A Do-It-Yourself Bulletin Board Project

  Organize

First, decide where you want to hang your calendar. Do you have space in your home office? A wall in a playroom? Somewhere near a back or side door? Measure the space and then measure how much of it you want to fill with your calendar. This will determine how much material, fabric and ribbon you'll need.

Next, organize your supplies.

Materials needed:

• Large piece rolled corkboard
• Matching sized "fuzz board" or particle board
• Fabric
• Ribbon
• Hot glue gun
• Glue
• Staple gun
• Construction paper, scrapbook paper or cardboard
• Picture hangers, picture wire or metal rings and screws (to hang with)

Rolled corkboard will work as the top of the calendar (and the stuff the pins will stick to), but make sure you have something to mount the sheet of corkboard to — a backing that will stay flat and support the entire piece. This could be particle board or "fuzz board." Fuzz board might even work alone with no backing. Check with a local hardware or home store to find these materials.

Next, check out the fabric store for your choice of fabric. Depending on the size of your calendar, you'll probably need more than a few yards. Add a staple gun, ribbon, a hot glue gun and glue to your shopping basket, too. These materials will define your calendar days.

Build

Now it's time to create. If you're using a piece of corkboard, adhere the corkboard to your backing. Then cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover the entire piece. Add 4'' on each side of fabric when you cut it, so there's enough to fold over the back of the board. Now cover the front of the board with the fabric and staple or use tacks to adhere the fabric to the back. Make sure the fabric is taut and looks good.

To define the calendar, cut six pieces of ribbon to fit across width of the board. Cut four pieces of ribbon to run down the board's length. Measure accordingly so that each ribbon-division creates congruent sections, and use the hot glue gun to glue the ribbon onto the fabric. You could also use the staple gun to secure the ribbon on the back of the board. When you're finished, you should have 35 uniform squares — seven across and five down.

Hang

Because it's probably heavy, hang your new calendar as if it were a framed piece of art. You could use picture hangers, picture wire, or metal hanging rings attached to the wall with screws. If you get it framed, the framer should be able to give you a good idea on hanging options, based on its weight.

Date

Print numbers 1 through 31 on small squares of construction paper, scrapbook paper or cardboard and pin them on the month's corresponding days. You'll have to re-arrange them each month to stay updated.   Coordinate!

Now you're ready to see your month in high-definition. Pin pieces of construction paper, scrapbook paper or cardboard with colorful tacks or pushpins in each day's space to serve as running to-do lists.

Another idea: color coordinate. Buy an assortment of sticky notes and assign a color to each task: blue is for bills, green is for sports practice, yellow for social engagements. Simply write the day's task on the note and stick it or pin it on the calendar day.

For something fun, design symbols and cut them from construction paper, scrapbook paper or cardboard. Pin a soccer ball to the days assigned to soccer practice. Create a house for the day the mortgage is due. Or stick a bright, yellow sun on days meant for relaxation and recreation.

Don't hesitate to add your own creative touches and flair to the calendar and make your "time" your own.