DIY Magnetic Family Calendar

Isn't she glorious?  I mean really, really fab?  I look at her and just get giddy!!  Let's face it, life is busy!  And I for one have tried to use every calendar out there to keep myself organized.  Computer, IPhone, Ipad....nope, never look at them.  I need something big and pretty that just smacks me in the face every morning:) So I will first start by telling you mine is attached to the inside of our pantry door. We enter that pantry no less than a 100 times a day! Ok, I may or may not exaggerate but with 6 of us in this house it's alot.  I also needed something big!  I needed something that could handle 4 kids and all their practices and appointments and have room to accommodate my menu planning.  I started doing some research on Pintrest and looking at different calendars.  One I love, love is over at The Homes I Have Made!

And if your not up to making your own....she sells them in her Etsy shop!  It however mainly focuses on menu planning and wasn't big enough for me.

This is the blank dry erase/magnetic board I started with. It is 22" x 35" and has a pretty black frame around it. I had purchase this years ago and we used it as a dry erase board to try and write down dates but I hated it because first of all my handwriting is horrible and I hated how it would smear and erase off so easily.  I believe I purchased it from Target and it appears they still have them here.  Cost is $17.49.  If you don't have a Target close by, I'm so very sad for you :(  However, you can find them on Amazon although the price is $29.99.  You could also probably find something similar at Walmart or an office store.  And by all means, you don't have to do one this big.

Now you need to find something to make your lines for your calendar.  Above is my amazing Cricut.  I have tons of vinyl lying around so I decided to put it to good use.  I simply used my Cricut and program and made 1/4" vinyl strips.  Now I realize not everyone has a vinyl cutter so my thought before the Cricut was to use Japanese Washi Tape.

Isn't it yummy?  It comes is a million different patterns and colors!!  You can find it on Amazon  or arts and craft stores usually with the scrapbooking stuff.  This could really add some pizazz to your calendar!

Another idea would be to use electrical tape.  

Take a ruler and measure out your spacing for your calendar.  This really just depends on the size of your board and how big you want your boxes.  I used this metal ruler which came in very handy.  I could lay it on the board and then take my vinyl strip and carefully use the edge of the ruler as a guide to keep the vinyl straight.

Once you have your calendar boxes made it's time to add the pretty!   I needed to be able to move things around including change out the months and dates so thankfully I came across the blog Love From The Oven.  Here magnetic calendar is also pretty amazing and she is gracious enough to include the FREE printables to make all the little magnets.  Please take some time to look around her blog!!

You'll need to pick up a pack of these magnet sheets.  I found mine at a office supply store.  They go in your printer and then you just go to the above blog for the printables and print them out on these magnetic sheets and cut them out!  Easy peasy!  Or, you could make them yourself on any editing program.  I actually wanted more magnets that had my meals for menu planning so went onto Word and made magnets myself for that part.  I also needed magnets for each child for all the practices etc. that they have consistently. Why write them a million times every month?

 So again, I made those on Word.  You will notice the different colors on my board.  Each child has their own color!  Daughter #1 is purple, Daughter #2 is pink, Son #1 is blue and Son #2 is orange.  And yellow are my meals:)  If you don't want to take the time to make your own, Better Homes and Gardens have these free printables you could use.

The only thing I added were these little post it tags.

These are for all the dates that come up that I don't have a permanent magnet for!  You know, vet visits, doctor appointments, picture day (haha, that ones for you Missy).  Just jot it down on one of these babies and stick it on your calendar!

And that's it!  A beautiful, functional calendar that makes me happy:)

What kind of calendar system do you use in your house?  If you have any questions just let me know!