Vinyl Monthly Calendar

Once in a while, I run into problems that I know, from past experience is due to being unorganized. I needed a calendar that my family could “see at a glance”.  After researching on the internet, I found my inspiration.

Inspiration

Etsy often provides not only fun and unique purchases, but inspiration for me.  I found Cano Designs Shop on and fell in love.  I had the Vinyl, Chalk Pens and Pazzles!  If I had not already invested in all the tools laying around the house, this was the way to go.  The price was very reasonable for vinyl wall art 36.8”w X 23.2'”h

 

Calendar in a Frame

The Toasted Coconut has an outstanding Chalkboard Vinyl Calendar Tutorial.  I loved the idea of the calendar in a frame.  I had the perfect spot, so off I went trying to find the perfect frame to repurpose.  Found one in our storage.  After taking out the oil painting and protecting that, I knew I would have to go to Michaels to purchase something to replace the canvas.  However, when I go to Michael’s my wallet suffers.  So still on the journey to look for something that would not cost anything..

Calendar on the Fridge!

I own a wonderful Pazzles die cut machine, that always gets used in spurts!  I purchased this brand, due to the outstanding training they offer.  Pazzles Craft Room, is one of the best purchase choices I have made.  The teacher for Pazzles is named Klo, not only does she teach live, but she records them so that you can ALWAYS catch her classes. There is a Pazzles Fans group in Facebook that I also love.  Pazzles, even has live support chat! 

After searching and searching for a cut file for ANY machine (yep, pazzles can handle that to) I gave up and posted for help in the Facebook group.  A hour later, Klo responded with a file to check out!  My quest was nearly ending.  It had a place for a shopping list and notes!  But again, it was in a frame, which would mean I would have to go shopping to pick something up to back my frame. 

The recipe included with the cut file, gave me the confidence to make my own with my Pazzles Machine.  (the link for the recipe will work if you are a Pazzles Craft Room Member)

The following steps assume you want a 30” wide calendar.  Just measure your spot and revise the numbers to suit your space.  They also assume you are using Pazzles and Pazzles Inspration Pro 2010 Software Updated to 8/12/2012.  If you are unsure if you have the correct version OR higher, just check to see if you are updated!   Choose Help | Internet Pazzles Online | Software Updates and follow the directions!  If you run into trouble, use the Chat feature of Pazzles Craft Room.

 

 

 

1	Start up Pazzles Inspiration Studio Pro 2010
2	Choose Create Choose Paper Size of 12X24 Make sure you select the 12 X 24, You will need a 12 X 24 Mat, although you could use any size Mat and do the same thing…..
3	Choose Type
4	From the Popup box, choose the TrueType button Then locate your favorite font (I used Inspiration) Type: This Month choose OK
5	Choose the Select Icon This will be the top icon on the left hand side of your screen. If you do not see this, choose your menu bar | View | Toolbars | Make sure a check mark is next to Tools
6	Choose your text.
7	Right Click Choose Height
8	Choose Condense Enter your Width and Height. Choose Apply	I measured my Fridge, and knew I was going to make my Calendar 30” wide. I also knew I was going to make each square for the dates 4X4, because I wanted a lot of space to write in birthdays, appointments and menu plans. So I created a grid to help me with this space.  I wanted 4” Blocks of “space”
9	Menu |View |Grid
10	Width and Height	for step six above.  I new I wanted to make my letters at least 4 Inches high….so for Height I entered 4.  I also knew I needed a square to enter the name of the Month.  that had to be a bit over 12” approx. 13 or 15 for the width.
11	Shape for Squares Choose Image Gallery
12	Double Click  Tags
13	Double Click D8 Close this window
14	Select the new image and ungroup the image Menu |Shape |Break Group
15	Zoom in by selecting the image and  and choosing the zoom selected tool from the bottom of your screen
16	Change your Height and width by referring to steps 6 - 10 This will be my Month Tag.
17	Remove Hole Choose the “hole” and press your delete key
18	Move this out of your way
19	STOP AND SAVE Rule of thumb, when you have created ONE item, you should save….We have gone to far, to have not saved!  Save your file Menu | File | Save As Take note:  where did you file it?  Name it something you can remember
20	Create Days of the Week Select the Month tab Choose: Menu | Edit | Copy Then Paste Menu | Edit | Paste
21	Change your Width by referring to steps 6 - 10
22	Duplicate Select image Right Click Choose Multiply Number of copy's enter 4 Choose the stacked pattern Choose ok Move this group out of your way
23	Create days Select any of the tags copy and paste as you did in step 20
24	Change your size refer to step 6-10 I wanted mine 4 X 4
26	Viewing trouble My computer started having problems… Just choose the refresh icon from your menu bar
25	Multiply your days Follow step 22
26	I think we are done! Now to cut Place your images on the mat so that you use up all the best space
27	Use your space well.
28	If you want to be lazy….like me….I have posted my cut file, This Month Calendar.
29	If you use my file, you may have to rotate things.  Here are the directions. Select the image/images you want to rotate.  Right click and choose rotate See the “cross hairs” icon. just click and drag to rotate it, don’t worry about where it is right now. When done.  Choose the select icon again (refer to step 5. Move to where you want to place it on your mat.

