$15 DIY Calendar Poster
January is usually when I do this project, but honestly? Back to school is an even better time to get organized as you get your kids schedule for the school year and get your ducks in a row.
For the last few years I have customized a family calendar that sits right next to our computer. It allows me at a moment’s glance to look ahead and see our out of town tournaments, vacations, school breaks, and work deadlines. But don’t you use your phone or digital calendar for all of this? YES! I do rely on my digital calendar to tell me where I need to be and when, but there’s something about seeing the entire upcoming year in one quick glance that helps me feel like I somewhat have my crap together, plus it’s inexpensive, functional, large scale art!
The beauty of this project is you have the flexibility to print and frame, or laminate your calendar in whatever size fits your space. I opted to make mine the BIGGEST I possibly could which is 24×36”. This fits into a $12 poster frame. But, if you wanted yours 11×18 to fit under a clear desktop mat by your keyboard, or 8×11 to slide into the front of your binder you could do that too.
Once it’s printed you can write directly on it, if you frame or laminate it you could use wet erase markers to mark your events. The options are really endless.
Step by Step: How to Make Your Own
1. Buy a printable calendar design on Etsy ($3–6) A lot of these come as a bundle with multiple print sizes included in one purchase, so you’re not locked into just one option. When you’re choosing a design, pay attention to two things:
- Print size — You can print these small on regular printer paper, or size up to something like 24×36 for a poster frame. Make sure the listing includes the size you actually want.
- Week start day — Some calendars start the week on Sunday (weekend split apart), others start on Monday (weekend grouped together at the end). Pick whichever layout makes more sense to you.
A couple of my favorite versions to check out:
2. Drag the PDF into Canva
Once you download your file, you’ll get a folder with the different size versions. Open Canva and drag in the specific size PDF you plan to print. I use the 24×36 version since that’s what’s going in my frame.
3. Customize it with your recurring events
This is the fun part. Add anything that’s locked in and won’t change for the year:
- School holidays and breaks
- Early out / no school days
- Games and practices
- Family events you already know are happening
Get all of that on there now so you’re not rewriting it over and over later.
Quick Tips for Adding Events in Canva
How I style mine on Canva
TEXT on the left hand side, ADD a text box, I’m using Montserrat in size 8 in all caps.
EFFECTS on the style bar, BACKGROUND and add a background color.
If the event is spanning numerous dates like spring break I add spaces before and after to elongate the background rectangle across multiple days.
Tricks to create your calendar more efficiently
Repeat Events: Copy and Paste so the events are on the right date. Clean them up by holding SHIFT and clicking on each of the events. Right click and ALIGN ELEMENTS Center or Middle and that gets the spacing and alignment of all of those events the same.
Grouping events: You can also hold SHIFT and select multiple events, right click and GROUP them together so you can can your Tuesday events to Thursday without having to paste them one by one.
4. Export as a PDF and get it printed
I print mine from my blueprint printer. It was an investment I made years ago when we were designing our house, but I honestly use it all the time for things like this, church lessons, event posters, etc.
But in years past I have gotten mine printed at Office Depot as a blueprint print, it only runs about $3.99. The catch: to get that price, your calendar needs to stay mostly black and white. If it’s full color throughout, they won’t print it at the blueprint rate and you’ll pay quite a bit more. Keep your color use minimal in Canva if you want the cheap print option.
5. Frame it and start writing Pop it into a poster frame. Write on the glass or plastic film, not the paper itself, with a wet erase marker. That way nothing gets accidentally wiped off if you bump into it, but you can still update it anytime.
What You’ll Need
24×36 Poster Frame
Wet Erase Markers
ETSY Calendar Printable or This Calendar Printable
Blueprint Printer
My favorite ADHD planner I’ve successfully started and finished 4 of these and keep ordering more. It’s the only daily planner that I have actually been able to use and keeps me organized.
While You’re At It…
If you’re setting up your fall command center, a couple other posts on the blog you might enjoy.
That’s it! Such a simple project, but it makes such a difference having everything mapped out, and it doubles as decor, which is always a win.
If you make one, tag me! I love seeing these on your walls too.
