Months in French Country

~ photo heavy post ~

Thank you for stopping back by.  I know this year is starting busy, but I'm happy that you have taken the time to swing by and take a look at what I have created.  I have chosen a few of my favorite month layouts.  Enjoy the eye candy {smile}.

March 2014

I'll start with March.  I love the mix of pattern papers, along with the machine stitching along the top edge of the banner.  This layout is clean and simple.  But, I think that leads to the over-all beauty of it.

April 2014

 Another clean and simple layout.  I didn't add a whole lot to these pages.  But, I really love the look of the sparkle clay cameo with the toile pattern paper.  I added a blossom shape text paper piece behind the cameo.  I wanted an additional pattern, but I felt that another blue pattern paper would get lost.  I wanted to add some sparkle, so I cut a foliage piece out of silver glimmer paper.

Easter, is on April 20th, this year.  So, I stamped the bunny in a circle in pink ink on the calendar page.

August 2014

 I had fun with this one.  August always means 'back-to-school' for us.  So, that was my thought process for this calendar page.  I used a large sun flower pattern paper, along with a trimmed down library card, and a wooden ruler.

September 2014

 I love the look of the small floral print with the stamped banner piece.  The colors, and pattern really do work well together.

December 2014

And last.  December.  I used the same pattern paper for the first month and the last.  I think the rooster image along the right side of the calendar page really adds a french flair.  I was also pleasantly surprised at how the text on the pattern paper works so well with this project.  December, is a month that I make cookies with my grandchildren, so the mini ginger man cookie cutter, seemed like the perfect embellishment.  Christmas, is marked by a circled tree stamped in green ink.

Once again, thanks for stopping by.  I made another calendar today.  I'll post photos later this week.  I used pattern paper from Teresa Collins, creating a whole different look.  Stay tuned.

2014 Desktop Calendar

~ photo heavy post ~

Whew!  I am finished.  There is a great feeling of accomplishment when you finish a craft/project.   I almost stuck this whole project in another bag and pushed the whole thing into a drawer.  But, I printed my resolutions where I can see them each day.  To help motivate me, so to speak.  And, it worked.  I saw these resolutions again this morning, and made the decision to sit down, and finish this lovely project.  I'm glad that I had {smile}.

Here are the finished pages: 

January, February, March, and April

May, June, July, and August

September, October, November, and December

The bound, completed desk-top calendar

bound, and standing

I used a few pieces to complete this project:  Paper Trey Ink small calendar pack, Calendar Basics stamp set, Graphics 45 French Country pattern paper, and (2)  4" x 4" paper coasters.   To ensure that the calendar, as a whole, looks cohesive, I used the same elements, and simple layouts.
I stamped each month in soft suede classic ink, regardless of the colors in the pattern paper.  I did stamp a little symbol on a few American holidays: St. Valentine's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I will stamp a few Birthdays, our wedding Anniversary, and a few other dates we celebrate: Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparent's Day.
To pull/hold the desk top calendar together, I used my Bind-It-All {smile}.
I can add a whole lot of embellishments on a project.  But, I wanted to keep the pages flat.  That way they would lay flat, and not be too bulky.    However, I couldn't help myself with a few embellishments {smile}.

This week, I will share with you how each month looks.  I'm super happy with how the finished project turned out.  So much so, I'm anxious to start working on my next desk-top calendar.  I do want to use some different pattern papers, to give each calendar an unique look.  So, until then . . .  have a great week, and don't forget to carve out some time for you!