We rely on calendars to keep us synchronized with life. To make sure I have a fresh calendar every year I start before January 1st to get the next-years calendar purchased (and filled in) or made. This year I made some calendars for myself and some family members from kits or E-Cuts. The first calendar finished was a Bo Bunny Press Deluxe Desk Calendar. The following is what I learned while making up this kit and what it looks like finished.    

The all-in-one kit is easy to use and full of color. Set aside two evenings to get this project done. There are easy-to-use instructions and plenty of ways you can express your own creativity. There are chipboard two-page spreads for each month of the year. Each month’s spread includes themed papers for you to trim, a 2007 calendar and a place for your favorite photograph.

Steps that took the most time were: sanding the excess paper off of the cut paper edges so they were flush with the chipboard page edges, inking each piece of paper and printing out photos. 

(Note: One of our Neighbors (lisa y-h) shared that you don't have to sand down the edges of the patterned paper inserts to fit the chipboard perfectly if you cut the squares so that each side is a little bit more than 5 15/16" (right in between the 5 15/16"and 6" marks). 

The kit includes:

• 1 6x6 Bare Naked Two-Ring Binder Book/Album (supplies to decorate included)
• Chipboard pages – enough for each month to have a two-page spread
• Full-color instruction sheet
• 2007 monthly printed calendars (on white cardstock)
• Coordinating themed 12 x 12 printed papers
• Assorted ribbons (I used mine sparingly on the layouts so I could add one tie to the right-hand margin of each monthly layout.

I also designed address pages in Word (so this can serve as an address book too) and decorated a chipboard tabbed divider (I made my own) to place them behind. 

To make the address pages start with a 6” x 6” text box. Next add a 1” x 1” text box to the upper right hand corner of each page. Insert a 60 pt. letter (I used Kabel Bk BT) into the box. Make one more text box for your contact information. Mine is 5” x 4.75” and is placed about 1" from the left-hand margin (to allow room for hole punching) and it almost touches the right-hand margin. You can print off a page and write your information on it or type everything and print it. 

The great thing about this album is that it can be used all year and then made into a regular album when 2008 rolls around. The calendar on each layout can be covered with another photo and the title on the front cover changed for the album theme.  Or, you could wait and see if Bo Bunny produces new 2008 calendars to place over the 2007 calendars so you can use the book again.

Images

Album cover front:

To achieve the stair-stepped ribbon tabs/knots: Use a Crop-A-Dial to punch through the chipboard with ease. Punch the Janaury hole at the top and the December hole at the bottom, first. Then evenly space the holes for the other months between January and December. The knots are secured with a dot of The Ultimate Crafter's Glue inside to keep them from untying. The ribbon edges are protected with an application of Fray Check.

First page of album:

January:

February:

March:

(Tip: The green paper used in this layout is also used in the December layout.  Cut the December squares out first and you'll have plenty of paper to do both layouts). 

 April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

(See the green paper Tip above the March layout)

Contact/Address sheets and tab (see instructions above): 

The finished SEI calendar is in my gallery and there are other calendar options available in the Superstore: 

Karen Foster Design Calendar Creations (be sure to check out their other coordinating products: 

SEI Scrapbook Calendar Kit (preprinted and so easy to put together). You can use the SEI 12 x 12 Preservation Albums (in orange or light blue to hold your calendar layouts when the year is over. Click here to see the SEI calendar I created with this kit.

Calendar E-Cuts to use with a blank calendar and your own paper and cardstock.