Personalized Dry Erase Calendar

I don't know about your household, but I know in mine we have reached that point where everyone has their own activities and appointments scheduled out, and it can get a little chaotic trying to keep track of who needs to be where at what time. I wonder how Mrs. Brady managed to keep her sanity with all those kids to keep track of? I find that keeping a calendar in a central location in the house - in our case the kitchen - provides a spot for everyone to list their schedules and also makes it possible to take a quick peek at any time and know what's on the agenda for the week. Since this calendar is going to be visible for anyone to see, why not make it pleasant to view and let it show your personality a bit?

In our house, we are big Disney fans. So much so, that I have a Mickey Mouse themed kitchen. Naturally, I felt that a cute Disney-themed calendar would be perfect for us! I could have easily just run out and bought a standard Disney calendar, but instead I thought - why not make my own and while I'm at it make it a dry erase, so it can easily be adjusted when needed?! So, I gathered some ideas from various internet sites, and here's the result:

Personalized Dry Erase Calendar

What you will need:

• empty frame - size depends on your available space and how big you want your calendar to be
• contact paper or wall paper
• scrapbook paper
• embellishments
• white cardstock
• printer

Let's Get Started:

1. Remove the cardboard cutout or backing from the frame and cover it with either contact paper or wall paper. Use whatever you have available. I used some contact paper I had left over from lining my kitchen cabinets and an old frame I had lying around. You could even use fabric if you want, you'll just need to use appropriate adhesives to make sure everything gets attached properly, and remember, you can also spray paint a frame if you have one, but it is not quite the color you are wanting to use. I'm all about using what you have available rather than running out to buy something to use.
2. This is the fun part! Decorate and personalize however you like. I did mine as if I were doing a big scrapbook page - leaving room in the center for the calendar portion. I was so excited to display some old ticket stubs we have from our trips to Disney World. They're so cute, and now when I see them on the calendar each day I smile thinking of the fun we've had. I also added a few sticker embellishments that I found at Michael's craft store with all the scrapbook stuff. You could add whatever themed items match your decor - or even use family photos and such. Have fun with it and make it yours!
3. Next, I used this calendar template. There's a button to click to open it in Microsoft Word. Once you do, you can edit it to whichever font you like and you can remove the name of the month and the dates. Since you will be reusing this same calendar each month, you will want to write those in by hand. When your calendar is how you like it, print on white card stock, and attach it in the center.
4. Voila! Reassemble the frame and you're all set! Now you can simply use fine tip dry erase markers to fill in your info each month. A little glass cleaner and paper towel remove it when you need to make changes or switch the calendar to the next month. So quick and easy to make, and so much cuter than a paper calendar or those plain dry erase calendars.