Designed and Photographed by Amy Solovay

Front Cover of the 2009 Calendar:

Inside Front Cover of the 2009 Calendar, Plus January 2009 Calendar Page:

February-March 2009 Calendar Pages:

April-May 2009 Calendar Pages:

June-July 2009 Calendar Pages:

August-September 2009 Calendar Pages:

October-November 2009 Calendar Pages:

December 2009 Calendar Page, Plus More Space For Journaling, Important Dates, Birthdays, Anniversaries, To Do Lists, Gift Lists, Phone Numbers, ETC:

Back Cover of the 2009 Scalloped Calendar Album:

Supplies Used To Create This Calendar:

Albums:

This calendar was created using 2 different, but similar, mini albums by Clear Scraps: One of them is the scalloped acrylic clear album, and the other is the scalloped chipboard album. They are both the same exact size and shape, measuring approximately 7 inches. They work beautifully together! I highly recommend mixing and matching Clear Scraps albums and embellishments in this way. If you are at all intimidated by the idea of designing an album that is completely clear, this is the perfect solution; you get plenty of clear pages to play with, but you can alternate the chipboard so that you only see through a few pages at a time, rather than having a fully transparent album. Also, the chipboard is less expensive than the acrylic, so combining the 2 materials will allow you to get the best of both worlds: you get the sophisticated look of an acrylic album while spending less, because you pay less for the chipboard.

Other Supplies:

The photos below will give you a general idea of the supplies that I used to create this clear calendar album. Please see the actual supply list for specific details. Typically, when I have an idea in mind for designing a new project, one of the first things I do is look through all my scrapbooking, art, and craft supplies and gather together the supplies that I think would work well together in the project. Sometimes I find that I need to order supplies before I can get started. Sometimes I don't use all the supplies that I think I will use, for example, this photo shows some handmade journaling blocks that I thought for sure I would use in the project, however, as I was working I decided to use pages from the Jenni Bowlin chipboard mini book as journaling blocks instead.

Adhesive:

People always ask us which adhesive they should use to create their clear albums. There is no exact answer to this question; it really depends on your preference. For this particular clear album, I used 3 different types of adhesive: Zip Dry Paper Glue, plus Glue Dots, and Xyron adhesive from the sticker maker machine.

Cardstock:

I had to use several different types and brands of cardstock in order to get the variety of different effects needed to create this calendar album. The unique 2-tone sanded cardstock is by Core'dinations. I also used textured cardstock by American Crafts, which is BRAND NEW! And more textured cardstock by Bazzill, which of course is a tried and true favorite with scrapbookers and paper crafters.

It was also necessary to use smooth, textureless cardstock in a variety of light neutral colors to create the walnut inked designs you see pictured.

Tools and Supplies For Sanding, Inking and Distressing the Cardstock:

The Entire Supply List at a Glance:

These are the supplies and embellishments used throughout the album.

• Scalloped Clear Acrylic Album by Clear Scraps
• Scalloped Chipboard Album by Clear Scraps
• Chipboard Mini Bracket Album by Jenni Bowlin
• Korker Ribbon
• Zip Dry Paper Glue (which is also available for sale here and here.
• Xyron Sticker Maker Machine With Adhesive Cartridge
• Glue Dots
• Making Memories Distressing Kit or Similar Sandpapers and Distressing Tools
• Prima Flowers
• Mini Brads by Accent Depot / Hot Off the Press
• Fiskars Mini Scallop Paper Edgers
• Tsukineko Walnut Inks in a Variety of Colors
• Fiberscraps E-Z Tintz Walnut Inks in a Variety of Colors
• A variety of Cardstock: textured cardstock by Core'dinations and Bazzill and American Crafts,
• Scenic Route Lined Patterned Paper
• Scissors that are capable of precise cuts in difficult-to-navigate areas (in this case, the curves around the scallops on the outer edges of the album). I use surgical scissors for this purpose. If you have a very sharp X-acto knife, that could also be used if you prefer.
• Paper Lace Borders (See separate supply list here.)
• Magic Mesh: Brown Fine Weave.
• Thickers Letter Stickers by American Crafts: Darling Chipboard Alphabet in the Mulberry Color
• Patterned Papers in Kraft, neutral, beiges and browns
• Ink pads including Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger and Versacraft Chocolate ink

