jamaica | beyond the page protector

Hi there, it’s Jamaica. Today I thought I’d share my “big” calendar with you. I decided to make my own wall calendar this year after not being able to find one I liked. When the Today Journal Cards were released in December, inspiration struck. The cards hang from a tiny nails so that it can work as a perpetual calendar. Each new month I simply rearrange the cards. It took a bit of work to set-up—printing, trimming, punching holes, measuring and nailing—but I love the effect and the versatility.

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Here are the tools you’ll need to hang your cards —1/2″ nails, a small hammer, pencil, eraser, washi tape, and a level. A large level would be perfect for this project but in a pinch you can use a tiny picture hanging level and a yard stick like I did. Also, the 1/2″ nails were teeny tiny. So small that I could barely hold them while hammering them into the wall. Something slightly larger might make it easier, just look for one with a small head.

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Looking at a calendar for the year, I realized I would need a grid of nails 7 wide by 6 tall. Before I started hammering anything, I taped practice cards to the wall 7 across and 6 down to get a feel for the spacing. Once I determined where the top row should begin, I leveled and traced a quick line across the wall roughly the width of my calendar. Then I made tick marks every 3 1/4″ so that I’d have 1/4″ between cards.

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After each row of nails, I hung a few cards (because I was dying to see how it was going to look) but also to add a quick piece of washi as a guide for my next line/row of nails. I used a 1/8″ hole punch to make the holes at the top of the cards, about 1/4″ from the top. Because the card starts above the line you need to compensate for that when measuring the distance between rows of nails. My washing tape is roughly 1/2″ wide so I’ve got a generous 1/4″ between cards. To me, the tighter spacing between cards helps make them look more cohesive.

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After 63 nails, a lot of nailing and endless erasing of pencil marks, I was finally able to hang the full set of cards. And was so excited—it turned out better than I imagined. The small variations in nail placement or hole punches aren’t noticeable and the way the cards hang slightly in front of the wall give it depth.

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While I absolutely love the bold black and white, graphic look of the calendar, I quickly realized it wasn’t very functional. So I began playing with different ways to add dates and appointments. Post-its peel right off, keeping the original date card intact which I like since I’m planning to use the same set for the whole year. Plus they add a fun pop of color. The blank Today cards that come in the set are another great option. Just print a few extra of those to keep on hand. Really though, any extra Project Life journaling card will work. Just punch a quick hole in the top, jot a quick note and add it to the calendar.

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I hope this project inspires you to look at your scrapbooking supplies in new and fun ways!

xo, jamaica

See more of my projects here or follow me online at my blog, on Instagram or see what inspires me on Pinterest.

Blog Comments

I don’t have words. This is just amazing!

Awesome! So smart.

this. is. brilliant!

This is just fantastic! And the neon post-its are perfect. So fun!

Brilliant.

This is awesome! What a great idea!

[…] I like it. I want it. The Type-A personality buried deep inside me years for it. […]

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