2021 desk calendar: Create every day

Happy new year! Like most people, I was glad to see the end of 2020. What a crazy year. I know the change of a calendar doesn't solve problems, heal wounds, or rectify injustices. But it does feel like a glimmer of hope. Like we can sigh and say, "I made it. I survived." And I hope we can all take something (maybe many things) we learned last year and act on it to help make our lives, our communities, and our world a better place for everyone.

With all that said, a new year does require a new calendar. This year I made three different desk calendar styles, and I will share each of them in a separate post. Today's calendar features all things crafty.

Supplies:
Kit: May 2019 My Monthly Hero kit (Hero Arts)
Stamps: Crafty Turnabout (Concord & 9th); You Color My World, Empowered Words (Unity Stamp Co.); Strokes of Wisdom (Raisin Boat); Bloom with Heart (Fun Stampers Journey)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Highland Heather card stock (Stampin' Up!); watercolor paper (Marco); Galvanized Metallic Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Highland Heather ink pads and/or Blends/Blendabilities markers (Stampin' Up!); C1 alcohol marker (Copic); Gansai Tambi watercolor paints (Kuretake)
Accessories: 2021 tear-off calendars (Taylored Expressions), Stitched Frames Stacklets dies (Taylored Expressions), Crafty dies (Concord & 9th); Buttons and Needle and Thread dies (Taylored Expressions), Hearts Entwined die (My Favorite Things), Fashionable Hearts Embosslits die (Stampin' Up!), "create" word die (Taylored Expressions), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)

My starting points for this calendar were the May 2019 My Monthly Hero kit from Hero Arts (which, as of today, is still available in their online store) and the Crafty Turnabout stamps and dies from Concord & 9th (also still currently available). All of these products are full of great images, dies, and sentiments related to crafting and creativity. I just filled in a with a few stamps and dies from other companies so I had enough images to create a unique picture for each month.

To further unify the pages I chose a rainbow-y pallet of six colors: Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, and Highland Heather. I used those colors, along with a few neutrals, for all of the calendar pages. Each of the main colors was the background for two months. (And although I didn't plan it, the colors go in the same order: Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Highland Heather, Calypso Coral, Granny Apple Green. That does my organized left brain a little happy!) I also opted not to use any embellishments (what?!) because I really wanted the colors and images to be the focus.

I used a black stitched frame die cut layered on white card stock to create a focal panel for each month. Some months I stayed within the frame, and some months I placed images or die cuts so they overlapped the frame. In general I think I like the overlapping style better.

I made two of this style calendar for a couple of my best crafty friends. I hope the pages make them smile and inspire them to create every day.

In my next post I'll share another desk calendar design. (To see the second calendar, see "2021 desk calendar: We Stand with You," and for the third, see "2021 desk calendar: Flowers and leaves." Thanks for stopping by!