With the holidays wrapping up, most people are probably finishing their gift giving preparations. But as your list dwindles, are you left with one or two names of people who are classically hard to buy for? Today we have one helpful DIY gift idea that anyone could use, plus some online shopping inspiration! Let’s jump in…
Since, at some point, everyone needs to know the date, I knew a custom desk calendar would be a great gift. With very little time left to make one from scratch, I welcomed the thought of starting with a base and just customizing the month pages themselves. This photo stand from Uncommon Goods is the perfect foundation for my handmade month cards and I was happy to see that the website, like 15 other online retailers, had partnered with Goodwill® to make it easier than ever to donate clothes and household items I no longer need.
So, I bought my calendar base (a.k.a. photo stand) and while it was being shipped to me I made the month cards. It looks like the base is currently backordered, but will be available again soon. The great news is that calendars make useful gifts at almost any time, especially in the first several months of a new year, so go ahead and recreate your own calendar cards while you keep an eye on the photo stand’s status! Here’s how:
Materials
– Photo stand
– Thrifted book(s) with beautiful images
– Glue stick or double-sided tape
– Scissors
– Cardstock
– Ruler
– Access to a printer
– Pencil
Step 1: To make the photo cards, print this template out on cardstock then use your ruler to measure and mark a rectangle around each month. Carefully cut out each card. I measured and cut my cards to 3 3/8” x 5 1/8”, but you could cut a little closer to or further from the text if you wanted to fit these on a particularly-sized image. Cut one extra blank card in the same size to use as your tracing template for the images.
Step 2: Flip through your thrifted book to choose your calendar images. I chose some that were seasonal to match certain months and some that were not seasonal. Whoever receives your gift may not want to stare at Santa in July so having some pictures that are applicable year-round allows them to shuffle more neutral photos to the front.
Step 3: Place and trace the template card around the images you select then carefully cut them out.
Step 4: Flip over your calendar cards so the blank side is up. Use your glue stick or double-sided tape placed right along the edge of the cardstock and liberally through the center of the card to adhere the pictures. With a glue stick, more coverage is better.
Step 5: If you used glue, make sure you have wiped away any extra glue that may be sneaking out the edges then lay the cards flat under something heavy. Leave these for a day if possible to ensure they’ve thoroughly dried.
Step 6: Trim away any excess cardstock that’s peeking out under photos or vice versa so the cards’ edges are all crisp and even.
Bonus tip! If you worry about the rings of the stand separating the photo from the date card, you could have the cards laminated or fold a piece of decorative washi tape over the bottom edge. It doesn’t look like this will be a problem on my calendar, though!
With the cards all finished, as soon as my online order arrived, I was able to unpack it quickly, pop in the month cards, and wrap it back up to give as a gift!
Shop online. Donate stuff. Create jobs. I love how my DIY 2017 desk calendar made the holidays easier for me and still benefitted people in need!
