Altered Pocket Calendars: Basic Grey

(Click any photo to enlarge it.)

Yeah!! I love how this pocket calendar gift project is coming along. If you are on my Christmas list or my daughter's list, look away now 'cause you won't be surprised later on!

I got some 2008-2009 two-year pocket/purse calendars at the dollar spot. They came with plastic covers, so instantly I thought of a project! I remembered a fantastic class I taught a year or so ago at a local store on making altered and personalized checkbook covers. I knew I had to make these calendars into a similar altered project. It was a natural! These would be so cute as gifts done with a Basic Grey "Blush" pack of paper I had at home. Everyone I know seems to love Basic Grey--even if they are not scrapbookers! Teens especially like that paper line too.


So I bought a BUNCH of calendars and spent most of yesterday altering and adding accents to these little gems. I used all one paper line from Basic Grey with just a few scraps from my Provo slab. Choosing the color scheme is the most important step when making multiple projects all at once assembly line style. Using the colors teal, brown, orange, pink and red inspired from theBG Blush line of papers, I then found lots of other accents and tags and silk flowers in my stash that went with it. Pulling all the items into a project box took me less than 20 minutes. I tried to incorporate my scraps as well as any oddball accent leftovers whenever possible. No two calendars will be exactly the same--and that is a good thing for any personalized gift as well as a good thing for using up stash! This is the perfect project for using up lots of little trinkets and doodads left over from other paper art projects.

The plastic covers measured 6.5 inches by 7.75 inches so I cut all my base papers at the same time using an assortment of Basic Grey Papers. I then used the remnants of paper to cut my strips, cubes, and small rectangle pieces and just mixed and matched them throughout the process in a abstract art kind of way. Because the color scheme is meant to work together, it always looked great!


The 6.5x7.75 BG cover sheets I decorated for these pocket calendars are just inserts that go between the 'book' of the calendar and its platsic cover. I wanted the cases to be re-usable since they are personalized so I did NOT glue my Basic Grey cover sheet onto the paper cover of the actual calendar 'book' This way, the recipient can re-use this pretty little cover for another calendar in 2010 --or for another purpose like a checkbook.

I added some matching tags from K and Co. and other embellishment words from a few sticker sheets about friendship. Lastly I inked and added chipboard initials to personalise the calendars. Some of these got fibers and some got acrylic bubble decorations also from the dollar spot. I love how these ten turned out so I am making a couple dozen more next time I go out to crop.

I am going to make one for Santa to tuck in MY stocking too! Shhhhh! :) :)
Rockester

Comments

Anonymous said…
Oooh, I like a LOT! Will I ever scrapbook again after seeing all the projects I can do without sorting through photos?!
Anonymous said…
Cute gift idea! Very personal yet quick and easy to do!
Karen Campbell said…
These are really terrific!!
Karen said…
I love them! They are very fun. I keep a calendar in my purse all the time now to schedule appointments, etc. but they are work issued. Makes me think I should make one of these fun ones up for myself.
Shellie Shufelt said…
Omg - these are the greatest! I wasn't sure if I am on your christmas list or not so I did take a peek ;) J/K
Shellie from MN_craft-n-chat
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sorry I messed up posting on my own blog above. LOL

I made 30 more of these today assembly line style in about 8 hours!! Almost done with that set. I used up so much stuff. (This is a very, very good thing to do with leftover stickers, metals, wording, rubons, chipboard, etc) Love how they are turning out. I did make one for ME too! LOL :)
Anonymous said…
i love them! i've done this same thing for the 4x6 photo albums, but really like the idea of the calendars for gifts.
Anonymous said…
I made these several years ago for our scrapbook goup. I did then all alike with the title of "Croping Dates" on the cover. Also did checbook covers for them and titled them scraping funds. They loved them.
Anonymous said…
Excellent idea. I like the pocket calendars too but being a guy, I find that the covers look too feminine. I'm always hanging out in the dollar stores so I'll definitely make one for myself.

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