{ Sticker-Gripper }

Hi Girls, Natalie again.
You’ve probably heard of the “Clip it Up”.
What if your Clip it Up didn’t spin or take up desk space? What if it just hung under a shelf?

I’ve seen online where people have constructed their own Clip it Up to save money, and I’ve made one too! I’ve done it so cheaply, you won’t believe it, AND I’ve made it fit MY space. (I can even slide things under it like my paper trimmer, my pink tidy tray, or the current layout I’m building.)

History:
I put up some shelves on the wall in front of my scrappy desk last summer to keep more things in front of me and not put away in my closet. (I have to walk to the closet, 4 whole steps!!) When I decided I wasn’t getting enough on the shelves, I went to the dollar store and bought some containers I could stack in 2’s. They were $1 for three!!!

I built the 1st shelf shorter than my 2nd shelf because I had something sitting on my desk. This turned out to be the best thing I could have done because I’ve moved it and have a perfect spot for my own Clip it up, which I’m calling my Sticker-Gripper.

Here’s what I bought, and where:
$0.60 Two rubber grommets (hardware store)
$0.75 Three screw hooks (hardware store)

$1.00 One pack of 200 paperclips (Kmart)

$1.15 Half a pound of spring washers (hardware store)

$3.98 Two packs {50 count} tiny clothespins (JoAnn’s)

$2.00 One ¼” dowel (this is approximate cost, I already had it, but they’re cheap and tend to be 3 ft. lengths.)

When I include tax, my total is: $10.09!

I’d better give you some instructions.

GRIPPERS:
Side note: The clips on the Clip it Up come off, mine don’t, but I will show you how to make ones that will if you prefer them removable. I think the washers are just a little more hard core. Nothing is going to become tangled this way.

*Push a paperclip onto a washer. (If you are wondering why I didn’t use flat washers… the hardware store I went to didn’t have flat washers with a hole big enough for a dowel. They had all sizes of spring washers though, so I bought them.

*Encourage the slight bending of the paperclip back into paperclip shape.

*Straddle a clothespin on the paper clip on the side where the paperclip has an end.

*Thread the paperclip through the spring on the clothespin and slide the pin to the first bend.

*That’s all.

Now for the removeable one. This would be even cheaper, cause 1 pack of large paper clips, qty 75, cost me $1.29 (w/o tax). Add that to the pieces you would still use, clothes pins, dowel, hooks, grommets, and tax… you get $7.80. Just remember, these are not so hard core, and don’t slide as well, but they lift on and off.

*Open a paperclip completely and the smaller section will snap off. If it doesn’t immediately, you could just cut it off with pliers.
*Disregard the small piece.
*Using pliers, cut off ½” from the straight side, and curl the already bent end even further.
*Slide the clothes pin on the straight side and down to the bend.

*Hang it up. This one is perfectly perpendicular to the wall. Because the others weren't they were forced to sit on an angle once stacked next to one another. I'm happy with the angle.

ROD:
*Cut a length of dowel to size and spray paint it to coordinate with the shelf it will hang on.

*Drill pilot holes for the screw hooks under the shelf and near the front. Ensure they are the same distance from the front edge of the shelf.

*Screw in the hooks.

*Slide the painted dowel through the left and middle hook. Thread on ½ of the Grippers you made, slide it through the right hook and place a rubber grommet on the end.

*Slide the painted dowel further right, releasing it from the left hook, and thread the other ½ of the Grippers.

*Slide it back into the left hook and place a rubber grommet at the left end.
These rubber grommets will stop the dowel from moving anywhere. Push them right up against the outside edges of the hooks.

Yes, it’s that easy!

If you don’t have a shelf to hang a Sticker-Gripper from, make one! I made mine by screwing blocks of 2 x 3 to the wall and then screwing a 2 x 5 into the tops of the blocks. (the 2” measurement on wood is really 1 ½”. Must be a guy thing) I spray painted my wood black before putting everything up. (My favorite shortcut… spray paint!!) Notice how I screwed to my wall on one side of the block, this made it easy to screw the shelf down into the other side of the block. Nothing heavy is going to live on mine. Maybe if you had heavy stuff, you’d want more than one block at each end of the shelf.

Just a short recap. The Sticker-Gripper I made was $10.09 including tax. The Clip it Up, costs $59.95 for the bottom tier, $34.95 for the top tier, and the clips are $6.95 for a bag of 25. That is not including any tax if it’s applicable.

I say, when there’s a great idea out there, and you have the ability to make your own and save money, DO IT!!

Have fun Girls!!!