Calendar makeover + organizing the desk with vintage finds....

It's a new year which means I need a new calendar.  I always keep a small calendar on my desk where I do all my blogging and shipping & I needed one like pronto.  I was kind of happy when I got the note about the Studio Calico calendar that was to be included in the Project Life kit.  Although I would have rather had all the journaling cards in the kit be perfect and not have to trim them, the little calendar set was a bonus.  But upon viewing it, it was a hot little mess of uneven corners and edges...free or not, it was not really usable in it's current condition.  

Instead of recycling the lot, I decided to make the best of it and re-purpose the calendars into something I could use for my desk. I went to work with my paper trimmer and cut all the calendar cards to 2.5" x 3.5" rectangles.  I'm thinking that leaving all the journaling cards as rectangles might be the best route for the Studio Calico PL kits...I kind of like them that way because then I'm free to round or not round.  Anyway, I reached for 12 Library Cards to use as a bigger base for the calendar cards.

I wanted to make this project go rather quickly so I picked out just a few embellishments to adorn the calendar months.  I have this enamel bread pan full of little stickers & such so I pulled out a bunch of My Mind's Eye labels.

I used the MME labels to hold down the calendar cards then used a neutral assortment of Washi tape strips to further embellish the calendar cards.

I stitched over each label to secure it even further.  Then I used my "one mini, one regular" stapling to really make sure the pieces stayed secured.  No other adhesive was used.

And I kinda like them.  When laying out the calendar cards, I discovered that you could use all white or all grey or a combination of whatever you like.  I just alternated every other color and called it good.

To store my calendar I used a Medium Glassine Sack and a simple mini index card with typing.

And now how about incorporating the calendar in with some vintage finds for my desk?

I spend a lot of time at my desk which is where I do all my blogging, shop packaging, printing and shipping.  It might as well have some fun new stuff for a new year, right? I decided that I'll stand each calendar month up in a vintage floral frog.  I've got lots of these sitting here and there so I might trade them out each month for variety.  Basically, they are very heavy bases with with lots of needle-like prongs sticking up.  Floral frogs were used to sit in vases and then flower stems were poked in to secure the arrangement.  You can find them in antique shops and online.  That's even a flower frog on the left side.  Of course now it's a pen holder for me.

Included in the Studio Calico Project Life kit was this 2013 badge also.  I stuck some foam dots on the back of it and secured it to the front of my flower frog.  Just so I don't forget what year it is and all.

I placed my calendar along with my other floral frogs + an old receipt spike that I use to hold customer thank you tags + my old stapler on a pretty painted tray.  This will sit on my desk, right within reach of where I ship orders and do my blogging.

So there ya go, a re-purposed project that resulted in some new organization for the new year.  It's all good.