Perpetual Calendar Project

Image: Sarah Wandering

It's January, the start of a new year. Which means that most of us use this time to make a fresh start in some area of our life that requires improvement. We set new goals. New resolutions. We start over and hit the reset button. To others it's just another year. Another month. Another week. Another day.

I fall somewhere in the middle of those 2 thoughts and when I say middle what I really mean is, I spend a lot of time thinking about improvement but eventually end up in the 'it's just another day' camp. Each new year though I've always thought there's one thing I could/should change about myself and that's to start using a diary.

Now, I don't mean a 'Dear diary, what a day...' kind of thing, but a daily diary for writing memos and notes, to-do lists and appointments to keep track of my life and it's something my wife has been trying to get me to do for years. Being an avid list maker herself, she went so far as to buy me a diary one Christmas in the vain hope I might remember to do the things at the time that was arranged. It now meant I had to carry around a diary along with my keys and my phone and my wallet and my mints (which once was cigarettes and a lighter) and my bits and my bobs that I obviously think are very important to my very existence. The only problem with this was I kept forgetting to write stuff in it. 

After a while I saw this perpetual calender and as much as this calendar would look amazing up on the wall  it's not exactly what I was looking for.

Image: Sarah Wandering

However, if you would like to try your hand at creating this practical and gorgeous piece of art then have a look at Leo Reynolds photo collections on Flickr. A wonderful source of letters and numbers.
You can use personalised photos to fill out the rest of the spaces.

Here is a little video showing you a kind of  'how-to'.

                       

So for me, it's back to the drawing board. Or Chalkboard?
What I need is something more along the lines of this.

Image: Martha Stewart

A chalkboard wall calendar.

If you have the space and the time (and the patience I imagine) then have a look at this article over on marthastewart.com where there is a tutorial showing you everything you need to create it.

Of course, I would not be doing my job here if I didn't offer some kind of cheaper alternative to this chalkboard mural of sorts. So, if you don't have the space or indeed own the wall to be painted, there is a great way of achieving a similar effect with an old picture frame and recycled paint sample books courtesy of The Aesthetic Writer. Drop on over to the site for this post which gives a detailed tutorial.

DIY: Dry Erase Calendar

Image: The Aesthetic Writer

As for the new improvements, new goals, new me attitude, I figure there's no harm in starting a bit late. January 1st doesn't have to be the 'be all and end all' for starting new things. 

As a case in point, today is the exactly one year since my first post on this site which makes my new year start date two weeks late. Which I don't really mind so much, after all, it's better late than never.