Hi again, after many moons I have finally got around to
posting another blog. I am hoping that
2013 will not see me as lazy as 2012.
I am in the process of making calendars as Christmas gifts
so I thought I would share the technique with you. It is really easy and makes
a good gift. I did some last year and
was given instructions that more were needed for this year. My friends and family have hectic social
lives, if it is not written on the calendar, they don’t go.
So here are the steps I take.
For really nice printed calendars I use http://www.timeanddate.com , their
calendars are customizable, for countries, holidays, layout etc. Follow the instructions to design a calendar
that fits your needs. When you have the
calendar you need print off each month, it is also possible to save your
preferences this saves having to re-designing the calendar again next year.
I use my Letack Craft cutter and the Perforating wheel so
that each month can be torn off. Measure
from the top of the page to slightly above the header , in my case about 5cm
(2”). Run the wheel across the same measurement on each page. Check you have
all months in the correct sequence, carefully align the pages and staple them
together. Attach a strip on double sided
tape to the front of your calendar taking
care not to cover the perforations. For
mine I used tape that is about 4.5cm wide.
Put it aside.
Now the fun part begins.
Cut a piece of very stiff cardboard to the same width as
your calendar paper. The length should be about the same measurement as your
calendar from the perforation line to the foot of the page.
I use a Milo cereal box. Bonus is that I get to eat the
cereal all in the name of crafting. If
you are one of the strange people who do not save old boxes (in case you need
them one day), any sturdy, strong board or a canvas will do.
I gave the printed side of the cardboard 4 coats of Heritage
craft acrylic paint. It is better to do
several thin layers of paint rather than 1 thick layer. The card does not bend out of shape and the
layers dry really quickly. I start off
with White, this means if I change my mind about the design I am not restricted
to a particular colour. This works well
for me as I usually change my mind 14 times before I actually get cracking on a
project. If you are less indecisive,
paint in the chosen colour from the start. Lighter colours need more paint
layers than darker colours if you are using printed board.
Punch 2 holes at the top of the board this is where the
“string” to hang the calendar will go.
It also shows you where NOT to decorate.
If you are planning a calendar with a magnetic strip there is no need to
punch holes. The strip can be adhered
when you are done. My holes are about
1cm from the top and about 2cm in from the sides.
Begin decorating your board.
I use string, ribbon, paper, rubber stamping foil, jewels, polymer clay,
yarn, rubber stamping, alcohol inks, distress inks, crayons, gel pens, in fact,
whatever takes my fancy. I try not to
make the board too heavy, a couple of mosaic tiles are fine but if you want to
mosaic the entire board you would need to use a wooden base and then things get
complicated and it would be very heavy to hang.
When you have finished embellishing, a matching piece of string, ribbon
or raffia can be threaded through the holes as a hanger. Pull the protective
strip off your double sided tape and attach the finished board. I add another strip of clear tape to the back
to give additional support to the two sections. Voila!! Your masterpiece is
done and ready to be gifted (or kept)
I made this one a
couple of years ago. I used a canvas and painted a background. I then adhered polymer clay, charms, ribbon,
and mirrors. I rolled the clay fairly
thin and embossed it with a rubber stamp before baking. This is a great
alternative to mosaic tiles as they weigh almost nothing.
This is the board I made for myself for 2012. I covered it
is scraps of paper and “gold” foil from a sweet wrapper. I then rubber stamped images onto the paper
and adhered cut outs, flowers, yarn, and gems. All the embellishments came from
Joan at http://www.country-crafts.co.za/
. She has an amazing shop and is extremely helpful. She also runs a mail order system for people
who are not fortunate enough to live close by.
I am currently busy with a calendar for my daughter. I painted it, attached string , cut out
leaves, gems, and polymer clay ladybugs.
(Clay & lady bug mould also from Joan).
I hope you can understand these basic instructions, this is
my first tut ever. If you have any
questions, feel free to contact me and I will try and help.
Lucia
