Turning Old Calendars into Home Decor

Instead of throwing away last year's calendar, why not recycle it into beautiful art? After all, you chose the calendar because you liked its images. Well, the beauty of the images hasn't expired with the year's end. Here's a wonderful idea for turning those beautiful old calendars into charming home decor.

Cut Out the Images

Using a sharp utility knife, cut out the images to separate them from the calendar month. Don't worry if each image comes out in a different size. You can still create a single home decor collection from your different sized images.

Choose Cheap Frames

At a craft store you'll find cheap frames. Choose a single frame type for all your images. Just make sure the frame can contain the image size. And don't worry about the frame being too large.

Buy Beautiful Thick Paper

You can buy an expensive picture mat poster, which you can cut down to size to fit your images. But just as beautiful is a thick paper (perhaps from a drawing pad), which you can ornament to give your home decor a custom look.

Cut the Picture Mats

Turn the paper upside down. Rest each image over it. Trace it on the paper. Then cut out a mat to overlap the image by half an inch. If your image sizes are different, each mat will be a different size. The mat will enable you to fit these different image sizes into one standard frame type for the collection.

Paint Your Custom Mats

Dilute some latex paint in water and smear a thin coating over the paper to give it a colorful sheen. Try to match the paint color to the print hues. However, be sure to make all the mats identical, so your collection will have a single theme.

Paint the Frames

Using the same latex paint color, paint your cheap craft store frames. Once dry, sand the frame along the edges and corners for a weathered look.

Frame the Images

Use masking tape to secure each image to its mat at the exact location. Then frame the mats in the picture frames.

You can hang your home decor in a line or a square cluster, like the panels in a French window. This home decor idea looks beautiful anywhere. It all depends on the images you choose and your imagination.

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