My last post showed the basic set up for my December Daily for this year. I have been faithful in documenting the days although the beginning of December isn’t quite as exciting as the middle and end of the month will be. One thing I use to embellish my pages is altered paper clips. Here is how I make mine.

Get paper clips of any size or color. I get mine at the Dollar Tree. You can use clips that match the colors and size of your journal.

 

Get out some scrap papers and ephemera that match the style and colors of your December Daily pages. I have so much scrap Christmas paper and ephemera I could not possibly live long enough to use it all! I stopped with just two boxes for this project so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed with choices.

Measure the length of your paper clips and cut strips of decorative papers a little narrower. I like to cut my ends into a fishtail shape but you could leave them squared off or cut them in a triangular banner shape.

On this clip I layered my papers after cutting them different lengths. On some other clips I just used one strip of paper. Thread them through the long side of the paper clip and glue all the pieces together. Be careful of the orientation of your clip making sure it will slide onto the page the direction you want it to go.

If you want to add fibers, trims or ribbons it’s best to staple them onto the banner before adding your ephemera. I do this to make sure my fibers are going to stay put.

These are all finished paper clips I made. I used a variety of ephemera, fibers, rhinestones, liquid pearls, charms and of course, glitter, to make each one unique. 

Here is one of my altered paper clips on a page in my December Daily. These embellishments are so easy to make and are a good way to use up some of your scraps. You can make them in any style and use them in all of your journal projects.

So get out your remnants and work on turning a humble paper clip into a little work of art!