want. How about writing your kids' names and using them to hold important papers from school? It would be a great way to keep permission slips, homework, and lunch money all in one place.

• Age Guideline: 10 Years and Up
• Time Required: 60 minutes (Does not include drying time)

The above age and time guidelines are estimates. This project can be modified to suit other ages and may take more or less time depending on your circumstances.

Materials Needed to Make a Scrabble Tile Clip:

• Two Jumbo Clothespins (compare prices)
• Two Contrasting Pieces of Paper
• Scrabble Tiles to Spell Out DO and DONE (compare prices)
• Chalk and Applicator (compare prices)
• Decoupage Medium
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
• Foam Paint Brush
• Ruler
• Scissors or Paper Trimmer

Scrabble Tile Clip Instructions:

Measure the height and width of one of the flat sides of the clothespins. Using a pair of scissors or a paper trimmer, cut two pieces from each piece of paper to that size. Use a thin layer of decoupage medium to attach the paper to the clothespins. Glue one to each flat side of the clothespins. Let it dry. while I used two contrasting paper designs, one on each clothespin, you can can use few paper designs or even less.

Once the paper is attached and the decoupage medium has had a chance to dry, apply another coat of decoupage medium over the top of the paper. Let that dry. One coat should be sufficient, but you can do more than one coat if you like.

I wanted to add a little 'pop' to my Scrabble tiles so I grabbed some pink and some dark brown chalk. Using a cotton tipped applicator, I brushed some pink chalk around the edge of the Scrabble tile. I wiped of any excess chalk and then brushed a little brown around the edge and on the side of each tile. Wipe off any excess chalk. Use a hot glue gun and glue stick to attach the Scrabble tile to the clothespin. Make sure the clothespin is facing the right way. The pincer side of the clothespin should be facing up and the part you squeeze should be down on the table.

Your clips are now done and are ready to use. You can use them to hold bills, to-do lists, or anything else.