Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Transform an Old Calendar into a Framed Collage


As another year draws to a close, don’t throw away your calendar. Instead, recycle it by transforming it into a beautiful wall decoration.

Old calendars make ideal starting material for a collage because they usually contain a lot of images on a similar theme.

Here is how to recycle old calendars quickly and easily by transforming them into collages that you can hang on your wall.

You will need:

One or more old calendar(s)
Scissors
Craft glue
A piece of card (to form the basis of the collage)
A frame large enough to fit the piece of card

Cost:

$5-10 (mainly for the frame – it is likely that you will already have the other materials)

Instructions

  1. Take the old calendar and cut out anything that interests you, leaving a large border all the way round. Don't restrict yourself to cutting out complete images. In fact, it is better to focus on details of larger pictures and cut around those details. You may also cut out other aspects of the calendar, such as the title or some of the month and date indicators.

  2. Once you have cut out all of the images you wish to use, arrange them on the piece of card, without sticking them down. Look for pleasing color combinations or images that seem to fit together. Alternatively, you can juxtapose images that seem to oppose each other and experiment with the effects created. Don't be afraid to experiment. It will probably take a little time before you find a design that you are happy with.

  3. Decide whether or not you will add other images or writing to your collage. You may have other material that you wish to use from old greetings cards, gift tags and other paper-based items. Arrange these with the images from your calendar.

  4. Having decided upon the final layout, cut each image down to size, so that it does not overlap too much with any of the adjacent pieces. If the images overlap a lot, you may find that the finished collage is too bulky to fit into the frame. A good way of fitting images neatly side by side is to cut each one into a square or rectangle shape.

  5. Stick each piece to the card. Allow the glue to dry.

  6. Place in the frame and hang on the wall.

Making a collage from an old calendar lengthens the life of the calendar and ensures that its images will be displayed on your wall for many more years to come. It is a quick, easy and inexpensive craft project.


I made the collage in the photograph from the BBC Good Homes calendar for 2000. I focused on putting together floral images from the calendar and also used some of the month and date indicators to fill up empty space in the collage.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New Year’s Gift – A Free Six Month Subscription to a Craft Magazine

You will need:

Internet connection
Email address

Cost: Free

If you love crafts, then the chances are that you also love to read craft magazines for inspiration and relaxation. However, craft magazines can be quite expensive if you are on a tight budget.

I came across a great offer today, which enables you to subscribe to the online version of an Australian craft magazine for six months completely free of charge. You can choose from five different magazines:

  • Creative Paper covering scrapbooking, card making and other paper crafts
  • Beads etc for jewelry makers
  • Down Under Quilts for quilt makers
  • Creative Expressions – sewing, embroidering and quilting
  • Creative Weddings – for creative brides-to-be

I chose Creative Paper as I enjoy card making and have just started scrapbooking. As soon as I signed up, I was given immediate access to the latest issue of the magazine.

So, what are you waiting for…follow this link and simply fill in your name and email address.

 
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