Calendars are a great tool to help keep you organized. Instead of spending money on a store-bought calendar every year, however, you may consider making your own. Not only will this save you money in the long run, but it will also ensure that your calendar has a unique, personalized touch. While there are virtually unlimited ways to make your own calendar, this specific method only requires you to have a few supplies!

Here’s how to make a dry erase calendar to keep in your One 51 Place apartment:

1. Gather your materials. You’ll need a 12x16 inch (or larger) picture frame with a glass front, at least 35 paint swatches (like you would get from Home Depot or Lowe’s), glue, scissors, and a thin-tipped dry erase marker. Put some thought into what color of paint swatches you choose. For example, you may want the colors of your calendar to cover the entire spectrum of the rainbow, or you may want to choose various shades of one or two colors.
2. Cut your paint swatches to your desired size. If you have bigger handwriting or typically have a lot to write on your calendar, you may want to make them a little bigger – just be sure that you can fit 7 across and 5 down inside your frame.
3. Once they are cut, lay the paint swatches out in the desired order. Keep trying different combinations and patterns until you’re completely satisfied.
4. Glue your paint swatches to the inside of your frame’s back, color side up, taking care to ensure even spacing throughout. Again, you should have 7 across and 5 down, and you may even want to add extra thinner swatches at the top to write the days of the week.
5. Fasten the back securely to the frame. Next, flip the frame glass side up, and fill in the days with the numbers according to the month.
6. Enjoy your new, personalized calendar! When the month is up, simply wipe the glass down with a paper towel to remove the marker and write in the next month’s days.

Many residents of our Alachua, FL, apartments use calendars to keep track of appointments, when bills need to be paid, and all the other events in their lives. If you are not already a resident and would like to learn more about our community, call us today, or stop by the leasing office to take a personal tour of our property.