It’s (already!) the beginning of February so it’s about time we actually got our act together and replaced our still-pitifully-displaying-December calendar in the kitchen. And this year John actually wanted to DIY one. Isn’t he industrious? His big calendar concept: to pick out a bunch of our favorite “inside joke” quotes and slap them on top of a long skinny white numbered page so we’d get a little private chuckle every time we checked out the date or penciled in an appointment. Cute huh?
He actually said it was going to be a secret V-day present for me but since February 14th is a few weeks off (and we both felt like bigtime slackers every time we looked at the expired oh-nine calendar) he shared his idea so we could do it together on the last weekend of January. And thanks to it already practically being February, we only needed eleven quotes and we were able to quickly whip up a simple little calendar template in Photoshop (we just adjusted the dates and the hues along with the quote to get all of the months churned out in under an hour).
And the good news is that you probably don’t need a fancy program like Photoshop or Illustrator to make one yourself. You might be able to create something sweet and simple in Powerpoint or even Microsoft Word. Oh and the font is called League Gothic and we got it for free from this site that How About Orange suggested. Easy, peasy.
Then we just printed each page out on regular sheets of 8.5 x 11″ cardstock that we had on hand (100 lb weight, which you can grab at Office Max or Staples and run through any regular inkjet printer). We were sure to include thin gray lines so we knew where to cut them to create nice long strips out of the previously-standard-sized page. Burger served as my inspiration as I cut them all out in front of the TV…
Then we just popped a hole in the top of each of ’em so we could slip them onto the small wire 3M Command hook that we have in the kitchen as our designated calendar hanging device (it’s 100% removable so it won’t damage our side-of-the-fridge built-in if we ever want to move it or take it down).
So here’s our 100% free homemade calendar hanging proudly in the kitchen. We love how customized it feels and how much it makes us smile whenever we read each personalized phrase that we thoughtfully chose to represent each month. For example, we often tell Burger “no biting, just kisses” when he does those little no-pressure puppy nibbles that wouldn’t hurt a fly. As soon as we utter the phrase we get hand licks instead of fake bites. So cute. And of course we designated that as the February quote since V-day is all about kisses, and I guess it’s sort of anti-biting (since that’s hardly the sweet thing to do to those you love).
Everything from random song lyrics that crack us up to our short (but oh so memorable) wedding vows made the calendar- and of course that one was slapped on July since that’s our anniversary month.
It was a simple project but it was surprisingly fun to put together. Like a walk down memory lane that we get to rewalk every time we glance at the kitchen calendar. And you can’t beat the zero dollar price tag. So what about you guys? Do you order calendars with custom family photos from places like Kodak and Flickr? Do you buy them for 50% off after Christmas at bookstores or boutiques? Or do you use your iPhone or your computer so much that a paper calendar is virtually useless? Spill the what-date-is-it beans.
Update: Thanks to a slew of very kind (and unexpected) requests, we’ve created a free zipped template of our calendar that you can download and customize with your very own quotes for each month. Please note that you must have Photoshop to open the PSD and edit the type layers (or use a free open source like GIMP). You also may need to download the font that we used right here (it’s also free). Oh and each month is a different layer, so remember to hide and show each one to print every month’s page. We hope it helps! Who knew so many others still needed a 2010 calendar?!
whistlerpotpie says
Me likey! And yes – we are interested in a download! Do you actually think any of us are ahead of the game? Nope. We are not.
We have a lady gaga thing too. She will be on all our minds!
Erin says
yay yay yay! Can’t wait! Thanks! P.S. Have you checked out Scribd.com? It won’t work for sharing a photoshop file, but it is great for sharing downloadable PDFs.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Erin! We’ll definitely look into it.
xo,
s
Jess says
Great idea and very cute! I ended up buying a 18×11″ calendar and bought a couple cute magnetic clips to hold it. Right now the calendar is on our fridge but I just bought a framed magnetic whiteboard for our laundry room. Thanks for all your great ideas. I’m going to make my calendar next year!
Heather says
I haven’t even finishing reading the post yet, but I had to scurry down here and comment after I saw the “No biting, just kisses” quote. That is sooo one our inside jokes around here, too cute!
KOS! (Keep On S'myelin!) says
What a fun idea!
I usually make my own calendar using the Costco website and add a picture from that month from the previous year. I think I might have to incorporate quotes as well!
Rebecca says
Inspired by this year planner–http://www.crispinfinn.com–I made my own on a sheet of posterboard. It took a good bit of time to lay everything out, but it’s amazing to look at it and see the entire year. It’s really exciting that my graduation date is only a couple of inches from today, and my wedding a could inches from that! But, going along with that, it makes a year feel really short.
Catherine says
I love it! It reminds me of the old gas station calendars my grandfather used to have hanging up. We use our dry-erase calendars (from PB outlet) to keep track of our dates. My best special event/birthday reminder, though, is my mom! She calls to remind me of every family event- never fails :)
Amanda says
Aww, how cute…Now I’m just curious to know all 11 inside jokes…
brickton says
Aww. This is diabetic shock levels of sweet right here.
