Its almost summer and its time to get crafty! Which is why I'm sharing one of my favorite organizer crafts. They're really quick and easy to make, and are a huge statement with your favorite pieces of classic literature. What are we making? Why, literary clothespins dear reader! As you can see, I've magnetized mine so that they can keep your notes handy anywhere. I use them on my blog idea board, and they always keep my lists nice and organized and right where I need them-- all while highlighting my favorite Jane Eyre and Persuasion lines!
What you need
1. A cap-full of water and some wax paper
2. Plain old white glue
3. Scissors
4. Pencil
5. Q-tips (a few)
6. The page/paper with your quotes printed on them
7. Magnets
8. Clothespins! (as many as you want to make)
The first thing to do is outline the clothespins on your page. Now, normally, I just photocopy my favorite pages and use the photocopy. That way, you're getting just the pages you want and you're not ruining a book. This craft time though, I had been give a really rough a tumble version of Persuasion that was falling apart. Instead of just tossing it out, I took a few of my favorite pages and decided to use them.
Just place the clothespin on top of your selected writing (normally you can fit 3 lines horizontally on a pin) and outline the clothespin with your pencil. You can be exact, but remember that you'll be cutting the paper strait, so little bubbles in the tracing won't matter. I also like tracing the text on a diagonal. I think it adds lots of interest and you often can get a better sense of the dialogue from your selected page.
Above all, the most important factor in tracing text is to pick the text you really want to see every time you open the fridge or clip on a list. Picking my favorite lines to use is always the best part for me.
Above all, the most important factor in tracing text is to pick the text you really want to see every time you open the fridge or clip on a list. Picking my favorite lines to use is always the best part for me.
Once you have the clothespin traced you want to cut out your selected text. Make sure to cut the paper a little long (long, not wide); we will trim the ends later. You can see on the left what the final product looks like.
Once its well mixed, take a Q-tip of glue and brush it on the top of the clothespin, including in any of the depressions. You want to put enough on top for the pin to be well covered, but not too much that your paper will turn into a soppy mess.
Now you place your cut-out paper on the glue covered pin and smooth it down. You do want to place another brush of glue on top of the paper. This will help the paper to stick and will make the whole clothespin much more durable with the added decoration. Again, you don't want the glue to be soppy, but you want a good amount. When in doubt, always make sure you can clearly see your text through the glue. Take your time, the last thing you want is your text to smudge.
Using the middle of your Q-tip, press your paper into all the depressions on the clothespin. Normally there are three: one where the metal suspension connects, and two decorative ones on the end of the pin. Once you've pressed the paper down, smooth out any funny marks in the glue and let the paper dry. It can take anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours. As you can see, the ends are MUCH longer than they will be with the final product.
I love the added depth and texture that pushing the paper into the clothespin depressions makes. It might mess up a little of the text, but what it does to a few letters, it makes up for in over all look.
While your clothespins are drying, feel free to cut your magnets into thin strips. I used an old promotional magnet and didn't even have to spend a cent on it. You want the magnet to be roughly the same width as your clothespin and go down its whole length.
I love the added depth and texture that pushing the paper into the clothespin depressions makes. It might mess up a little of the text, but what it does to a few letters, it makes up for in over all look.
While your clothespins are drying, feel free to cut your magnets into thin strips. I used an old promotional magnet and didn't even have to spend a cent on it. You want the magnet to be roughly the same width as your clothespin and go down its whole length.
Once your clothespin has dried, you want to cut the extra ends. I cut just enough to fold a little over on each end and glue them down for a nice clean look. When you're all done, it should look like this:
The last thing to do is glue on your magnet! I just use the same modge podge glue mixture we've used before, brush it on my magnet with my Q-tip and stick it on the back. Let it dry about as long as you let the front, and you're all set to go!
And there we are! Literally -- lines that grab things for you. I've yet to have a problem with them falling apart, and I stick TONS of paper in them. Likewise, I always have my favorite quotes all around me. This is truly a readers type of craft. I hope you try them! Of course, if you'd rather have me make a batch for you --Etsy girl!-- well I can do that too.
If you liked this post, you may like Scones from the Austen Bakery, or Austen-esque Ornaments