How to Make a Reusable Calendar (craft tutorial)

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to be less wasteful. Considering the fact that I am OCD by nature and a list maker by nurture, I tend to run through a lot of notepads and calendars. For example, I can’t just make a shopping list. I make a rough draft and follow it up with successive drafts to perfect the list, using probably 5-6 pieces of paper per list. Crazy, I know…

The same goes for me and calendars. I write on a calendar only to have something change and I get irritated by the obviously erased pencil marks showing up on my calendar. Sometimes I get so bothered that I have to go to another calendar. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it is what it is.

I decided that I was not going to buy a ton of calendars in 2013 and I think it was a twist of fate that NOBODY gave me a calendar for Christmas (I normally get 3 or so).  In the end, I made this very easy, reusable calendar that I’ve already been waxing on and off all day long. Yeah.

Want to make your own? It’s incredibly easy. You’ll need:

• Large frame with glass (opening 19.5 x 17.5 inches)
• Foam core board
• Paper in 7 colors
• Paper cutter or scissors
• Double stick tape
• Yardstick & pencil

Here is the before of my frame. It previously housed a collage matte and a bunch of pictures. While I was out of town, some pics from my frames were needed for a memorial service. Someone was kind enough to scan the images in my frames and my photo boxes and send them to me but the actual photos have since been lost. Sad that I couldn’t find any images of this person to get them back into the collages and unwilling to print poor resolution images on my computer, I put all of my frames in the garage. Fast forward 6 months and the pics are still lost and I figure I may as well get some use out of this frame.

Since every month runs a bit differently, we’ll need to have 5 weeks total on our calendar along with the 7 days of the week. Take each piece of paper and cut five 2.5 x 2.5-inch squares. In the end, you’ll have 35 squares total, 5 of each of the 7 colors.

If you don’t have the same size frame, you’ll need to bust out your ruler and figure up the math for what size will work for you. Remember that you’ll have 7 across and 5 down (plus the days across the top). Also, be sure to include approximately 0.25-inch spaces to go in between each square and 0.5 inches on the outside near the frame.

Trace the back of your frame onto a piece of foam core board. Cut along your marks and ensure that they will fit inside of the photo frame. Trim if necessary.

Take your yardstick and draw a line along the bottom edge of your calendar – also mark the center along that line.

Mark the center of the middle (Wednesday) block and line up along the straight line and with the middle mark for the board. Put a strip of double-stick tape and adhere. Work out from the center to the left and right attaching your 6 other squares, lining up with your pencil-drawn line.

Draw a straight line up the side and place your squares along that mark, eyeballing spacing along the way.

Continue attaching each color, drawing a guideline for each for proper placement. When finished, pull up and replace any squares that appear out of sync with the others. The double side tape should easily come up and lay back down for little tweaks.

Since the days of the week are always in the same order, we’re going to mark them across the top. Take your 2.5-inch wide strip of paper and slice off 1 inch of each color so that you have seven 2.5 x 1-inch rectangles in each color. Use a permanent marker to write on the days, use a double-stick to adhere above the squares for the days.

Put your foam core inside of the picture frame and seal it up. Use a dry erase marker to add the dates and info onto your board. You can put the month on any squares that aren’t being used (like the bottom right for January 2013 show here)

Best of all, easily erase any events or dates that change by wiping them off. No muss, no fuss!

Here’s to a great 2017!!! Happy New Year!

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.