We FINALLY finished our mother daughter Valentine’s crafting project after running into several obstacles along the way. Despite the roadblocks, the best part was getting to spend some time with Ellie doing something that she really enjoys.
We ended up making some clipboards for her American Heritage Girls (AHG) pen pal, teachers (for teacher appreciation week), and mother daughter ones for a couple friends.
I’ve been reading through Sally & Clay Clarkson’s book The Lifegiving Parent and one of the things they talk about is how lifegiving parents open their homes to Christ to let the love of God in. One of the ways of letting God’s love in is through windows.
The more windows you have in your home–family devotions and prayers, short and long Bible readings, Scripture verses on the walls, Bibles in easy reach, talking about God at meals, sharing testimonies of His grace and help–the more the light of God can shine in. Lifegiving parents open the windows of their homes to let the light of God in.
Sally & Clay Clarkson, The Lifegiving Parent
My hope is that through these clipboards, the light of God will shine into the lives of all those who receive it.
After printing out the scripture verse cards (click here to download a free printable), we got to work on the clipboards.
DIY Valentine’s Clipboard Supplies
- 5×5 Wood Squares
- E6000 Adhesive (the glue pictured didn’t work so I switched to this one and it was perfect)
- Paint Brush
- Small Decorative Clothespins
- Regular Clothes pins (if you want it to stand up)
- Glitter paint
- Spray paint
Originally we started to paint the wood squares with the glitter paint, but the brushes I got were the cheap ones so the bristles came off as we painted with them. Plus, it was hard to get an even coat and we’d have to paint a layer, let it dry, paint a layer, let it dry…you get the picture. It was very tedious. So then we switched to “Plan B”. Spray Paint.
I found some glitter spray paint at Home Depot and thought that would do the trick, but the nozzle kept getting clogged. We soaked the tips and did every trick to get it to work to no avail. I thought maybe I just bought faulty ones (wishful thinking) and so when I saw glitter spray paint on sale at Walmart, 2 for $5, I figured I couldn’t pass up such a great deal. Common sense obviously was not in my favor that day because those didn’t work either. So after 4 cans of inoperable glitter spray paint, I found a metallic rose colored one that sprayed on smooth and easy.
After the paint dried, we glued on small decorative clothespins that I found on sale at Hobby Lobby for only $1. We also glued regular clothespins on the back so that it could stand.
I originally used Elmer’s Max Glue, but it didn’t hold. Every time I’d open the clip, it would fall off. I read somewhere that the E6000 glue had a firmer hold…it did, so I used that instead. There are different colored glue as well. We got the white one, but I think the clear one would have worked even better.
I definitely learned a lesson on perseverance and also have a new found appreciation for crafty people and those on Etsy. I think I’ll leave the crafting to them and just support them in my online purchasing.
Sidenote: Ellie asked if I was done printing out the names for the scripture cards and when I told I was finished, she left the room and came back a little while later with one she had made for me. She said I should have one, too. Heart melting. I’m more proud of this than anything else. She may not know it, but she’s already letting the light of God shine through her.