Back to English – 4 x 6 calendar journaling blocks

In my discussions with Estelle (Opsite) we were trying to decide the best way to convert the Circle Quotes CD calendar to a PL size one.  I felt like the 3×4 size might be too small for the quotes to be readable but I had an idea that I thought worked.  Although we have sorted out most of the issues we are stuck at the moment on a couple of things for the French version (me with my bad internet issues and Opsite with finding comparable quotes in French that are long enough to make a circle) so it is taking longer than it would normally for me to get them done and added.  I do have the Summer and Spring printables converted for French readers but as they have image elements that make them BIG and therefore slow to upload on a dodgy connection, they will have to wait.

Silly, but I feel slightly guilty that my poor blog has been neglected.  So I came up with this as a bit of a stop-gap.  98% of the design work was done, it was just a matter of sizing and placement.  All which could be done without going online.  And best of all as it is basically all  “text” elements (even the images are dingbats and the journaling lines rows of …) even at 6 pages it is TINY to upload and download.  Result! Grab it here.

Basically, this the CD calendar fit into a 4 x 6 block, with journaling lines alongside.  I think it could be quote useful for Project Life sleeves.  It would also be possible, as the size is right, to print then cut out the circle and the journaling block, then mount them onto a 4 x 6 block of maybe cardstock or patterned paper, for a more colourful version.  As the circles are 3 inches across in size, although it might mean the text is literally at the very edge of the block, it might even be possible to cut them to get a 3 x 4 card.

This bring up other possible options:

• a true 3 x 4 version
• a true 3 x 4 version with Monday to Sunday circles
• the 4 x 6 size with Monday to Sunday circles
• the 4 x 6 size in portrait orientation, with journaling lines below
• the 4 x 6 size in portrait orientation, with journaling lines below with Monday to Sunday circles

If I thought a bit more I might even come up with a few MORE options LOL! But I am on a mobile connection (the actual BT one seems to have given up the ghost for the moment, once more dropping every 5 minutes or so) and just uploading everything I did offline still took an hour.  I’ll hit submit and watch for comments on what, if anything, you might like of the possible options.  Hope they are useful and will hope to get the French version done soon.

Sunday SOMEONE ELSE

Hello all!  Still have too much to do to get DS off back to Uni.  His birthday today.  22.  How did that happen?

Anyway, I want to say thanks to all my new followers.  The calendars seem to be the draw.  And with that in mind, I want to share something I got via email.  Tina, in Germany, found the German language calendars and created this little project.  I thought it was a real outside-the-box version.  As you can see, the Project Life printable I made is there on the right.  But let me share her words (with permission granted, of course)

…

I followed your tutorial for the calendar stand and took a wire spiral which I recycled from an old calender to hold my sheets…then I cut your monthly sheets and so I had the size for my months and days.

I stamped and heat embossed the name of every month and the daily numbers and then I had a little fun with my stampin’ up stamps and inks…

I think it turned out very well and I wanted to let you know, that all your work is so amazing and helpful and thank you very much for your printables!

I just thought it was such a cute idea!  You could even make one of the sections grid or lined paper, for adding appointments or birthdays.  Maybe make one section photos or monthly affirmations or meditations or Bible quotes, if that is your thing. There are just so many ways you could change-up the basic idea to suit you.  I just love it when people share their projects with me and when they allow ME to share it, so much the better.  Thank you for that, Tina. I love it and may have to make one for myself!

Normal service will resume soon.  Life has to get back to normal sometime, doesn’t it?

A special 2015 calendar request

It’s a funny thing.  I know WordPress can be a struggle for some people to comment on, but I get so many lovely comments from people who just want to say thanks.  I appreciate that. I do sometimes get request from people, alterations to my designs, and I do try to keep that info in mind for future designs. I do sometimes get less request, more demand-type comments, and have addressed those in the past, with never a thank you follow-up.  Those made me rethink my whole “on-demand” service LOL!  Luckily I like making printables, and I look at requests as challenges.  And when I get a super-nice request that includes a compliment, well, I’m just a sucker for those.

