DIY: 2011 Calendar

I realize it’s already the fourth of January, but I still wanted to share the calendar I made for 2011! I made it approximately 11×5 inches so it could easily be printed off with a home printer using a standard paper size. My calendar features simple typography and an illustration for each month. I’m making the template (but not the graphics) available to download. I created this using Adobe Illustrator (CS3 version), so the EPS zip file is available for those of you have AI. Maybe you don’t have AI, but you have Photoshop or just MS Office? Well, you’re in luck! I also created a PDF zip file to download.

I didn’t include the graphic so you could personalize it yourself. Here are a few examples you can use to personalize it:
• Have a young child? Let them draw a picture on each month, this way you can show off their artwork year round. You can also do this too if you happen to have the artist gene.
• Cut a fun shape out of the top and tape a piece of lightweight, patterned fabric behind it. This way the fabric shows through the cut-out.
• Glue a photograph on every month—perhaps it’s a scene from a favorite vacation or someone you love dearly.
•  Write in some of your favorite quotes

Words of Advice: Invest in some heavier paper for the calendar. I went to Best Buy and bought Epson’s 4 Star Heavyweight Matte Paper. Available here, and it’s only about $10-$15 for a pack of 50 sheets.

Helpful Hint: Make sure you print with crop marks!! It makes it so much easier to cut out once printed. Just remember to not cut all the way to the edge of the paper, you need to be able to see those crop marks! If printing the EPS files from AI, make sure you go under the “Marks & Bleeds” setting and check “Trim Marks.”  The PDF’s are set up for you with the crop marks, all you have to do it make sure you chose the “Fit to Printable Area” option.

Now, without further ado…my calendar!

My Calendar in its entirety!

Close up of a couple of months.

I marked special days (holidays, birthdays anniversaries, etc.) with a color pulled from the top graphic.

My calendar all hung up on the DIY Corkboard I made a while back.

 Download the EPS & PDF versions of the calendar here.

*Since WordPress doesn’t allow us to upload zip files, the link will direct you to a MediaFire page where both versions are available to download.

—m.

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