Greetings everyone! It's Maureen here today, and I'm wondering how many of you went out and bought a calendar for the new year yet? I really couldn't find a good one I liked this year. So, I did what any crafter does and decided to make one this year instead! I love this project because it combines several mediums that I enjoy into one project: painting, vinyl and paper crafts!
I needed a shape that wasn't too large. I've chosen the Medium Circle DIY Pallet Shape as my base for the project. I also knew I was able to incorporate the Clear Scraps 6" Calendar Masking Stencil in this project too! In my office, I have a black and white color scheme, so I'm working with acrylic paints in black, gray and white. It's a good idea to start with the base first so the paint has time to dry.
PAINTING: To achieve an ombre look, I'm going to be "dry brushing" the Medium Circle DIY Pallet Shape from dark to light. On the top panel I've taken a sponge brush, dipped it in black and brushed most of the paint off. Then I sweep back and forth until I get a light coverage. The more I work down the panel, the lighter my touch is with the paint. If you need to reapply paint at any time, brush most of it off on a separate piece of paper.
Next comes the gray paint, and I've swept it across the bottom of the black paint to start the 2 colors blending together. Continue to dry brush down the middle of the pallet.
The final coat is white, again starting it at the bottom of the gray colors and working my way down. I've also painted the edges and middles of the pallet as I do this. If you feel the colors are not bold enough, take a second coat all the way down your project again.
VINYL APPLICATION: My next steps, after letting the pallet dry, were to apply the vinyl quote to the Circle Pallet. I've made sure to measure the length I need and printed this off on my electronic cutting machine.
Depending on the type of tool you have at home, you can find detailed instructions on how to apply vinyl on most websites. I'll do a quick review of the process for you here.
I start by pulling the excess vinyl away from the message, making sure not to pull too hard. Go back and weed the letters out for any leftover vinyl.
Next, I rub transfer tape on to the letters with a squeegee. I make sure to rub both the front and back sides well so the letters will transfer.
From here I take the plastic back side off the letters, pulling slowly as I do. If any letters stick, I use a weeding tool to place them gently back on to the transfer tape.
The final step is to lay the transfer tape on to the pallet. Rub with a squeegee, then pull gently from the corner, rolling back the transfer tape. Applying vinyl is the coolest way to make home decor look professional! I love that you can personalize these Clear Scraps items with just about any name or saying you want.
PAPER CRAFTED CALENDARS: I've prepped 12 - 6" by 6" pieces of card stock for the calendar layouts, and will be using the Clear Scraps 6" Calendar Masking Stencil as my background. Each page will be sponged with distress inks then decorated with a variety of stamps and gel pen outlines.
I've taped the stencil over my paper, making sure the tape holds both the stencil and paper in place so it doesn't move when I apply ink. I'm using a sponge dauber to apply the colors, and either a circular or tapping motion works well. Be sure to rinse the stencil every time you change a color.
I decided to have a little fun with the colors and do a different look for each month. Here's a look at March - with this page, I did 2 colors and used a sponge dauber in a darker green at the tops of the open stencil spaces, then a lighter green on the bottoms.
Then, when my pages were dry, I went over the right corners of the boxes with a black gel pen, adding dimension to the page. I also wrote in some numbers in the lower right. Stamps for the month name and other images complete the look!
FINAL ADDITIONS: In order to finish the look of the pallet, I added a tied wire bow at the top with some hot glue. You can purchase a bow if you'd like, but if you want - a wired ribbon bow is not hard to assemble. You just need a piece of thin wire.
Overlap the ribbon like an accordion, folding it back and forth. Trim off the end, then tie your ribbon around the middle of the folds with wire.
Twist the loops until you get the bow in place, then fold the ends behind the bow and trim off the ends. I then applied hot glue to the back and glued it into place on the board. To hang the board, a smaller ribbon loops nicely through the first slat of the pallet. Tie it together in a knot and that's all you need to hold it in place.
Then, you'll hot glue a small, black clothespin at the bottom of the board, which will hold your calendar sheets in place. Now it's time to hang your project on the wall and enjoy your handiwork!
I hope you'll think about giving this project a try - so many of your friends will wonder where you bought this cute calendar! You'll be able to tell them you made it yourself. And, you'll be able to use this over again, year after year. Happy crafting, friends - see you next time!
Maureen
Additional supplies: acrylic paints and brushes, vinyl and electronic cutting machine tools, wired ribbon, hot glue, Distress Inks (Ranger), stamps (mine were Dylusions and Lawn Fawn sets), clothespin