Make it Monday // DIY Shaped Paper Clips

I am suddenly all about that paper clip life.  And if you're into collecting any and all planning supplies, you'll know that there is absolutely no way you can afford to buy every shaped paper clip you see.  No way, you'd be totally broke.

 So I sat down to see if I could make a few of my own and wanted to share some tips and a how-to so you could attempt to make your own!

Supplies :: 16 or 18 gauge crafting wire, rounded needle nose pliers, wire cutters, flat needle nose pliers, pencil, sketchbook, reference images

First, look up some shaped paper clip images.  I did a Google Image search for shaped paper clips to get some inspiration.  A lot of paper clip shapes you'll find will be very intricate and very small.  I found it very hard to make average size papers clips - mine turned out huge! - but I'm sure with more practice the shapes can be scaled down.

 From your inspiration images, begin to sketch out the shapes.  It helps to visualize the wire as a line with a start and end point.  This should help you sketch out your ideas and work them into wire if you keep this in mind.  Rather than trying to visualize the clip as a whole, visualize the turns and bends as if it were a line on a page.  The sketching portion helps with this.

 Next, pull off a good length of wire.  You can keep it attached to the spool or coil or trim it - just make sure you trim enough off.  If you think you have enough....pull off a little more.

Begin to shape your wire using the pliers.  Keep the visualization of the wire as a line and reference your sketches.  Work similar to the way you drew your inspiration sketches.....this is one continuous line.

 Trial and error is a big thing here.  You may find that some shapes are harder than others so try starting at different ends or adapting your shape to something you're capable of doing.

 Once you've finished your shape, trim the excess wire and keep creating more!  I found that a variety of colors of wire kept this project interesting and less frustrating if I could change up what I was looking at every so often.

Depending on the stiffness of your wire, these clips may not be the best for actually clipping paper.....they may lend themselves better to being embellishments. 

Hope this little project was inspiring and helpful for your planner decorating needs!!

Do you have a planner accessory addiction?  What is an accessory you can't live with out?

xoxo, Moe