One commenter asked about my Chevron calendar blocks.  She liked them and used them but wanted them bigger for her DDs album.  I thought yeah, no problem, but of ALL the calendars I’ve done, these were the ones that looked the most wonky just scaled up from 3 x 4 to 4 x 6.  The circles that hold the numbers just looked bad.

You can see for MAY, which has a lot of weeks, the DAY name strip needs shifting, the day block needs shifting, the month name has to come up and the background only has to be sized to 4 x 6.  So NOT a simple fix, but not crazy time-consuming for most months.

 

The middle one was just scaled to 4 x 6, the bottom one had a bit more done to it.  The other issue is of course using A4 paper I can’t get more than two months to a page.  As I always design as best I can to fit BOTH A4 and US letter, that means a 6-page PDF.  Even with the Quartz filter applied it’s still 2 mb – without the filter it was nearly 7 mb!

So anyway, there you go.  The request did make me wonder – are there any OTHER calendars people would want in the larger size?  I routinely make SMALLER versions, so they can be used to make tear-offs, but it just never occurred to me they might like larger ones – so many comments say I like journaling cards more than filler cards – I have too many photos to use up a sleeve with pure filler! so I tend to do almost everything in 3 x 4.  But if there was a need for bigger calendar cards, I can always see how easy it might be to convert them and do it.  So let me know.  And to Annie, I’ve emailed you – my gut feeling was you wanted 4 x 6 and not really 6 x 8 but if it is 6 x 8 you need it can be done much easier as the proportions are the same as the 3 x 4s!

 

 

Yesterday corrected and the Monday to Sunday version

My worst nightmare.  Making a mistake on the calendars. As I updated on my post from yesterday I had somehow swapped March and April.  I’ve sorted it and checked and double-checked both again just to be sure, and added the corrected versions.  Apologies if you got the one with the error.  So far I don’t see it pinned so let’s hope it was just followers who saw it while it was wrong and they will see this too.

 

And here are (checked and double checked) the MONDAY to SUNDAY versions.

Full size two per page

Smaller size four per page

 

One more calendar for 2015

 Sorted now.  The two PDFs are correct and available to download.

Note:  Monday to Sunday version is available here.

We are busy putting up the tree today – amazed I was able to get DD to wait till this week, she’d have had it up in November if we had a clear day to do it. But I did want to add this printable.  I am aware that I have tended to do more Project Life sized calendars than others.  I wanted to add something a little more vintage than my usual more funky or grungy style.  I hope these fit the bill.  I intend, when time allows, to add a Mon to Sun version but as that isn’t the one *I* use, it’s always farther down on my list.

Because it takes seconds, I’ve done the original size and the reduction:

One is two to a page, can be cut to fit a CD case

With a circle cutter – and actually a little closer to the black frame would fit better but I only have the old CM circles and this is the size you get

If your circle cutter can get that little bit closer you can cut them out then mount them on cardstock or patterned paper, then slip the months into the frame. Likewise, you can cut them and mount them on bigger sheets, if you want to do a more stamped or art journaled background.  You can cut between them and trim the sides to make a rectangle with room to decorate around the edges.  The point is these are just the circles with no cutting lines at all.  That gives you the most flexibility, I think.  If I get time I’ll do some samples but if you do one, please share!

You can also scale the size when printing if you want them just a little smaller or even a little bigger.  Play around with them and tell me what you did.  Someone else might like your idea better.

Rather than just telling you how you can do it, I also did the reduction and saved it as a PDF!

The smaller size might also be useful for a CD calendar,

and you can get a slightly closer trim depending if you use the Nesties Standard Circles Small (largest ring) or Large (second to largest ring – the largest is too large)

Once I get time to do the Mon to Sun version I’ll cross-link so if you stumble on this one you’ll see the link to the other and vice versa.

