How to Make Your Own Calendar
Gather your materials., Make a canvas for your calendar., Create the "days" for your calendar., Design the month nameplates., Lay out the current month.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your materials.
You will need cardstock, 1/2" thick foam board, scissors, craft adhesive or super glue, 42 one inch buttons, 42 flat-head thumb tacks, a marker, an old picture frame, fabric, felt, masking tape, and Velcro dots.Try coming up with a color scheme for your calendar.
Pick 2-3 different colored buttons and find matching fabric, cardstock, and felt. -
Step 2: Make a canvas for your calendar.
Cut the foam board to fit inside the picture frame.
Pull the fabric taut over one side of the foam board.
Wrap the fabric around to the other side of the foam board and tape it in place.
Place your canvas inside the picture frame., Cut 31 circles out of cardstock just big enough to fit inside the inner part of each button.
Number the circles 1-31 using the marker.
Glue each of the 42 buttons (both numbered and plain) to a thumb tack.Wait for the glue between the cardstock and buttons to dry completely before gluing the buttons to the thumb tacks.
Instead of cutting out each circle, you can use a 3/4" circle hole punch if you have one.
If your penmanship is poor or you want to make a professional-quality calendar, consider printing the labels onto cardstock instead of drawing them on.The unnumbered buttons will be used as spacer days for the first and last weeks of each month.
For example, if the first day of the month was on a Thursday, you would put plain buttons on the Sunday through Wednesday spaces in the first row.
Likewise, if that month ended on a Friday, you would put a plain button in the Saturday spot on the bottom row.
They aren't necessary but will make your calendar look much neater. , Cut out 12 rectangular strips of cardstock.
The rectangles should be roughly one inch tall and one third as wide as the inside of the picture frame.
Write down the name of each month.
Use the strips as a guide to cut out felt rectangles slightly larger on all sides.
Sew the cardstock nameplates on top of the felt.
Glue two soft Velcro dots on the back of each nameplate.
Glue two rough Velcro dots to the top center of the calendar canvas.
As with the days, you can always print out the names of the months instead of handwriting them.
Make sure the Velcro dots on each nameplate line up with the Velcro dots on the canvas. , Make seven columns using the date pins for each day of the week, starting with Sunday on the left and ending with Saturday on the right.
If you don't have a conventional calendar to help you plot out the days, just work backwards and forwards from today.
Place the correct month's nameplate at the top of the canvas.
Use the blank buttons as spacers or put them aside. -
Step 3: Create the "days" for your calendar.
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Step 4: Design the month nameplates.
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Step 5: Lay out the current month.
Detailed Guide
You will need cardstock, 1/2" thick foam board, scissors, craft adhesive or super glue, 42 one inch buttons, 42 flat-head thumb tacks, a marker, an old picture frame, fabric, felt, masking tape, and Velcro dots.Try coming up with a color scheme for your calendar.
Pick 2-3 different colored buttons and find matching fabric, cardstock, and felt.
Cut the foam board to fit inside the picture frame.
Pull the fabric taut over one side of the foam board.
Wrap the fabric around to the other side of the foam board and tape it in place.
Place your canvas inside the picture frame., Cut 31 circles out of cardstock just big enough to fit inside the inner part of each button.
Number the circles 1-31 using the marker.
Glue each of the 42 buttons (both numbered and plain) to a thumb tack.Wait for the glue between the cardstock and buttons to dry completely before gluing the buttons to the thumb tacks.
Instead of cutting out each circle, you can use a 3/4" circle hole punch if you have one.
If your penmanship is poor or you want to make a professional-quality calendar, consider printing the labels onto cardstock instead of drawing them on.The unnumbered buttons will be used as spacer days for the first and last weeks of each month.
For example, if the first day of the month was on a Thursday, you would put plain buttons on the Sunday through Wednesday spaces in the first row.
Likewise, if that month ended on a Friday, you would put a plain button in the Saturday spot on the bottom row.
They aren't necessary but will make your calendar look much neater. , Cut out 12 rectangular strips of cardstock.
The rectangles should be roughly one inch tall and one third as wide as the inside of the picture frame.
Write down the name of each month.
Use the strips as a guide to cut out felt rectangles slightly larger on all sides.
Sew the cardstock nameplates on top of the felt.
Glue two soft Velcro dots on the back of each nameplate.
Glue two rough Velcro dots to the top center of the calendar canvas.
As with the days, you can always print out the names of the months instead of handwriting them.
Make sure the Velcro dots on each nameplate line up with the Velcro dots on the canvas. , Make seven columns using the date pins for each day of the week, starting with Sunday on the left and ending with Saturday on the right.
If you don't have a conventional calendar to help you plot out the days, just work backwards and forwards from today.
Place the correct month's nameplate at the top of the canvas.
Use the blank buttons as spacers or put them aside.
About the Author
Rebecca Alvarez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow DIY projects tutorials.
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