How To Create the Calendar:

The 2009 calendar was created using the iCal application that came with my Imac computer. Even if you don't have this application, your computer probably has a similar application that you could use. If you have Entourage, I think you could probably use Entourage's calendar application to do this. (I haven't used it myself so I am not entirely sure how it would work, but hopefully you can consult the owner's manual to figure that part out.) You can also take a look at this page for lots of other ideas for creating calendars. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see suggestions for other software and digital scrapbooking kits you can use to create your calendar digitally.

I printed each month of the calendar out at 4" x 6" onto smooth 8.5" x 11" cardstock that had been previously been decorated using washes of walnut inks (see supply list and instructions for more details about this process.)

How To Create and Decorate the Patterned Paper:

Cover your work space with a drop cloth or other protective covering. Wear gloves and old clothes, and tie your hair back if you have long hair, because this part gets messy!

Next, use your assortment of walnut inks to spray, paint, daub, and decorate your cardstock assortment. If you want a color scheme similar to the one shown in the photos here, you should use light, neutral colors of cardstock, and you should stick to very light applications. You are going to print out your calendar pages on top of this paper, so keep in mind that the designs need to be light enough so that the calendar will still be visible and not compete too much with the pattern on the paper. You can have a lot of fun with this process; it is very creative. Please keep in mind that you are not limited to the color palette shown here; if you'd rather have a calendar in all the colors of the rainbow, you could skip the walnut inks and use washes of watercolor paint instead.

The papers will be damp or possibly even wet when you are finished inking and painting them. You are going to have to let these papers dry before you can do anything else with them. As they dry, they will have a tendency to curl up. I usually let them dry long enough that they feel dry to the touch, and then sandwich them between large books, so that they stay nice and flat, and then let them dry overnight, or longer. If you live in a very humid area, it might be necessary to let them dry for a few days. Do not attempt to print on them when they are wet.

Make 13 of these papers at the very least. As long as you are going to the trouble of making the papers, it would be helpful for you to make even more than that. In the event that you make an error in printing or cutting, it will slow you down to have to go back and make more papers and wait for them to dry, and having extras will really come in handy.

After the papers are dry, print the calendar months on them. Affix graph paper to the back of the pages using repositionable adhesive. The graph paper is to help you cut straight when you cut out the calendar. Using Fiskars Mini Scallop Paper Edgers, cut a square around the calendar. Depending on how big your calendar actually printed, the cut out square will be somewhere between 5 1/2" - 6". Aim for consistency, although it's not a major disaster if some of them end up being a bit off.

The next thing you are going to do is make paper lace bands out of your leftover scraps of walnut-inked cardstock. It would take too much space here to write out all the instructions for each paper lace, so instead I will refer you to paperlaces.com. I have been posting free instructions for How To Make Paper Lace. So take a look at those, and make a bunch of paper lace or decorative borders- whichever ones spark your imagination.

Step by Step Instructions For Each Calendar Album Page:

Front Cover / Page 1:

Supplies:

