What to do with old calendars

Another year goes by and out comes a stack of ivory white calendars.

With digitalisation pervading every part of our lives, it's hard to believe that printed calendars are still around and relevant. "Who uses a calendar anymore?" you might ask, but there is no denying the fact that paper calendars are here to stay. Paper calendars will always be essential to fill up the void of drab walls. 

Calendars are nice gifts for every new year. We all remember covering up our books with the glossy white pages but now that we have grown out of that phase (but have we?), let's explore how to reuse the calendars that the years leave behind.

The easiest that you can make with a calendar is a bookmark. To make it more durable, cut a thick rectangular strip from your calendar and attach it to cardstock. Simply punch a hole and thread a ribbon through it, and you're done!

Speaking of books, the whites of your calendars can be repurposed into small notebooks. These notebooks are ideal for journaling sessions or as a unique present for a friend.

Calendar envelopes are unrivalled when it comes to adding a personal touch to your letters and notes. Since calendars are made with mostly good quality paper, they are great for making envelopes and postcards.

Many people clip and save images from their favourite calendars. Although exhibiting them on their own might add depth to your decor ideas, framing them will make your walls appear more polished. 

Fun jigsaw puzzles are another intriguing application of such images. Stick the picture to a piece of cardboard with glue and use a stencil to make the jigsaw patterns. You'll have a bespoke jigsaw puzzle game once you cut them out.

With calendar sheets, try your hand at crafting boxes and paper bags. These are sustainable and environmentally acceptable methods of repurposing calendars that would otherwise wind up in the trash.

Making wedding dalas is another fantastic way to recycle calendars. Calendars, newspapers, paint, and glue are all you'll need. Layers of newspapers are folded and glued within stiff calendar paper in a close fit. It needs to support weight once it has dried. Make more of these and join them together to make a lovely wedding dala for someone's big day.

Another wonderful idea I found online is to make a lampshade out of rolled-up calendar pages. Cut little squares from your old calendars. Roll them into tubes and glue two sets of them on top of each other, vertically and horizontally alternating. When you're happy with the height of your lampshade, secure a bulb inside and hang it up. You may also add colour to the light by pasting coloured poster papers inside the lamp. 

Happy crafting.

Farnaz Fawad Hasan is a disintegrating pool noodle wanting to stay afloat. Reach her at farnazfawadhasan@gmail.com