The following is a post from contributing writer Jasmine.
My daughter’s friend turned 19 in January. My daughter wanted to give her something personal as well as useful. We decided to make her a day-to-day calendar that could be hung on the wall and contained different verses for each day of the month. We created cards for each day, and cards for each month that can be changed as well.
Supplies Needed
- unfinished wooden shelf with dowel rod across bottom
- 2 wooden blocks (1 1/2 inch size)
- hand saw
- miscellaneous card stock, paper, and scrapbooking supplies
- 2 metal 1-inch rings
- paint and brush
Instructions
1. Draw a line down the center of one side of the block. Saw a notch along the line, 1/4 inch deep. Repeat with second block.
2. Paint shelf and blocks desired color. We went with a buttermilk colored whitewash because we wanted our colored card stock to show up against a neutral colored shelf.
3. Create 31 different calendar pages approximately 6 x 6 inches square. (See note at the bottom.) Using scraps, we cut out a printed card for the background, then added a smaller solid colored card on top. Numbers were added in the top left corner for each day of the month.
Because there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, my daughter chose a verse from each chapter that corresponded with each day of the month. For instance, on day one, she chose a verse from Proverbs 1.
This is where you can really personalize your calendar. Choose your favorite memory verses or famous quotes or write out personalized messages for each day of the month.
4. Once you have your cards made, punch holes in the top of the cards and hang them from the dowel rod with the metal rings.
5. Create slide cards for each month of the year. The height of the cards should be the same height as your blocks (1 1/2 inches). The length should be the length of your shelf, minus 3 inches for the blocks, minus another inch for wiggle room. Our shelf is 10 inches long, so we cut our strips of card stock 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches tall.
6. Use stamps or write the names of each month on separate cards.
7. Decorate the cards as you like. For a child’s calendar, you might decorate each month according to the holidays that fall in that month, or the weather of that month.
We added a personal touch by stamping the recipients initials on each of the blocks.
Note: I had planned to flip the cards through the opening, but because we used a thicker card stock we found it difficult to do so without bending the card. So we just changed them by hand. However, you could try varying the card thickness and size as well as the ring size if you want to be able to flip the cards without opening the rings.
This project could be changed up in so many ways to fit your own creative purposes. Here are a few ideas:
- Baby calendar – Use scriptures of encouragement for a new mom.
- Boy calendar – Paint or stamp footballs and basketballs on the blocks.
- Children or Adults – Use colors and decorations that are appropriate.
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