• Brown Fine Weave Magic Mesh~ this is self-adhesive and is available in a variety of designs and colors.
• The label-shaped die cut chipboard piece is the back cover of the Jenni Bowlin Chipboard book.
• The bracket ledger paper is one of the pages from the Jenni Bowlin Chipboard book, affixed to the chipboard piece.
• Thickers Darling Chipboard Alphabet Letter Stickers in the Mulberry Color, by American Crafts
• The brown damask kraft paper is by Making Memories. This particular patterned paper has been in my stash for awhile, and if you don't already own some, it is an item you might have a hard time finding. I did locate a couple pieces of this for sale here. You can also take a look here and see if there are any currently available. If not, you can just substitute one of your decorated papers, or plain kraft cardstock, or any other similar subtly patterned paper you might happen to have in your scrapbooking stash. If I had to redo this project again and I couldn't find the exact paper I'd originally used, I would probably substitute one of the papers in this K & Co mat pad.
• It was cut into a circle shape using the Fiskars Shape Xpress cutting tool and circle template.
• Delight Clay Modeling Medium
• Bella Flora Stamp Set by Inque Boutique
• Lumiere Metallic Paint by Jacquard Products
• Rubber Stampede Dye Inks
• Prima Flowers
• Mini Brads by Accent Depot / Hot Off the Press / HOTP

Instructions for How To Make the Front Cover of the 2009 Calendar Clear Album:

The flower embellishment will take some time to do, so start on that first. Roll out a thin slab of Delight clay modeling compound using a rolling pin. Stamp the larger flower stamp from the Inque Boutique Bella Flora Stamp Set in the clay. Cut carefully around it with scissors. Stamp the smaller flower stamp from the same set and cut around it with scissors as well. Pierce both the pieces with the brad that you will be using for the center of the flower. Set the pieces aside in a warm, dry, dust-free area, where they should remain undisturbed until dry- at least overnight. After they are dry, paint and ink them using Lumiere and Rubber Stampede Dye Inks. When they are completely dry, layer them together on top of a Prima flower and add the brad in the center. Set them aside to use for the finishing touch to the page.

Peel the protective cover off the Clear Scraps album. Unroll the magic mesh and stick it onto a page from the clear album. (Magic Mesh is self-adhesive, so this is very easy to do.) Cut around the Magic Mesh so that it is scalloped like the album base is. Attach the die cut chipboard label , the brown damask patterned paper circle, the Thickers stickers spelling out "2009", and the flower you just created.

Page 2 / Inside Front Cover:

This is the easiest page in the whole album. Just attach a Jenni Bowlin die-cut ledger paper page (taken out of the chipboard mini-album.) That's it! This page can be used to jot birthdays or important dates, phone numbers, a to do list, journaling, ETC.

NOTE: After this, I recommend that you first do all the chipboard pages in the album before doing any more of the clear pages. This is because it is much easier to line up the calendar papers if you do the chipboard pages first and the clear pages last.

Page 3 / January

January's page is made using a clear acrylic page. Since you will be able to see straight through it, and the page that will be visible is the page for March, you will want it to coordinate the paper you use for March and January at the same time. They should look good together. I recommend making the March page before you move on to the January page.

To make the January page, lay the clear album page overtop of the completed March chipboard page. Using the March page as a guideline, attach the January calendar page in the spot that exactly lines up with the March calendar page so that the January page covers it. Attach the paper lace border using adhesive from the Xyron sticker maker machine. Use a straight pin to clear any adhesive that might gum up inside the punched holes in the border before you stick it to the page. Attach a bronze-colored mini brad to a Prima flower and attach the Prima flower to the page using a Glue Dot.

Page 4 / February

You'll be using the back side of the January page you just completed. Attach your February calendar page, positioning it so that it aligns with the January page that is already attached to the reverse side. attach your paper lace border to the page.

Page 5 / March

This page is made using a page from the Clear Scraps chipboard scalloped book. First, choose a Core'dinations cardstock color that will match both the March and January calendar pages you printed out. Then use the scalloped chipboard page as a template; it will be your guide to use for tracing the scalloped design onto the Core'dinations cardstock. Be sure to trace the holes for the book's binding too. Cut out the scalloped design. Punch the holes using a round hole punch. Attach the Core'dinations cardstock to the chipboard page using Zip Dry paper glue or similar adhesive. Sand around the scallops using any of the sanding tools from the Making Memories Distressing Kit. Then lightly sand and distress the rest of the scalloped area that will be visible after the calendar page is attached- no need to sand the entire page, as only the outer few inches will show. Attach the March calendar printout to the page, and then attach paper lace border to the page over top of it. Layer 2 Prima flowers together and secure them with a bronze-colored brad. Attach the Prima flowers with a Glue Dot.