Off to fight with the strands of lights….

A commenter asks, I answer!

One of my frequent commenters, Paula, asked about the card with Post It note and tear-off calendar, commenting that she had just planned on making one of my CD calendars but was torn because she loved the Post it note idea.  As I was replying, the germ of an idea floated to the top of my brain.  I spent more time hunting around trying to find a clean, empty CD cover than I did making the project!

There are many ways to go with the idea and I’ll outline a few of them.  Basically, the key is a small extra piece of thick cardstock or thin chipboard scored to create a kink.

This is assuming your CD holder has edges all around both pieces.  I think some of the newer ones may have less to get in the way.

Mine is 5 1/4 x 3 1/2.  This is so it fits inside the CD case.  In order to add the pen holder, I poked a hole in the middle, just above the 3 x 3 Post it note square.  Using a crochet hook, I pulled the loom band thru to the back

and threaded a bit of chipboard the at the back, sticking it down.

I added a strip of double-sided tape to the top edge, but did NOT peel off the backing.  This way all the bits for the Calendar fit inside the CD cover.

And in fact, with a small pen or pencil, that will fit in as well.  You can see I show this without the cover decorated, because if it was, you couldn’t see how nicely it fits inside! Once your recipient takes it out, they can assemble it

For this, I made a decorated block that fits behind the cover, then stuck the tear-off block to the front.  That way you can change the background as often as you like and so long as the placement is the same, you can just stick a new year’s one on in 2016!

Two additional points: first, there is no reason you can’t use any standard CD calendar blocks rather than a tear-off one.

As long as they aren’t on super thick paper they should still fit in the CD along with the Post-it note block, especially if you divide a block in 1/2 as I did.   Second, if they feel the footprint of the calendar is too big, your recipient can always stick it to the back leg of the stand.  Technically they wouldn’t really NEED the added piece, but it’s nice to offer the option

And finally, I’ve had the odd comment or two about my Doily calendar printables.  Some folk aren’t crazy about the grungy scratch marks thru the Month names.  I liked that, which is why I picked that font, but as it only took me like 15 minutes, I went ahead and did a font swap for the same one I used for the 2016 Calendar.

This one is sized for Project Life but I used it in the sample to make the tear off.  The little ones were too small to look right on the front of the CD

 

THIS one is the smaller card topper size tear-off. You can see the three methods I use for making a stack a tear-off: glue, brads, staple.

{sigh} now I have to go back and add the link to all the places where I have the OTHER doily version …

Tear off calendars to print

I did make some tear offs this year, but they were pretty standard, boring ones.  I also mentioned how you can change print settings on your printer and convert PL 3×4 calendar cards into sheets you can cut and turn into tear offs.  As I was locating all my calendar stuff while creating the post from yesterday, I thought I might as well just convert the ones I had made, make the PDFs and add them here. This is a little misleading.  The Doily calendars, the Sunday to Saturday and Monday to Sunday versions, are HUGE (nearly 12 MB) if I do more than one complete calendar in the PDF.  So those two are ONE FULL CALENDAR  in each file.  They weigh in at almost 3 MB even so.

2015 Doily Calendar Tear Off – Sunday to Saturday

2015 Doily Calendar Tear Off – Monday to Sunday

These have a double set of lines around them.  You can make them bigger by cutting along the outer frame if you prefer.

Cut to the inner, pale grey line they are about 2 1/4 by just under 3 inches. All the others are this size as well. Cut to the OUTER black line they are just over 2 1/2 x 3 1/4.

For the other two you can change the settings to print just one year by printing just page 1 and page 2.  Printing all six pages will let you create FOUR full calendars.

 

Once you print and cut you can use any method to make them a tear off that you like.

 

2015 Funky Frame tear off

2015 Pixel Calendar tear off

I usually either add the glue along the top edge (PVA glue)

or staple them.  I would actually use two staples to keep them from shifting around, especially after a few months have been torn off.