This has truly been a journey.

First Photo…My first cut…I ruined my 2 sheets of my chalkboard vinyl.  I was to impatient to wait until I ordered more…so…I used a color I was not really fond of to get an idea what it would look like.

Second Photo

I had to piece my chalkboard vinyl to try save as much as I could.

Third Photo

Used every piece I could…Still need 8 each of the 4 X 4 “tags” to replace the orange and the bottom three.  Working on updating my pen box…to house my chalk pens!

Sister's - Part 2

There must be a gift in here somewhere!

My favorite “joke” concerns twin boys of five or six. Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities — one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist — their parents took them to a psychiatrist. 

First the psychiatrist treated the pessimist.  Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys.  But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears.  ”What’s the matter?” the psychiatrist asked, baffled. “Don’t you want to play with any of the toys?”  “Yes,” the little boy bawled, “but if I did I’d only break them.” 

Next the psychiatrist treated the optimist.  Trying to dampen his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure.  But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist.  Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands.  ”What do you think you’re doing?” the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist. “With all this manure,” the little boy replied, beaming,

“there must be a pony in here somewhere!” 

Still working on that gift!  Do you see a pony in the mess on my desk? 

By the way, do you see what is holding up glue (stickles and liquid glass) perfectly upside down while I work?  If you work with glue, you know how you are always trying to find a place to put the glue, upside down….It’s a PVC coupling!

Back to the gift, Sandy has several business’s….so I thought it would be nice to make up some business cards for her, when I remembered Linda from the Paper Boutique, had created some darling ones.

….as you can see I am in the process of making the business card holders.  I just love putting mod podge on paper, it makes it feel almost like fabric!  This idea came from a WONDERFUL blog I enjoy each day!  Linda’s blog  The Paper Boutique is one of my favorites…

I have made a lot of blanks, as she also plays with paper.  My thought is to include these with her holder, so she can make some up herself.

So, after today, I now have 3 things added to her gift....still working on it.

1. Organza Flowers

2. Business Cards

3. Business Card Holder

Sister's Birthday

Now, I ask, what do you do for your dearest Sister on her birthday?  I am the big sister and Sandy is the little sister….(LOL, this is true with our physical sizes also, but that is another story)  Well, It’s gotta be special, dang it.   Because she deserves it!  I truly Love my little sister.

So here I sit, paid a nickel and only …..woops, at my age, my mind wanders…

Back to my sister….and what to do…

This week, I found the organza flower stick pin tutorial  by Yoli Bean.  Of course, I am now following Yoli on YouTube and her blog.  Well, you have figured it out, I have to come up with something using this new idea I have learned from Yoli!

Making this organza flower was so easy, I was truly surprised how quick it went, and how happy I was with the results.  Well I am a piffer (remember) so, when I was done, I had all this organza in a cut up mess….I just could not throw it away, so I randomly cut it up and made another flower.

While I love both flowers, I love the random cut flower more, and guess what gals!  It’s faster, because I don’t have to get out my die cut machine….just snip snip snip….I am all for easy and fast!

Oh back to the gift for my sister problem.  Well now I know, I must use one of these flowers!

Notice how, she is behind me....pushing....and pinching me...bet you did not see that....

Family Traits

Sharing

99% of all the reasons, why I craft, are to give to others. I truly enjoy sharing; I believe I inherited that trait from my dear mother, who has since passed. I use to shudder when she would come over, after she visited a yard sell.....yep, all her treasures she found, now belonged to my house, and they had better be there the next time she visited. Well, I can truly tell you, I would give anything, to have her drive up with a truck load! I would make or find a place to put her treasures, with a smile on my face...Lesson taught to me:

1. God is not done with me yet, thank goodness

2. Enjoy and treasure loved ones, each and every day, including the times, you don't particularly like.

I visited Sarah’s Ink Spot and found a project she did along with a wonderful Recipe (Recipe…you are right, step by step directions how to do the project!!!)  For the long nugget box above.  If you also are a copycat, like me, by all means visit Sarah!  I have truly enjoyed her blog!

Overwhelmed

My sister, Sandy, recently started doing paper crafts….well, she has always done crafts as long as I can remember, but recently we started sharing a common interest, the Pazzles!. She commented to me, along with another dear friend Barbara, “you are always making something”.

Ok, now the truth, from my eyes…

I spend hours and hours on You Tube, and visiting Blogs, and searching the internet….Google, is my best friend….when I consider how much I read…how much I “research”, and how much I buy….:(…and what I complete, I am embarrassed.  I think, I can truly say “my craft is the internet” rather than I paper craft….hummm.

I also get overwhelmed with organization....This week, I looked and looked for affordable chalkboard vinyl without sucuss.  So I took a shot with some old vinyl scraps I had and my trusty hand punch, it worked!  well, my dry erase pins and my copics, not so much, so off to michaels I went with my 50% coupon in my hand.  I found chalk ink markers!    These pens go on like a nice marker and come off like chalk!!!

This is my first blog, and hopefully not my last one…I always post my photos on Facebook on the Addicted to Crafting page.