Zero Value

There was a comment on a blog recently about how calendars have gone the way of the dinosaurs. A half a dozen people chimed in to agree that it was a long-dead design form that had been rendered useless by the mobile phone, computer and handheld-device industry. After all, who wants to cross out days with a pen if you can get instant reminders when you need them from your iPhone, right?

But this is missing the point of calendars as they are today. Yes, they are obsolete thanks to advances in technology that make time organization a small matter. How about the charm of them, though – that feeling you get when you flip to a new month and see the new photo? Or how satisfying it is to see that circled date moving closer and closer as you mark off the days?

Even the decorative properties of a calendar make it preferable to some over the new, more efficient methods offered by mobile technology. That is what sparked this list; not only do people enjoy calendars, but they enjoy making them.

Here are five great DIY calendars you will be sure to love:

1. Flowers and Butterflies

Flowers in blossom and brightly colored butterflies meld into the background of this gorgeous, classic-styled calendar from The Common Jar. It is a series of boxes on one large background so that each part makes up a puzzle piece of the whole image. It is very gentle looking, with light colors, and could go with any decor.

2. Paint Chips

Paint chips are a very interesting scrapbooking or craft tool that a lot of people overlook. It can be used as one of the calendar printing techniques. Lori Cartwright uses them regularly, and she created a calendar with the method. Her base was a Crayola coloring mat, and otherwise paint chips and bits of paper were used for the perfect date saver. Be sure to check out the examples she posted of others attempts.

3. iPhone/Print Calendar

Originally, this idea was made by Red Stamp for an iPhone or desktop background calendar. But it could easily be printed out as a traditional calendar page. It all has a very retro kind of look, with light pastels in curved strips in the background. The lettering is 1960s chic, and it reminds me of something my grandmother might have had during that time in her kitchen. The tutorial shows you how to resize and apply it to your mobile device, but it could be used for many other purposes, as well.

4. Perpetual Embroidered Calendar

If you want something that will last, this is the perfect idea. This Etsy user has embroidered a sturdy wall calendar that uses thumbtacks to mark the days. That allows you to change them as needed over the years, when the days move up. It is very homey, attractive, and easy to use. It would also be an easy idea to emulate for your own calendar.

5. Laser Cutter Calendar

If you have a laser cutter, this gives you two files that will allow you to create your own cut calendar for your home. This one is 2011, but it could easily be changed to make it a 2012. Or, it could just be used for a decoration rather than as functional.

The best thing about these styles is that they are completely homemade and are easy to replicate yourself. But if you really want to see something special, you should make your own. Calendar creation software is a dime a dozen and almost always free. Just a Google search will give you a fair list of what is available.

Of course, there are other ways to make your own. If you are nifty with editing programs like Photoshop, you can use your own images or those you find around the web to create
single or multipage calendarsthat can then be printed and hung up. I have seen others who have pasted these in scrapbook style with thick card pages cut from boards sold in craft stores.

There is also the option of making them from scratch, with materials like scrapbook pages, felt, and even wood. There have been some excellent examples of reusable, environmentally friendly ones used from recycled materials, as well. Just imagine the conversations that would come from something created using old newspapers and bottlecaps, for example.

In the end, it is all about the imagination. You probably have some of your own DIY calendar ideas. Share them with us in the comments!

Sonia Tracy is the content editor for PsPrint and editor of PsPrint Design Blog. PsPrint is an online commercial printing company specializing in brochure printing. You can follow PsPrint on Twitter @PsPrint.

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