 

I am making little cards that turn into calendar stands with Post-it notes. Annoyed because I know I have a box FULL of coasters and could I find them? Nope. It’s a basic easel card, mine is 4 x 12 to begin with, which fits my “coaster” (actually a mini book page)

The fact that I couldn’t find my damn coasters actually allowed a little innovation. Hands up if you DON’T have a bajillion loom bands under foot, all day, every day… well, I used one I spied laying on the floor to make a pen holder ring.  I just threaded the loom band on to the twine I was tying thru the holes

Threaded the twine thru and pulled so the loom band  was partway thru the hole before tying it off.

I suspect that the mini-book page (thicker than a coaster) and the pen addition make it a bit too thick to fit comfortably in an envelope, certainly not for mailing

But if you make a …what are they called? box-alope?  or put it in a larger envelope to hand deliver it, you will probably be OK.

If you look back to this post you can see the process so you can make ANY 3×4 calendar card printable (PDF) into a tear off-sized version.

You may not think they are worth the effort, but I think they look SO much nicer than the standard bag o’ tear-offs you can buy… up to you….

{wink}

A quick recap – all 2015 calendar printables and projects

NEW doily added at the bottom!

I was working on my menu item of 2015 calendars but thought it might be better? more useful? to do a compact post with a round-up of all my calendar printables and links to some of the projects using them (and others printables) for quick reference and no clutter.  Hope it is helpful!

Circular CD calendar printables:

Circular quotes – Link to post

 

 

Pretty circles – link to post

Other CD calendars:

Link to post

 

CD Calendar projects:

Crochet edge

Make a frame

Make a frame

Make any printable a calendar

Origami cube option

NEW: CD with tear off

and another version

The Crochet edge frame is here and the basics of making a frame for a CD calendar is here. And there is a post here for turning and Project life 3 x 4 sized calendar printable into a CD calendar. The origami cube links are below. Alternative cutting of the CD calendar printables is here.  A BEAUTIFUL one by one of my followers is here.

 

Project Life 3 x 4 Calendar cards:

Funky

2015 – Sun to Sat

Pixel

2015 – Mon to Sun

French and Spanish

German

Chevron Spots

Funky
2015 – Sun to Sat or Mon to Sun
Pixel
Chevron Spots
French or Spanish Or German

Look and the Make Any 3 x 4 PL calendar card into a CD calendar post above as well as the Origami Photo Cube posts. This post shows making the cube (using Gelli prints) but these show the calendar inserts being used: adapting for calendars, improvements, grid paper version.

 

Finally, the grid paper photo cube post includes tear-off calendar printables, seen above, and there is a post here that tells you how to set up your printing to make smaller tear-offs from 3×4 printables

And an easel card that includes a tear-off and Post-it notes and in that post a number of my 2015 PL cards resized and offered to download and make your own tear-offs without all the technical hassles

There is a 2016 Doily version already up, as a commenter said she always makes 2 year versions as gifts and asked me if I would make one, so I did.

2016 version

Some people weren’t so keen on the scratchy font for he 2015 Doily, so I went ahead and made a version that uses the same font a the 2016 version here.  I also made a little CD calendar in the post here.

Hopefully that is helpful, having them all in one place.

One of the first CD calendars, updated

I had a couple of comments on an old CD calendar post, first asking for help to download it, then asking for it to be updated. Obviously the OLD calendar wasn’t going to be very useful LOL! But the point is looking back at my stats, this one was one of the most popular.  I’ve not figured out why, but I have to say it is one of MY fave font combos.   I have learned so many tricks over the years to allow me to convert to the current year with not a ton of effort, so I went ahead and took an hour and did it.  Just the same as the original one, just 2015 version.

