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Monday, January 4, 2016

World Market Inspired Perpetual Calendar

How to make a World Market inspired perpetual calendar! 


I love flipping through magazines and browsing stores for great ideas that I can DIY.  I recently came across a perpetual calendar at World Market and knew right away I could make one myself.    I made a list of supplies as soon as I came home then headed out to Home Depot to pick up what I needed to create my own DIY version. 

DIY World Market inspired perpetual calendar

SUPPLIES NEEDED TO MAKE A WORLD MARKET PERPETUAL CALENDAR 

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- 1x8x8 piece of wood
- Small piece of thin scrap wood
- 4 long pieces of thin balsa wood
- White chalk paint 
- Mitre saw
- Minwax Jacobean stain
- Clear wax
- Aging dust
- Elmers adhesive letters
- Elmers adhesive numbers
- Glue stick
- Paintbrush
- Drill and drill bits
- Book rings
- Small hinge


HOW TO MAKE A WOOD PERPETUAL CALENDAR
I started by cutting a piece of 1x8x8 and about 4 long pieces of balsa wood down to size.
Use chop saw to cut wood down to size

Wood cut for World Market perpetual calendar
After giving all the pieces of wood a light sanding I painted two coats of white chalk paint on both sides of the balsa wood.  I stained the piece of 1x8 with Minwax Jacobean stain.
Paint wood pieces with white chalk paint
After everything was dry I glued my favorite Elmer's letters and numbers to each piece of balsa wood to make 12 months and enough numbers for every date combination.  (You'll need (2) zeros, (2) ones, (2) twos, (2) threes, and (1) of every other number.)

After all my dates and numbers were finished I distressed each one using wax and aging dust.
 Add wax to top of adhesive letters

Add aging dust over wax
By this point I felt like I was drowning in numbers and couldn't wait to put everything together.
Completed letters and numbers for perpetual calendar
I measured and drilled holes in my base wood using a drill bit large enough for my rings to slip through, but tight enough so they won't move around.   I guess I should also mention that I cut a smaller piece of wood to use as the stand and attached it using a small door hinge.
Drill holes for book rings and attach back stand
I then had to drill holes in EVERY number and EVERY month card.  It was a lot of redundant work that I thought would never end.
World Market Inspired Perpetual Calendar - Littlehouseoffour.com
After I had all my holes drilled I started assembling the calendar.  It wasn't long until I quickly realized there was no way all these "cards" were going to fit #fail.  Determined not to let this project get the best of me I ended up putting a few months and a few numbers on the calendar at a time.  That way I only have to change them every few days.  Not what I planned, but it works.

***TIP*** Looking back, I think it would be best to use thin sheet metal to make the month and date cards. That way they will be thin enough to all stack on the calendar at once. 
DIY World Market inspired perpetual calendar

World Market perpetual calendar
I actually LOVE how it turned out and couldn't be happier with my new office addition. 
How to make a perpetual calendar

How to make a DIY wood perpetual calendar

Do to having most of the supplies on hand (I had to buy the book rings, hinge and a few more pieces of balsa wood) the DIY World Market perpetual calendar only cost about $10.00 to make.  Not bad since the original World Market calendar is nearly $50.00.



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  1. I love this! It turned out so great. I think I like yours better than World Markets!

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  2. Oh my lanta!!! Love love loveee!

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  3. What is "aging dust"? Is it a product you buy or is it something you make?

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    1. Aging dust is a product that you buy. I use CeCe Caldwell brand since that's what I found at a local shop. You could use any brand and probably find it at craft stores or shops that sell chalk paint.

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  4. Love this Katie!!!! Turned out better than the original version!!!!

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  5. Wow, I absolutely love this! It looks so great in your office space. Pinning this!!

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  6. What an awesome knock off! I know your eyes were crossed with all that drilling but it was so worth it in the end. I love your version even better!

    Thanks so much for sharing your creativity at the The DIY Collective this week! The party begins each Thursday at 6:00am EST.

    Have an awesome weekend!
    ~ Ashley

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  7. Great job! Very cool!!
    Victoria @ dazzlewhilefrazzled.com

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  8. This is so cute and so creative! I might try to make this and take your advice to use the thin sheet metal.

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  9. I love this idea even if you had a slight fail. The letters and the numbers look awesome with that aging dust (gotta get my hands on some of that!) Thanks so much for your tutorial, the project is fabulous!!

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  10. Love the way this turned out! It's my feature pick for The Creative Corner tonight!

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  11. Much prettier than the original. Beautiful work!

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  12. I would use the front and back of them for the month/numbers that way they would all fit and you would need less pieces.

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    1. Yes! Great idea; maybe then you could just turn it around w/o having to remove anything.

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  13. Such a cute project Katie! I think yours is so much cuter!

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  14. I saw one of these last year in California and when I got back I saw it in World Market. It is a bit pricey! happy to see the DIY version~Stopping by to let you know you are being featured on Friday’s P3 Party post! Have a great week! Thanks for pinning!
    Best,
    Kim

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  15. Hi there! I just wanted to let you know that I featured this project on my website as one of my Top 10 Favorite Back To School Crafts! You can check it out at

    http://greyposy.com/top-10-favorite-back-school-crafts/

    I love it! Thanks for sharing this great idea! You're amazing!

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  16. Your project is awesome! I will definitely try to do this by my own! Could you please write the measurements of larger piece of wood and the smaller ones? :)))) You're amazing!

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  17. So cute! I'm curious where you got your wood? A local craft store, or a home improvement store?? I'm falling in love with your blog, thanks so much for the wonderful ideas!

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    1. Thanks Traci! I usually get my wood from Home Depot, but smaller craft wood (like what I used for this project) I get from Michaels.

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