Page 6 / April:

The April page is going to be made using the reverse side of the March album page you just finished making. It will also be visible through the next clear page, so you will want to choose a paper that coordinates with both your April calendar page and your June calendar page. i chose to use a light colored cardstock that would ink up beautifully.

Trace the scalloped album page onto the cardstock and cut it out. Punch holes. Attach to the chipboard album page. Sand around the edges using the sanding tools from the Making Memories Distressing Kit. Ink the outer edges of the page using Versacraft Chocolate ink and Ranger / Tim Holtz Distress Ink in the "Tea Dye" color. Outline the edges of the chipboard page with burgundy & brown Sharpie markers. Attach the printed calendar page. Attach the paper lace border on top of that. Use a gold colored brad for the center of a coordinating Prima flower, and attach the flower to the page using a Glue Dot.

Page 7 / May

The page for May is created using another page from the clear acrylic scalloped album. You will want to create the July chipboard page first, choosing a paper that coordinates with both the decorated May calendar page and the decorated July calendar page.

Position the clear album page overtop of the July chipboard page and use the July page as your guideline for positioning the May calendar correctly. Attach the May calendar to the page, then add a paper lace border on top. Layer 2 Prima flowers together and attach a brad. Adhere the layered flower to the page using a glue dot.

Page 8 / June

You'll be using the back side of the May page you just completed. Attach your June calendar page, positioning it so that it aligns with the May page that is already attached to the reverse side. attach your paper lace border to the page. Fasten a bronze-colored brad onto a Prima flower and attach the flower to the page using a Glue Dot.

Page 9 / July

Cover a chipboard page using a paper that coordinates with both the decorated May calendar page and the decorated July calendar page. I chose to use a dark gray Core'dinations cardstock that has a lighter gray core, which is revealed after the paper has been sanded. Repeat the process you used on the March page (page 5 of the calendar album)- tracing the page, covering the chipboard, sanding, etc. Attach paper lace band to page. Fasten a bronze-colored brad onto a Prima flower and attach the flower to the page using a Glue Dot.

Page 10 / August

Cover a chipboard page using a paper that coordinates with both the decorated August calendar page and the decorated October calendar page. I chose to use a light neutral colored cardstock. Trace the scalloped page outline onto your chosen cardstock and cut it out. Punch holes. Attach the cutout to the chipboard page. Sand very lightly around the edges only. Attach paper lace band to page.

Page 11 / September

This page is going to be another clear acrylic page. You will want to coordinate the background paper used for November's chipboard page with the September calendar you printed out for this page, making sure that they look good together. Lay the clear acrylic page down on top of the November chipboard page, and use the November calendar as the guideline for where to attach your September calendar on the clear album page. Then attach your paper lace border on top. Fasten a bronze-colored brad to a Prima flower and attach the Prima flower to the page with a glue dot.

Page 12 / October

Attach the October calendar page and a coordinating paper lace border to the reverse side of the clear album page you just used to create the September page.

Page 13 / November

This page is going to be another chipboard page. I used a light neutral color of American Crafts cardstock to cover the page, and then sanded around the edges very lightly. Keep in mind when you choose the paper for this page that it will also be visible from the September page, so be sure to choose a paper that coordinates with both the walnut-inked September calendar you decorated and the walnut-inked November calendar you created. Attach a paper lace border on top of the calendar page. Ink the floral stamp from the Inque Boutique Mini Bella Flora Stamp Set using Creamy Brown Fluid Chalk (or any similar color of light neutral stamping ink you might happen to have handy.) Stamp onto a scrap of patterned paper. Cut around the stamped flower with Fiskars Mini Scallop Paper Edgers. Run it through the Xyron sticker maker machine if you have one, otherwise use Zip Dry paper glue, Glue dots, or whatever other adhesive you have on hand to stick it to the page on top of your punched border.

