Crafty Calendar + T R A G E D Y.

Hello, friends. Annie here.

It is with a heavy heart that I post my latest crafty creation…this sweet, little fruits & veggie wall calendar that was destined for my darling best friends in Kansas City has lost its way. Oh, the tragedy of displaced crafts. Hayley and Kyrstin – please enjoy your intended Christmas gift via the interwebs. (yes, I do realize I was a tad behind on sending out my holiday gifts, so what.)

So it is with a snowday and afternoon glass of wine that I am finally able to write about my craft-baby that met its unfortunate demise. Since my gal pals are excellent cooks and avid locavores, I decided making them a hand-drawn/painted seasonal produce wall calendar was a fitting holiday gift.

Even if you have never really drawn or painted in the past, this is actually quite simple and requires much less artistic ability than you may assume (after all, I was able to manage it).

so. here’s how you make a V E G G I E   C A L E N D A R  (or any theme you choose, for that matter) : :

july's offerings.
july’s offerings.

step one : : do your research.

for this I simply googled produce availability by month. I came up with a list for each month (3-4 items each) and searched for simple drawings/images of each to aid in my sketching efforts.

drawing (or attempting). the eraser was my best friend.
step two : : draw out your fruits and veggies. i also labeled them (in case my illustrations didn’t quite spell out the difference between a tangerine and clementine…) –  next simply outline your sketches with fine-point sharpie.

 

step three : : erase your pencil marks. your months are now ready for color!
step three : : erase your pencil marks. your months are now ready for color!

watercolor away! this is very manageable painting medium for beginners. you can start with only primary colors and use those mixing skills you learned in elementary art!
step four : :  watercolor away! this is very manageable painting medium for beginners. you can start with only primary colors and use those mixing skills you learned in elementary art. (tea and wine optional, but recommended for optimal crafting).

step five : : ready for binding!
step five : : ready for binding! (notice that I also made a cover page and letter)

 

step six : : use hole puncher and twine to bind calendar pages - I used a loop around the actual pages so the calendar can be flipped with the changing months.
step six : : use hole puncher and twine to bind calendar pages – I used a loop around just the actual pages so the calendar can be flipped with the changing months.