This DIY dry-erase calendar is the first of what I hope to be several projects using supplies from my craft stash.
What I already had on hand:
12×12 scrapbooking paper
12×12 artist canvas
12×12 plastic page protector
acrylic paint & sponge paint brush
distress ink & a finger
alphabet stickers
thumbtacks
Glue Dots
Command adhesive strips (coupons available on their website!)
super-strong button magnets
What I had to purchase:
metal washers (pkg of 14 for $.99 from Walmart)
Mod Podge decoupage medium (I had an old bottle, but it was completely dried out)
small horse calendar ($1.00 from Michaels; I only paid 80 cents with a 20% off coupon)
First, I applied acrylic paint only around the edges of the frame (no sense wasting paint, since the front would be covered with paper anyway). I could have left the canvas white, but needed to cover up some marks from a previous project gone awry.
I used two coats of paint, allowing the first coat to dry completely before applying the second coat.
Once the paint was dry, I used Mod Podge to adhere the scrapbook paper to the front of the canvas. I applied three coats of Mod Podge, allowing each coat to dry completely before applying the next.
I was nervous when the paper bubbled up after each coat of Mod Podge, but those bubbles disappeared when the glue dried. Phew!
I didn’t originally plan to distress this project, but I had to reposition the wet paper after the first coat of Mod Podge, which created a couple small tears in the paper, so I figured I’d make it look intentional!
I used my finger and lightly smeared some dark brown walnut stain ink around the edges.
After that was dry, I added the letter stickers to the left side of the board, applied just one coat of Mod Podge over them, and let it dry overnight. The horizontal lines on this paper were spaced just perfectly to accommodate the days of the week.
To create the dry-erase surface, I cut the sealed edges off a 12×12 page protector, which gave me two sheets of 12×12 plastic. I centered one sheet of plastic on the dry canvas and pushed a thumbtack through each corner. Canvas stretcher bars are made of very soft wood, so it was relatively easy to push them through.
They seem to be secure, but I’ll see over time if it’s going to hold, or if I need to use something stronger like a nail or screw.
To make this board more versatile, I used Glue Dots to adhere one metal washer under the plastic at the top right, and one at the bottom center to allow hanging of a calendar, note pad, or other items (the washers are magnetic; just be sure you use a really strong magnet like neodymium to hold heavy or thick items like a calendar).
FYI, Glue Dots are the best dry adhesive ever created in my opinion! I have yet to find a surface that they won’t stick to. You can usually find them in the craft supply aisle at any store (or on Amazon.com).
Our 8 year old loves horses, so I was happy to find this mini 2013 calendar for just $1.00 at Michaels. It fits perfectly on the 12×12 canvas, still leaving enough space to write activities next to the days of the week.
Until January, I’ll just hang his current full-size 2012 horse calendar from the bottom magnet:
I mounted the board to the wall using Command adhesive strips. Hooray for NO HOLES in the wall!
Stop by tomorrow for DIY Bulletin Board #2: Lightweight Magnetic Board!
Cute idea! I look forward to seeing tomorrow’s tutorial. I’ve been wanting something for S and T to keep track of their activities, homework, chores, etc. This might be perfect!
I like that this is so light that I can use the adhesive mounting strips. Since there aren’t any nail holes, G can move it if he wants to and there won’t be any holes to cover up. I also plan to make some additional coordinating boards, maybe nine of them, and he can configure them into a 3×3 arrangement on the big wall in his room (some will be just decorative, and some will be functional like these). Great way to make use of those scrapbooking papers!