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Home » DIY » Easy DIY Decor » DIY Dry Erase Calendar from Bad Thrift Store Art

July 12, 2017

DIY Dry Erase Calendar from Bad Thrift Store Art

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Learn how to make a DIY dry erase calendar from thrift store art! (If you prefer paper calendars, I have a printable calendar for 2019.)

I’ve been a habitual furniture re-arranger since I was a kid. While other teens spent time hanging out with friends, I was envisioning new living room arrangements. I swapped rooms with my siblings on the reg. Nothing made me happier than taking apart furniture and schlepping it across the house to another room. Changing the furniture around and swapping rooms still makes me happy.

In fact, I’m currently in the middle of swapping my office space and my living room. The best part of this new arrangement means that I’ll have a little more wall space, so a DIY dry erase calendar over my desk was a must have.

diy dry erase calendar

To see the new updated version, scroll to the bottom!

Since this space is still a very public space, my calendar needs to be pretty. Luckily, I teamed up with some other bloggers for a DIY link party challenge called Inspire My Creativity.

Big thanks to Shani at Sunshine and Munchkins for organizing it. Every month, we will have a new challenge. The link up party is on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.

This month’s challenge is a thrift store makeover. I headed out to the thrift store and bought a few items to transform (I bought one for next month too – Chalk Paint, FYI.)

My Goodwill isn’t always great, but I found a giant framed art print for less than $10. It’s super dated, but the frame is nice and sturdy, plus it’s huge! The art measures 22×28″.

It was the perfect base for my DIY dry erase calendar. Did you know that glass works just as well as whiteboard for dry erase markers?

diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar

How to Make a DIY Dry Erase Calendar

Supplies Needed

This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing an item through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

  • Bad art with glass and frame
  • Spray paint
  • Acrylic paint
  • 1″ flat paintbrush
  • Spatula
  • Gold leaf adhesive pen
  • Gold leaf sheets
  • Black adhesive vinyl
  • Silhouette
  • Scissors
  • Transfer paper
  1. Remove backing and hanging attachments if in the way. I used a drill and unscrewed the hangers.  diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  2. Pry back the staples holding the art in place and remove the art. I used a putty knife for this because these staples were the hardest to bend back that I’ve ever encountered. Normally, I can use my fingers to bend them back.diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  3. Carefully remove the glass from the frame. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  4. My art was really glossy, so I spray painted it with flat white paint to give my acrylics something to grip to. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  5. Spray paint the frame. I opted for a simple white since the calendar would be going on a turquoise wall. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  6. When the spray paint is dry on the art, start adding acrylic paint. I added white first, to give it a nice base.diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  7. Paint with long stokes to fill the space. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  8. With the white paint still wet, I added paint in shades of blue and green and mixed them in. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  9. I kept adding paint, layering the colors and mixing them as I worked. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  10. When it felt like I had added too much color, I added more white. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  11. Then I took a paint spatula and scraped the paint to mix the colors more and add texture. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  12. Once it was dry, I added more white on top because it didn’t feel done. You can keep going like this forever. If it’s too loud feeling, add more white. If it’s too boring, add more color. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  13. I let it dry and added some gold leaf that I had on hand. Scribble with the glue pen and let it dry for about 30 seconds. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  14. Then rub the gold leaf sheet over the glue, gold side up. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  15. Add as much as you like. I added it anywhere that I thought it needed more interest. My daughter asked me why I put gold in the water. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  16. Replace the glass back in the frame. I broke mine, but luckily, I had sheets of plexiglass in my garage, so I cut one to size and used it instead. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  17. Place the art into the frame and fold the staples back down to hold the art in place.
  18. Next, screw the hangers back in.
  19. Flip the frame over. You can leave it like this and have a unique piece of art or you can add the calendar part.
  20. In the silhouette program, I typed out the abbreviated days of the week, plus “To Do” and Notes”. I used the font Ink Bandits Script. Then I had my silhouette cut my design out. I wrote in detail how to use the program and use vinyl in this post about canisters. Alternatively, you can use stickers and washi tape for this part. diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  21. Then I cut narrow strips of vinyl using the grid on the back.
  22. Apply your vinyl, using transfer paper for the lettering. You can be super precise during this process and measure everything, or you can eyeball it like I did. (During this process, I received an urgent, distressing phone call, so I had to hurry along the process. Luckily, my vinyl is re-positional.)diy dry erase calendar | diy calendar | wall calendar | handmade calendar | office decor | whiteboard calendar | calendar art | office calendar
  23. When you’re satisfied with your design, hang it and admire your work. Now, I have a giant dry erase calendar where I can see my schedule at a glance. Back to the furniture moving and reorganizing!white board calendar