I have to say this one, of ALL the ones I ever made, makes me the craziest.  The font creator didn’t space the numbers right, or perhaps was going for a bouncy, funky look (the thing I love about the font, actually) but it defies perfect (or even CLOSE) horizontal alignment.  I just picked one of the longest lines in the middle, and lined everything up based on that, adjusting if something looked badly off to MY eye.

The 6-page PDF (two months per page) can be grabbed here – I’ll keep asking, although not many people do it, please share a link if you use the calendar.  YOUR project might inspire someone else, and I only need so many calendars so I don’t make samples using every one of them! I do know I need to copy over the samples and links for all the 2015 ones I’ve made , and might also delete the old, useless ones from the top menu, and focus more on the calendar projects rather than the printables.  It’s all about the time… I’ve always fancied making one of these by cutting out the CD sized bit, making it a tear-off calendar and adding photos all around the edge.  I might actually do it this year…

 

More Advent stuff – printables and an idea!

Still dithering about the Advent calendar.  One thing that kept me very busy yesterday was designing my own cones, to supplement the ones I linked to originally.  I wanted them to be a little bigger around the base than the elves and a bit taller and slimmer (who doesn’t wish for that? LOL!) for a reason.  My first ones were too squat and stumpy

but I finally got what I wanted

I also wanted the cutting and sticking to be kid-friendly, which I think it is.  Once cut you need only add a bit of double-sided tape to the flap and score and crease it

For folding, I find it is easiest to almost fold the cone, without actually creasing it, matching up the edges and sticking

You can then gently roll it into shape.  I added a little star just to make the gripping of the top easier

Now for the tip.  I was making a cuppa and what drew my eye was the milk bottle top.  I don’t know about where you live but where *I* live the bottles are recyclable but not the lids.  They are the PERFECT size and make a nice little cup (and far easier than the paper one from the other day – really, making 4 or 5 of them, sure, fine, but 24?? No.

And the 2″ circle punch fits inside with a bit of a push to get past the ridges (which is good, they won’t fall out that way)

 

Just stick them to your base and place the cones over them.

The printable PDF has a total of 12 different patterns.  If you really want to make a full-month calendar, print it more than one, print it once then mix in the three major characters from the original and as many elves as you need to fill in.

The bottle lids are a bit too wide for the elves, but you could  stick them inside the elves, or just stick the circles to the base, for a little more variation.  I haven’t provided the circles for “treats” cause you will have your own ideas of hat your kids will like, and I’ve not added numbers, so you can mix and match as you like.  A number sticker, a stamp, a die cut  or punched circle will all work.

 

Now, if you aren’t keen on printing them print one page and use it as a template to cut the cones from cardstock and let the kids decorate them instead! I rather fancied making a Vintage one, all lace and gold and pearls and pretty bits, and may still do. Could be pretty but a big task – I’ll speak to that another day…

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More on the ongoing Google word verification issue.  I was testing a theory and I think I have more info, almost enough to tailor my WOYWW commenting so I can carry on without having to log in to Google to do it. I checked today to find that number verification was back, but I wasn’t fooled.  What I thought last time was that after commenting on a number of blogs, the word verification popped up. I thought I had typed the number in right, but word verification came with a message saying I had typed it WRONG. So today I was very very careful to check that I was typing the right thing.  All went well for about the first 5 blog comments.  On comment 6 I noticed that the number was cut off.  I typed what I saw and SURPRISE! Word verification, cause I “typed it wrong.” Now every blog is WV again.

So what I have gleaned is that I can comment on up to 5 blogs. If I see the number cut off in any way, I should step away from the keyboard.  I’d like one more test to see if indeed the number being cut off is the key – if I refresh the choice, will it stay cut off or give me a new one?  And I don’t know if giving it an hour or two will keep number verification or if I have to wait a day (-ish – might be 24 hours from my last comment not 00:00:01.)  I think it  means I can comment on a few Blogger blogs each day till I get thru all my visits.  Not giving up, I’ll work it out. And yes, I know I am being pedantic.  Sorry.  Feel free to skip these bits….