- “Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress. ” – Charles Kettering
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I must confess. I have a thing for calendars. Even at a young age when the culmination of my social life boiled down to birthday parties and school holidays, I always enjoyed the visual representation of life that a calendar provided. The first one I remember owning was a little free one that my grandmother had gotten from a bank. In junior high, I graduated to kittens and unicorns, and in high school I coveted the purple erasable white board calendar that I kept in my locker.
When I started college I bought a datebook with vintage Cadillac advertisements inside and faithfully recorded every class, exam and my work schedule. I recently found it while cleaning out a closet and I found it very interesting to look back at my “hectic” life of tests, studying and part-time work. How simple things were back then!
Since it is the beginning of a brand new year, I thought it would be fun to share some DIY ideas for calendars that span the class of crafting, from the hardcore (sewing!) to the easy-to-assemble kit. I am always looking for a way to reuse or re-purpose something, so I focused on perpetual calendars that can be customized year after year. These projects and kits are perfect for home, work, or anywhere that needs a touch of fun and excitement.
Happy Crafting!
-E
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Vintage Postcard Calendar Journal
- This is probably one of my favorite DIYs of all time. The simplicity of the materials really put the focus on the content (which just so happens to be your life)! Each note card is stamped with the date and encourages you to fill up the empty space with appointments, thoughts, ideas or sketches. You could also substitute the post cards for pictures of special moments in your life that you have shared with friends or family, or trade up to real post cards that you have collected from world travels.
(Vintage Postcard Calendar Journal Instructions)
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Button Perpetual Calendar
- This cute button calendar is a great visual representation of the month at hand. Depending on the materials used, it can be very sweet and demure, or very bold and punchy. The best thing about it is the versatility! With a little creative planning it also makes a good teaching tool for parents of small children. You could make special buttons for birthdays or holidays or just change out the background fabric to flow with the seasons. The options (just like this perpetual calendar) are virtually endless.
(Button Perpetual Calendar Instructions)
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Tea Towel Calendar Embroidery Kit
- In October of last year I found a gorgeous antique store that sold vintage tea towels. There were so many beautiful and quirky choices, and quite a few of them were these amazing these tea towel calendars. I didn’t find one that matched my decor, but I have been on the lookout ever since. When I ran across this DIY tea towel calendar kit on Etsy, I knew immediately that I had to have it! It is made of 100% natural linen and inspired by traditional 19th century European Redwork embroidery. Not only is it simple enough to match almost any decor, but after the year has ended it can earn it’s keep by drying my dishes. If only it had hands!
(Tea Towel Calendar Embroidery Kit)
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Doodle Calendar Kit
- If you like to doodle, stamp, paint or collage, then this is the calendar you’ve been waiting for. The kit contains 12 offset printed calendar grids on recycled paper and a clear base on which to display them. Each month is meant to be like a piece of art work but that doesn’t mean that this kit is all serious business. Fantabulous Gift Idea: Distribute each blank grid to various friends and have them design the month’s theme, then collect them and you have a very unique, very personal present. You could also let children do the designing and gift them to a parent or grandparent. That beats their crummy old desk calendar any day.
(Doodle Calendar Kit)
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Chalkboard Decal Wall Calendar Kit
- Finally, a chalkboard wall calendar that won’t ruin your walls! I have looked at so many DIY wall chalkboard projects but I never committed. The taping and painting just seemed like so much trouble, and the cost always seemed to be higher than what I wanted to spend. And then there’s always the realization that (despite how awesome it seems today) I may not want a billboard-sized permanent chalkboard on my wall. Not only is this decal kit a practical solution to chalkboard paint, but it comes in a variety of colors from teal blue to citrus yellow. The size ensures a great visual impact to whatever space it inhabits and gives you the freedom to put it anywhere you darn well please.
(Chalkboard Decal Wall Calendar Kit)