Julie says
How funny! I just spent some time this weekend doing the same thing (so you’re not the only ones in need of a calendar on Jan 31st). I wanted a tiny calendar (~3″x4″) to fit on our bill caddy, and the ones on Etsy were too big or not what I wanted, so I made my own using PowerPoint! Just a rectangle, a text box, and a table, and you’re good to go. I just used different fonts and colors for the month labels — nothing as personalized as yours, but still unique. And it looks expensive since I printed it on card stock. It turned out great!
jasmine says
Very simple and cute idea. I made my own calendar this year at target.com. My next project is working on a photo book of my travels at blurb.com. These books make great gifts as well. Thanks for all the inspiration and great tips! Just added you to my FB and can’t wait to share all the home improvements we are making to our 1926 CA cottage!
Meredith says
CUTE!!! I will have to give this one a try!!!
Lisa in Seattle says
You can’t leave us in suspense about the rest of your quotes! I’m telling you, put a price point on these calendars (I’d pay $25 for one with my own quotes) and go into business! I would make one myself, but our inkjet printer has never been the same after we found out our tiniest ferret used to take naps in it.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
Well I just got off the phone with John and he thinks that after work tonight he can figure out a way to get 11 whole downloadable pages of our calendar to be available to you guys. So the good news is that you’ll be able to see all of our quotes that way (and people can alter them to put in their very own)! We just hope you don’t think we’re weirdos since some of them aren’t that self-explanatory…
As for the old ferret in the inkjet problem, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in my life! What a cute/hysterical visual. You should make a calendar of ferrets sleeping in weird places!
xo,
s
Angeline says
Love it! We use Google Calendars most frequently (I’ve got my work and personal schedules, hubby’s school and work schedules, and my besties’ schedules all synched and i can hide the ones i don’t want to see), and also have a whiteboard calendar near the kitchen that update each month.
After reading this post, though, I’m inspired to make one of these for our office nook, since we just organized it to make it usable. Thanks for the awesome (and affordable) idea!
(btw LOVE those command hooks too–they hold up everything in our place–curtains, dish towels, you name it!)
Danielle@Newlyweds Paradise says
Awww…your hubby is the best! You are a lucky lady
Silvia says
Love it! What a simple and great idea!
Love all the things you do…love your place.
(from Portugal)
lana says
awww! this is the sweetest idea ever! this would look amazing blown up huge for your office area!
xo
lana
Jamie says
Every year for Christmas my Mom buys be the new UVA calendar. John, you should look into those – maybe for your office.
Tegan and Tage says
I am so inspired to do something clever like this instead of buying my usual Warren Kimball calendar. You guys are the freaking cutest!
Christa says
I cannot BELIEVE you uber organized folks went through the entire month of January without a calendar???!!!
Shocking.
KK says
This is a fantastic idea. I adore this!
Heather says
Could you post a template of this? I think it’s such a great idea!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, it’s in the works Heather! Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Kate says
hilarious story about the ferret above!
I want to know….who looks like a Rabbit??
Me and my other half could easily do this, we have too many silly in-jokes but….explaining it to people everytime they see the calender…hmm.
we had a lot of explaining to do when I amusingly graffitied the bathroom walls before we tiled. We planned to tile the day after but it didn’t happen until 4 weeks later!! People kept wanting to know who scudji-wudji was :/
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kate,
The rabbit quote is actually a Saturday Night Live reference. There’s this crazy skit about two people who say ridiculous things and it just stuck with us (and still gets brought up around our house all the time).
xo,
s
Virginia @ Where You Hang Your Hat says
i love “You look like a rabbit.” Cracked me up.
carissa says
Too cute! I especially love the font!
Our puppy’s “favorite” quote is also “I do what I want.” :-)
As in:
“Sit!”
“Whatever. I do what I want!”
Heidi says
Can’t wait for the template! Great idea.
Liz M says
fontspace.com has a.w.e.s.o.m.e fonts
Mary says
Totally LOVE IT! I would download and fix one of my own!! Although we use an erasable one in the office, we could ALWAYS use one in the kitchen!!
Ashley Lovett says
What an adorably brilliant idea!
abriana says
These remind me of Penny People prints, which I love– we have one hanging in my little guy’s nursery.
And today they’re buy one get one free!!! :)
http://www.pennypeople.com/freeprint.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! Off to check ’em out…
xo,
s
Holly says
I was just going to ask you if the brain eating quote was from Lady Gaga. But I already saw your response. Haha! I love that song, but everytime I sing that line I laugh.
My mom is a huge scrapbooker and picture taker. She makes us a calendar every year for Christmas. She actually buys the calendar, but it has slots for pictures and she fills it and writes all the family birthdays in it.
Kristi says
My husband and I are leaving for the Peace Corps in 3 weeks. We’ll be gone for 27 months with hopefully a few visits home in between. For Christmas we made all of our immediate family members a Vistaprint calendar with a picture collage of us for each month. Next year we plan to make them another one with our first year of Peace Corps pictures!
