Easy-Wipe Effect | DIY CLOTHESPIN MARKERS

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

Since I didn't manage to do so last week due to my sister's little blogging interlude, this week I will be talking about getting organized.

À la spring cleaning, but without the sponges and liquid soap.

No detergents either, though I will be getting out the clothespins.

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

Washing clothes, hanging wet, tangled clothes, repeatedly stubbing my big toe on the drying rack sure aren't my forte, so I decided to repurpose my clothespins and turn them into... bookmarks. What else!

These are definitely prominent and won't make you forget a thing; perfect for starting the year as an organized human being; ready to tackle those heaps of unanswered letters and pending invoices, to keep your study notes organized, keep track of your administrative work or mark the favorite bits of your favotire novel!

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

With some blackboard paint I made a space to add notes and labels like "to do", "important", "review", "?", or "help me" (my personal favorite).

The best part by far is that they have a built-in easy-wipe effect! Simply wipe with a damp cloth and rename your little pins to fit your progress. Fancy, I know...

Just make sure the cloth isn't too wet. For more longevity, top with a coat of sealant before adding the label.

I recommend using a chalk marker or a very sharp piece of actual chalk. The pencil alternative tends to simply damage the pin by engraving the letters into the wood. Which is ok if you're looking to make something more permanent.

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED for one marker:

MATERIALS:
- clothespin
- acrylic paint
- blackboard paint

TOOLS:
- paint brush
- chalk marker

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

Step 1: Take the clothespin apart. You should be left with two wooden pegs and the metal clasp.

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

Step 2: Paint the outer sides of the two wooden pegs in a color of your choice using acrylic paint and a paint brush. I opted for white, gold and yellow. If you like you can paint the inner sides of the pegs as well. Let dry. Add a second coat if necessary.

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

Step 3: Put the pin back together. After rinsing your paint brush, paint the top part of the pin with blackboard paint as depicted above. Brush from the center outward in small swift strokes to avoid touching the sides of the pegs. Tape off the sides with masking tape if necessary. Let dry and add a second layer for better coverage.

Optional: Top with sealant.

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

Step 4: Get out your handy dandy chalk marker and start labeling!

"get to it", "start now", "probably never", "big problem", "don't forget", "chapter 5", "urgent", "trouble", "missing documents", "fill out", "too cute", "my favorite", "love this", "marked!", "brilliant", "example", "template", "draft", "final", "fini", "pourquoi?", "hot", "flop", booo", "been there", "done that", "pay", "payed", "pending", "sort", "needs labeling", "redo", "nonsense", "error", "error", "error!", "revisit", "don't understand", "meaning?", "google", "help me", "disagree", "priority", "problematic", unclear", "no.", "abort", "start over", "need a drink", "!"

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

DIY Clothespin Markers | Motte's Blog

I guess you could still use the clothespins to hang your laundry if need be. Maybe add a label "Dry faster", or "Whose sock is this??".


3 comments

  1. Hi Motte,
    what a wonderful idea for all those of us who want to get at least a little bit of that "being organized".

    Well, women are said to have more multi-tasking-abilities than men who are presumed to be more one-track-minded. So your idea to give them pins a dual-use comes to no surprise.

    But the ultimate challenge is not answered yet – How do you organize the clothespins so that you always have the needed ones handy?

    Have a nice day!
    Wolfman

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you like the clothespin markers, Wolfman! To keep them organized you could store them in a jar as I do. But if you don't want to wipe and rewrite the labels regularly, you could also clip them onto a piece of string that you can hang either horizontally or vertically. Either way you would be able to see the labelling at all times. That would save you time on finding the right one!

      Delete
  2. Really cute and functional idea! :)

    ReplyDelete