How to make a Chalkboard Clipboard

I’m crazy about clipboards. I use them ALL the time for everything! I hang art from them and put calendars on them. Every project gets a clipboard. While I don’t mind the brown chipboard that they come in, I have been wanting to dress some up, so today I present to you, my clipboard chalkboard to-do list!

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I bought a 24 -pack of clipboards on Amazon (you remember I use these for everything right?) but I saw them at Dollar Tree the other day, Cricut Chalkboard vinyl & a chalkboard pen from Joann’s and put this together!

First I measured my clipboard and drew it in Silhouette Studio. I like to do this step so I can have an idea of how my project will turn out + to gauge how much material I will need to cut out. I do this step for most projects, actually.

I downloaded a rectangle scallop shape from the Silhouette Design Store here. I right-clicked and ungrouped the planner project shapes and dragged the scalloped rectangle shape over to the clipboard and clip I had drawn.

I hadn’t worked with this material before, so I went with the default vinyl cut settings in the software with my blade on 2. That didn’t seem to cut all the way through, so I left it in the machine and re-cut it and changed my blade to 3.

The chalkboard vinyl material was 12″ wide, so I *could* have left it on the roll and cut it without the mat, but you lose cutting area on the left and right border if you cut it without a mat as shown. The red line is the cut border. It’s hard to see in the cutting with a mat picture. If I hadn’t cut it with a mat, I would have risked the left and right edges of the scallops not getting cut. So a mat was used with my Silhouette Cameo Electronic Cutting Machine.

I tried to apply it directly to the clipboard skipping the Transfer paper step. I got a million bubbles and wrinkles in the few inches I tried, so I stuck it back on the backing paper and got out the transfer paper and covered the vinyl completely with the transfer paper and smoothed it out with my squeegee. 

I peeled off one edge of the vinyl from the backing, and applied it from the bottom of the clipboard and squeegeed it to the clipboard until where it met the clip. 

I used my exacto knife to cut the vinyl to fit around the clip at the top

and smoothed out the rest of the vinyl at the top of the clipboard with my squeegee.

Viola! My Chalkboard Clipboard is complete! I’m planning on using this for home to do list items. I love the texture of this vinyl – I bought a roll of a different brand (I can’t remember which one) last January and never ended up using it because it was flimsy & just felt like regular vinyl, so I’m happy this one worked out! 

What I Used:

• Silhouette Cameo Electronic Cutting Machine
• Clipboard
• Cricut Chalkboard Vinyl
• Transfer Paper (Mine came with the Chalkboard Vinyl I bought – Cricut brand)
• Craft Knife
• Squeegee

I made this project for January’s Silhouette Challenge which theme is organizing. The bonus challenge this month was to use vinyl.

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

1. Please Excuse My Craftermath… // 2. Simply Kelly Designs // 3. Daily Dwelling // 4. Ginger Snap Crafts // 5. Our Southern Home // 6. Sowdering About // 7. The Moberg Family // 8. Decor Adventures // 9. Pineapples and Pinecones // 10. Patina Paradise // 11. The Thinking Closet // 12. It Happens in a Blink // 13. Adventures in All Things Food // 14. From Wine to Whine // 15. Practically Functional // 16. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 17. unOriginal Mom // 18. One Dog Woof // 19. Creative Ramblings // 20. My Favorite Finds // 21. Create it. Go! // 22. A Prudent Life // 23. Where The Smiles Have Been // 24. Barb’s Life // 25. Everyday Paper // 26. Pitter and Glink // 27. Peanut Life Adventures // 28. Feto Soap Blog // 29. Our Rosey Life // 30. Two Purple Couches // 31. My Paper Craze // 32. TitiCrafty // 33. Lil Mrs Tori