Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Get started now on this quick gift idea!


With Thanksgiving tomorrow and holiday gift-giving upon us, I thought I would share this idea for a quick and easy gift that is perfect for teachers, friends, neighbors and family alike. I made these dry erase calendar boards for my mom and mother-in-law for Mothers' Day this year, and they were a hit! I managed to put two together in under an hour, which makes this a perfect last-minute project to tackle. And as an added bonus, the materials other than the photo frame are likely already a part of your current stash. How nice is that?

Materials:
1 8x10 photo frame with glass
1 8x10 sheet cardstock (preferably a neutral color, but this is just a base layer that won't be seen, so any color will do)
7 strips of colored cardstock, each 1.4 inches wide by 8 inches tall
7 1-inch squares white cardstock
Letter stickers
Ribbon
Up to 7 thumbnail-size photos, each approximately 1 inch square (optional)
Dry erase markers

Directions:
1. Trim your colored cardstock to the specified dimensions and adhere to your 8x10 sheet of cardstock to form 7 columns.
2. Adhere your white cardstock squares in the top portion of each column, then adhere letter stickers representing the days of the week on each square (S, M, T, W, R/Th, F, S).
3. Adhere your strip of ribbon just below your letter blocks, forming a border below which dates will be written.
4. If using, arrange your thumbnail photos in the bottom portion of your columns as you desire. Adhere. (I used four photos, placed in the first four columns.)
5. Place a message like "To Do" in the bottom right portion of your calendar, being sure to leave plenty of space for your recipient to write in his or her appointments.
6. Place your finished calendar sheet into your frame as you would a typical photo, and voila! A quick and easy gift!

Be sure to include a dry erase marker with your board, and pencil in a few dates/holidays so your recipient can see exactly what the board is intended for. When I went to visit my mom a month or so ago, I was thrilled to see hers that I made her still sits on her desk, filled with her appointments and commitments for the week!

If you decide to put one (or more!) of these together, we would love to see your creation! Feel free to share a picture in the comments below. :o)

4 comments:

Stacey said...

This is a super cute idea! I might have to make a couple of these for Christmas! Thanks Amy!

Megan Smith (aka Daisymeh) said...

So cute Amy! What a great idea!

Becky said...

Wow! What a wonderful idea! I should make a large one and hang it by our door!
Thanks for Sharing, Amy!

Pabby said...

Thanks for sharing Amy. I'm seeing this for a gift for school teachers and Sunday school teachers.