Tutorial: Binder Clip Photo Holders

I always think it's fun to find new uses for supplies I already have sitting around the house, especially the leftover bits and pieces from other crafty projects.

For this one, I combined binder clips, with leftover scrapbooking paper from my stash.
to create photo holders. They're perfect for for displaying your favorite pictures at home or at work.

This is also an inexpensive project that can be personalized and made in bulk for use as teacher/parent appreciation gifts or even party or shower favors.

Many thanks to Tombow USA for providing the adhesives I used in this project.

Materials

• large binder clips (2 inches wide)
• paper trimmer
• Tombow MONO Permanent Adhesive
• Tombow Xtreme Permanent Adhesive
• Tombow 3D Foam Tabs
• colored scrapbooking paper and cardstock scraps
• white cardstock scraps
• 1-inch stamps and ink (I used "Seasons of the Heart" by Close to my Heart, but I think this set was discontinued years ago)
• two buttons
• yarn, string or hemp
• scissors

Directions

	Let's start by covering the clip. Use a paper trimmer to cut a 2-inch by 3 1/4-inch piece of decorative paper.
	Apply three swipes of Tombow Xtreme Adhesive, widthwise, to the back of the paper.
	Place the paper slightly under the top curl of the clip and press it in place.
	Fold the paper around the bottom of the clip and press it in place.
	Fold the paper up the side of the clip and press it in place.
	Next, you'll add some buttons. This serves two purposes. One, it looks pretty. Two, it helps make sure your picture doesn't slip around when it's on display. Pull a 12-inch piece of yarn, string or hemp down through one button. Tip: I used hemp, so I didn't need a needle to thread it through the  button holes.
	Pull the string up through a second button. Place the buttons on either side of the clip.
	Secure the string with a knot.
	Trim the string with scissors. Finally, we'll make the stamped embellishment.
	Cut two 1-inch squares of white cardstock and stamp your design on them. Cut two 1 1/4-inch squares of colored cardstock and two 1 1/2-inch squares of a contrasting color.
	Apply a couple swipes of Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive to the back of the white squares.
	Mount them to the 1 1/4-inch squares.
	Apply a couple of swipes of the Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive to the back and mount them to the 1 1/2-inch squares.
	Apply two 1/4-inch foam tabs to the bottom corners of each decorative square. Tip: I only used one foam tab for my prototype, but found that using two foam tabs looked neater and held the squares more securely.
	Attach one square on each side of the clip.

As I said before, this is a great project to make in bulk for small gifts or party favors. I was able to get a package of 12 clips at the office supply store for less than $7, so you could easily make a dozen photo holders for less than $1 a piece and customize them with an initial or image for just about any occasion.