Love Burger watching on as you make the calendar :)
Grace says
This year, for the first time, I made a calendar using Smilebox, an on-line photo editing program, and photos from my trip out west last summer. I did a post about it on my blog (http://gracie-senseandsimplicity.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-heart-my-smilebox-calendars.html). I love the calendar and was actually very excited when it was February so I could turn the page and look at the next set of pictures.
Rachael Ensom says
CUTE idea! I love it!
Jessaca says
Yay for homemade calendars. I actually made little calendars for Christmas presents a couple years back and people keep requesting them. So simple and yet so clever. Oh, and I’m in love love love with How About Orange. Next to you guys, I read her blog regularly.
Alison says
Psyched about the template! What an awesome DIY valentines gift!
susan says
absolutely adorable. how awesome!
Lisa says
Your timing is perfect! My honey and I couldn’t find a calendar we like this year… AND I don’t have a Valentine’s Day gift yet. Score!!!
Dana says
Too adorable. Really. Where does John come up with this stuff? Mod Podge wood-art and now custom calendars? You are one lucky girl. (Betcha already knew that!)
We have a calendar hanging in our son’s room for reasons other than planning. It’s actually a ‘memory calendar’. Every night when we tuck him in bed, we try to think of a silly phrase or milestone that came from him that day. We write a very short synopsis (maybe 8 words tops) on the square for that day. Then we keep all his calendars as keepsakes. Every year, he picks out a new calendar that tickles his fancy at the moment. (puppies last year, old trucks this year) It’s a great way to look back and the date is right there! Plus, as much as I say I’d like to do it, I don’t have time to write pages in a mommy journal. This keeps it simple and easy!! How do you plan on journaling beanette’s funny doings and accomplishments?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Dana,
Good question! My friend has a little milestone-tracking calendar that she finds a lot easier to keep up with than a true baby book or a baby journal so I might follow suit and get one of those. I’m a pretty good journal girl though (I have kept a gratitude journal for over two years) so maybe I’ll go somewhere like Anthropologie and treat myself to an amazing leatherbound notebook to write all about the beanette’s big moments. Time will tell I guess…
xo,
s
Robyn in Chicago says
A few years ago I surprised my family with calendars featuring pictures of what we did as a family that last year. It was the gift that brought my sister to tears that year…in a good way….yay! Now it’s my thing and all year people want events documented “for the calendar”. Plus, it’s a great keepsake photo album after the year is up.
Love the calendar you guys made – such a great idea!
Andrea says
Great idea. I actually snagged a bunch of calendars from the Target $1 bargain bin in December. It was hard to pass up!
Carole says
love it!
we had been using a whiteboard calendar to keep track of the kids’ schedules, but haven’t updated it in a few months. We’re mostly using our Gmail calendars at the moment, syncing with our phones so that we stay on top of things.
I have been thinking of creating a DIY version of this perpetual calendar, you’ve inspired me to give it a shot.
http://remodelista.com/products/formosa-perpetual-wall-calendar
Amanda says
This is too cute. I love the February one. My kitty always nibbles too, and I was tell her to “be nice” then she’ll either run away or sniff where she was biting.
I’ve DIY’d my own calender before but gave them away as gifts.
Ever since I was younger (in jr. high) I’ve always wrote down exactly what I’ve done that specific day and other important things. I now, (for a few years) use a day planner and do the same thing. It’s basically my life. So I don’t use a wall calender at all since this lays flat on my desk perfectly.
Handy Man, Crafty Woman says
I kept one of those “baby milestone” calendars when we had our son. It had cute stickers for things like “First time I rolled over”, “First tooth”, etc. I’m a sucker for stickers, so it was fun for me. I did make a baby scrapbook eventually, but the calendar made it much easier to fill in the scapbook later on.
Ann says
Very cute idea!
Shelley @ Green Eggs & Hamlet says
My boy and I ordered a calendar from the rescue group (MidAmerica Boston Terrier Rescue) where we adopted our dog, Hamlet. It features a slew of the dogs that have been adopted over the last few years, including our little Ham.
Thanks for offering your calendar template – I might use it for my work calendar.
OMG-YHL says
What’s more pathetic– that I recognized the SNL rabbit quote right away or that I am like super excited that you guys are SNL fans? I’d say about equal.
I made a calendar for myself before. It’s pretty easy once you get your desired template arranged. Problem is I never used mine :P
Struggler says
Thank you for explaining June, I really was wondering what ‘special moment’ in your relationship that was recalling!
Lovely calendar, well done (again!).
LindsayB says
I LOVE this! I’m stealing this idea to give to my fiance as a V-Day present. Thank you so much- I was stumped! :)
Some quotes that are going in mine:
“What is this? A center for ants?!” -from Zoolander. This is quoted at least 2 times a week in my house.
“Is it bloopable?” -referring to Tivo, and whether or not you can fast forward through commercials.
Thank you for the lovely, creative ideas.. as always!
ninniemuggins says
“No biting…just kisses”
That is so FREAKING cute! I love Burger!