Who needs a boring calendar when you can make a pretty one?

handmade calendar

Update:

For my office update, I made a smaller version. Calendar SVG available in my Etsy shop.

It’s made in the same way, but the art is spray painted with 3 shade of blue and aqua to create an ombre effect. The simple background is much easier to read.

dry erase calendar in gold frame

You might also like these upcycling posts:

  • Magnetic memo board
  • Jars to faux terrariums
  • DIY Pinboard
  • Cutting board to key holder
  • Frames to chalkboards

Be sure to check out the other participants in Inspire My Creativity! And join the fun and add a link to a project featuring your thrift store makeover!

Shani  |  Sunshine & Munchkins
Anna  |  Practical and Pretty
Ali  |  Home Crafts by Ali
Meredith  |  The Designer DIY
Cathy  |  A Boy and His Mom
Emy  |  Semigloss Design
Missy  |  Gypsy Magpie
Christine  |  Swordfights & Starry Nights
Meg  |  The Kusi Life
Kim  |  Creigh-ations
Candice  |  She’s Crafty
Lauren  |  A Life of Love and Joy
Sarah  |  Making Joy & Pretty Things

[inlinkz_linkup id=725722 mode=1]

Be sure to join us next month, August 9th! The theme for August is: Chalk Paint. Come back and share your lovely chalk painted creations with us!

Pin this for later!

dry erase calendar from thrift store art

Emy Flint

Emy is a vintage obsessed mama of 2 DIYer who loves sharing affordable solutions for common home problems. You don’t need a giant budget to create a lovely home. Read more…

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Filed Under: Easy DIY Decor, Organizing, Silhouette and Cricut Crafts, Wall Art Tagged With: art, budget friendly, Inspire my creativity, office, organization, silhouette, thrift store makeover, upcycle

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    July 12, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    Such a creative project! I love the pops of gold. I need one of these to keep me organized!

    Reply
    • Emy says

      July 13, 2017 at 10:42 am

      Thanks Sarah! The gold is my favorite part too!

      Reply
  2. Mary says

    July 13, 2017 at 8:20 am

    Such a pretty erase calender. I love the the way you have painted the background. It is pretty enough to stand on its own as a piece of art.

    Reply
    • Emy says

      July 13, 2017 at 10:42 am

      Thanks Mary! I love how it turned out. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Rane Lederer says

    July 13, 2017 at 1:47 pm

    Ooh! Organizing is my jam! Nice piece and I bet it looks awesome in your new office!!

    Reply
    • Emy says

      July 13, 2017 at 4:26 pm

      Thanks Rane! Gold leaf is super fun by the way!

      Reply
  4. Ali B says

    July 15, 2017 at 3:27 pm

    I love how your abstract art turned out. Your calendar turned out great!

    Reply
    • Emy says

      July 17, 2017 at 10:20 am

      Thanks Ali! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Missy says

    July 17, 2017 at 2:54 pm

    I love the gold leafing. Fun touch!

    Reply
  6. Kim says

    July 17, 2017 at 4:21 pm

    Super cute! I love the gold and the painting before you even turned it into a calendar. Great project!!

    Reply
  7. Shani | Sunshine & Munchkins says

    August 07, 2017 at 12:49 pm

    This is such a great way to get something framed for super cheap! You wouldn’t even know you paid so little for it. Thanks for co-hosting!

    Reply
    • Emy says

      August 10, 2017 at 2:16 pm

      Thanks Shani!

      Reply

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I'm a color loving DIYer who believes that a beautiful home is possible, even on a budget.

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