Page 14 / December

Cover the reverse side of the chipboard album page using another sheet of your hand-decorated, walnut-inked paper. I intentionally chose a page that had a lot of the bare off-white cardstock ground color showing through, because I wanted it to coordinate with the ledger paper that would be used on the next page. Sand the edges lightly using the tools from the Making Memories Distressing Kit. Attach the paper lace border. Layer 3 Prima flowers together and fasten them together with a bronze-colored brad. Attach them to the page with a Glue Dot.

Page 15 / Ledger For Journaling, Birthdays, Important Dates, Notes, ETC

The patterned ledger paper is by Scenic Route. You will be using a clear scalloped album page as a template this time; it is easier to line up your paper correctly using a clear album page, because, obviously, you can see right through it. Position the clear album page overtop of the ledger paper so that the ledger paper has the ruled lines running straight and in the correct direction. I lined mine up so that the double red line is on the left hand side of the page. It's not strictly necessary to do it that way, but I think that is a nice touch. Then trace around the album page and cut it out, but don't attach it to the clear page you used as a template. Instead, attach it to a chipboard page. This page in the book can be used for recording important dates, meetings, birthdays, events, notes, reminders, email addresses, phone numbers, etc. You could also use it for journaling if you prefer.

Page 16 / Back Cover (A photo of the back cover of the album is posted above.)

I covered the back page of this album using a sheet of carstock decorated with splashes, splatters and washes of various colored walnut inks, and then sanded around it using the tools from the Making Memories distressing kit. If you prefer, you could substitute other paper instead: more ledger paper, a pretty patterned paper, another page of Core'dinations cardstock, etc.

Finishing the 2009 Calendar:

Bind the pages together in order using the book rings included with one of your albums. Cut one piece of beige colored Korker ribbon in half, and tie both cut pieces to the upper binder ring.

Note: When you are finished with this project, you will have leftover album pages and supplies to use in other projects. You will have one leftover chipboard scalloped page, one leftover clear acrylic page, one leftover Jenni Bowlin chipboard book cover, a whole bunch of leftover bracket shaped album pages, and 4 leftover binder rings. Please visit clearalbums.com again soon, as we will be posting even more project ideas for things to do with these leftover album pieces.

Possible Calendar Album Variations:

Keep in mind that you can vary this project as much as you like! I considered adding more blank ledger pages so that there would be lots more room for important information. Keep in mind that, if you do that, you will probably need to buy larger binder rings / book rings to accommodate all those pages.

One very simple addition that I considered making: I thought about adding another journaling block or 2 to the back page of the album. In the end I decided not to, because I wanted to keep it simple. But if you want an easy way to make the book just a little bit more functional, that is one very easy step you could take.

The Clear Albums Calendar Challenge!

This calendar was created for the Clear Albums Calendar Challenge. Our challenge to you is to design and create a brand new calendar related project using clear albums. We're awarding some fantastic prizes that I think you will really love! So if you are interested in making handmade calendars for gifts this year, or if you want to custom design and create your own calendar for next year, we hope you'll play along with us! Click here for more details about the calendar challenge.

There are a couple of other related projects that were made for this challenge too. You can click here to see Mel Nunn's School Diary clear album, or you can Click here to see Christi Wright's Gift Tag Mini Clear Album. We hope these projects will inspire you to get busy creating calendar albums!

Your Comments About This Calendar!

I hope you will enjoy making and using this calendar! If you have any questions, suggestions, additional insights, tips, ideas, or observations to share, please feel free to comment on this page. Thanks!

~Amy Solovay