Workshop Wednesday - Mini calendar holder (with download!)

I loved making this project. I love this mini calendar. I love that is it not digital, but tangible. I love mini anything.

So here are the steps to make your own:

PART A - CREATE THE CALENDAR HOLDER COVER

STEP 1
Scan in your vintage photos and collage to your computer. Save as jpegs.

This is photo is of my maternal grandparents sitting on a blanket with a friend. Granny and Grandpa Kelly are the ones on the left. They look so happy. Grandpa died when I was 11. Granny Kelly was always so happy and enthusiastic about our family. Once she told me if she had been younger she would have liked my Mark. And man, she would have LOVED my kids. I can hear her saying 'Oh Shona, they are so lovely'. I know she would have been proud of me. One day in heaven we are going to have a time catching up!!!
Before she died she bought us the fridge we still have. I was meant to get a new one this Christmas as part of my kitchen re-do, because it is white and my kitchen black. But I just can't get rid of it! I asked for computer speakers instead.

Anyhow, on with the tutorial....


STEP 2

In Photoshop Elements (PSE), or other photo program that can combine photos, open all the images that you want to combine.


STEP 3

I use PSE 8, so here is what I did, it is the same procedure for other versions of PSE: In PSE open a new file. I always set the dimensions pretty big, like 4000x4000, 72dpi so I have room to play. (My regular image files are much larger than scanned images, but I prefer to use the dimensions I always use.)


STEP 4

Drag each file over into the new image. (You may notice, that after I added in my collage file I then rotated the original 180 and picked a portion of it to drag over)


STEP 5

 Line them up side by side, you want to make a long narrow image combo.


STEP 6

Crop the image, flatten all the layers and save as a new jpeg.


STEP 7

Open this image in Word. Re-size the image so that it is and print onto heavy cardstock. My calendar holder image was 7 1/4 x 3 3/4. Cut this card out and fold in half.


STEP 8

Inside of folder

Add a pocket to the inside of your holder. Add some collage elements to this pocket, and possibly some rubber stamps and a paper clip. This will be where you store your mini calendar.

PART B - CREATE YOUR MINI CALENDAR 

**You can download my Mini Calendar and skip to Step 7!**

STEP 1
I am sure there is an easier way of making a calendar, but I am most familiar with Microsoft Word, so that is what these steps cover:
Open a new blank document.

STEP 2
Insert a Text box.

STEP 3
In the text box create a table. Format it to 7 columns and 8 rows.

STEP 4
Open a copy of the 2011 calendar and type in January's dates on the appropriate days. Choose a font you like. I used Kingthings Trypewriter (not a typo) from Dafont.com. I love this font and it is free!


STEP 5

This is the scan of a rubber stamp that I carved from a photo I took!

Add an image you may like.


STEP 6

Download a PDF of this calendar here!

 Copy and paste January and adjust to create February and so on.


STEP 7

Print this onto cardstock. Trim.


STEP 8 (finally)

Insert the mini calendars into your pocket, minus the one you are using - one of the months will clip onto the front of the pocket inside the folder!

It took me a long time to create this calendar, so to save you that time, why not use my mini calendar?

Download my Mini Calendar!

It's a free PDF for you to use for your personal projects.  

I added a paper circle around my people after I printed the folder.

back view of my Mini Calendar Folder