The Dry-Erase Calendar: A DIY Adventure

One day a few weeks ago, I was babysitting a sleeping baby boy named Joshua (given that he was sleeping, it was a pretty low-key task). On the table next to the couch, I found a book called Young House Love. And I pretty much devoured the whole thing (I had had big plans of bringing my Study Bible and finding out more about the confusing things I'd read that morning in 1 Timothy... but this book just drew me in). These Young House Love people also have a blog. Yes. Pinterest, here I come... if I ever have time to implement all of the fun Pinterest ideas.

Anyway, the book gave me a fun DIY idea: A homemade dry-erase calendar. So, here's a little walk through my project:

Step 1: Acquire a frame. It can be a more ornate, crazy frame than the one I got... I kept it simple. I didn't want to get too crazy with my first DIY home project :)

Step 2: Get/make a fun textured background. I cut the sleeve off of this Goodwill sweater from the $1.50 bin. Then I stapled it to the mossy-green cardboard background that was in the frame already.

Step 3: Make a calendar background. Make sure to flip it horizontally (so the words are backwards) before you print it out! This step is very important! Also, keep in mind you don't need a super-fancy/crazy font... when you paint on the calendar, it will look handwritten anyway.

Step 4: Print out your backwards calendar and put it under the glass from the frame. Tape down the edges so it stays in place.

Step 5: Paint your calendar onto the glass. You could also do this with a Sharpie. Or, you could also just print your calendar forwards-ways on patterned/textured paper and put it in the frame like a picture, too.

Step 6: Let the paint dry completely, put it all together, and voila! You have your dry erase calendar!

I also put a little basket there for the dry-erase pens.

Now I just need to get the dry erase pens! I plan to get these super-fine-tip ones (so I can write small in the calendar squares). And I also have a cool beans & chives picture that I can do something fun with in the kitchen, maybe.

And that is the story of my DIY calendar-making adventure.

Have you done any DIY projects? What were they? How did they go?