Today I have a new HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS project to show you. It is really simple to make and falls into the gift-giving category. It is perfect for a person who you want to give a little something to because you want to show them that you care (but you don't want to break the bank!) :)
It is a mini calendar for the year 2009 that is made from paper and stands up on it's own. It is made from a standard 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper and is folded into a triangular shape.
As you can see I made 3 of these so far. Two are for my children's teachers and the third is for me.
I made the teacher's calendars with clean lines and no personal touches since I don't know them really well. (and seriously - I KNOW they don't want a calendar with my family photos on them!)
So here is the first one up close.
This was about 2 minutes to make. I printed the calendar onto Scenic Route's kraft paper that has a design printed along one edge only (I cut down a 12x12 paper). I printed so that the calendar dates would fall on the blank half of the paper and then quickly glued the calendar together. Really - about 2 minutes max!
This next one was a bit more effort.
I started with double sided paper from Collage Press. I chose this particular paper because one side was very light in color so I knew the printed calendar would show up and the other side was a beautiful green print which you can see through the cut out.
To create the cut outs I traced some chipboard numbers in pencil on to the paper and then cut around them with my trusty Fingertip Craft knife (this knife makes is so much easier to make cuts like this) . I then adhered the paper into the triangle and was done. It probably took me 20 minutes start to finish.
I plan on adding to this one with this.
This is an empty embellishment container from American Crafts. It fits inside the calendar perfectly.
I think I might put either a tiny little plant inside it or fill the container with pencils. A vase could also be added so fresh flowers could be put inside. Lots of possibilities for this project.
Then the third one I made - for me.
I used graph inspired paper from Scenic Route, yellow trim from Doodlebug, felt hearts from American Crafts and some old letter stickers from Making Memories. Each side has a family photo - my husband, my daughter and my son - and all sides follow the same format. I kept the design really simple `cause I wanted the focus to be on the photos - not all the do-dads. This one is going to sit on my work table and I have a tall container for the inside that will hold all my paint brushes.
These are really easy to make and cost very little - a sheet of cardstock weight paper. If you add embellishments it will cost a bit more but as you can see you can make them look really great just with the paper you choose or some knife work.
Have fun making them.
I have posted the tutorial here. In it are the instructions on how to fold and assemble the calendar + the actual calendar to print. There are also visuals on how I did the cut out letters.
Tip: set your printer margins as small as you can before you print your calendar. Practice on regular computer paper first so you can see how it looks.
Be sure to share what you make with it - I would love to see as there are going to be a million different variations!