Make your Own Magnetic Chalkboard Calendar

Are you looking for a way to get the whole family organized? Take a look at my magnetic chalkboard calendar! This is the perfect organization tool for a busy family. I made all sorts of magnets that you can personalize to make work for your family's needs.

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Let's start with the calendar itself and move on to the magnets in a minute.

Supplies needed for Magnetic Frame

• Frame
• Sheet of metal cut to size for your frame (mine is 20 inches by 24 inches)
• Metal cleaner
• Metal primer
• Chalkboard paint
• Spray paint for frame
• Chalk markers and or adhesive vinyl

NOTE: You can also purchase a framed chalkboard, if you'd like. Just make sure that you pick a magnetic one that will fit your calendar and magnets.

How to Make a Magnetic Chalkboard

Step 1

First, take your metal piece and clean it really well. I used an engine cleaner for cars, but you can use anything that is made to clean metal. Be sure to rinse it really well and follow all package directions.

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Step 2

Next, paint one side of your metal piece with a coat of metal primer plus two to three coats of chalkboard paint. Again, follow all directions on your primer and paint. Chalkboard paint generally has to cure for 24 hours before use so please be aware of that.

After the chalkboard paint has cured, be sure to follow the directions on the paint for conditioning it. Generally you rub chalk all over your surface and clean it back off.

Step 3

While the chalkboard paint cures, you can work on the frame. I bought my frame at a thrift store and used a spray primer plus paint in one in Sky Blue. Paint your frame whatever color you want.

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Step 4

Do you know what chalk markers are? They are a chalk paint and are more permanent than regular chalk. You can find them at your local craft store (or online) in several colors. Chalk markers only come off when they get wet, so no worries about smudging or accidentally wiping off your calendar.

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Drawing my calendar on the chalkboard took a few tries. Here are some tips for drawing your own:

• Use a ruler as a straight edge.
• Size your magnets or wooden discs to fit inside the squares.
• Leave an area for your month and days of the week.
• Add an area for notes or extra magnets at the bottom of the chalkboard.
• If you mess up your lines and your calendar looks awful, you can clean it off and start again. (I bet you can't guess how I know that!)

Remember at the end of the month, you just use water to wipe off and you can draw on an whole new month.

Note: You could also use your Cricut to cut your calendar outline from adhesive vinyl and apply it to the chalkboard.

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How to Make Custom Magnets for Your Magnetic Chalkboard Calendar

Now that we have a magnetic chalkboard calendar, we need magnets to go along with it! We are going to use the Print Then Cut feature in Cricut Design Space to create our custom magnets.

Supplies needed for magnets

• Wood circles or metal washers (I will show you how to use both)
• Paint (craft paint or spray paint)
• Cricut machine
• Scrapbook paper or sticker paper
• Printer – check out which printers I recommend
• Mod Podge
• Self adhesive magnets

Option 1

For the first set of custom magnets we are going to use wood circles. This is the pack I purchased at the craft store, but use what you have on hand or what will fit best in your calendar spaces.

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Step 1

Paint the edges of your wood circles with craft paint (you could also just spray paint the entire circle). I used paint that matched the colors I used to draw my calendar.

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Step 2

Using Cricut Design Space, create your magnets. Think about what you'll need for your calendar. I decided to make magnets for Birthday, Date Night, Vacation, and more. You can make whatever magnets you need. Do you have a hockey player? Make a magnet for that!

I added circles to the canvas and sized them to match the wooden circles and washers that I had. Then I added images to the circles and adjusted them to fit the circles.

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Once you have your images the size and colors that you want them, you'll need to select each “magnet” and flatten them. This will allow you to use the Print Then Cut feature to make stickers.

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After you have all of the images flattened, click Make to send them to the printer. You can print these on cardstock or on sticker paper.

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Step 3

Now that you have printed and cut your circles, attach them to your wooden discs or washers using glue or mod podge. (The ones pictured below were stamped and cut by hand)

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If you used cardstock or paper, use a few coats of mod podge to finish them.

Step 4

Once dry, add your magnet to the back. I used the self adhesive magnets but I also added some glue to the adhesive. I admit, I did not trust the adhesive that came with them. You can always glue them later if your self adhesive strip fails

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Option 2

I also made a set of inspirational magnets for my calendar. If there is a tough test at school coming up, you might mark that day with “make it happen”. Or if there is a play audition, you might put “dare to dream” on that day. I thought it would be fun for the kids!

For these magnets, I used metal washers. So if you can't find the wood discs, a trip to your local hardware store will get you these 1 1/2 inch washers that will fit the bill just fine! I chose to spray paint these, but you could also leave them unpainted.

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Then just follow the steps up above to make your magnets.

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Finishing the Magnetic Chalkboard Calendar

A optional accessory that I found were these magnetic clips which I use to hold my chalk. Writing on the calendar in regular chalk will allow me to erase any notes on the calendar without disturbing the chalk marker lines during the month!

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After finishing my magnets, I laid out our month of September. We have a family birthday this month, so I was able to use the Birthday magnet right away.

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There you have it! A magnetic chalkboard calendar to help keep you organized this year! After all, who can actually remember all those due dates, trips, school functions, practices, games? – the list goes on and on!

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There is plenty of room at the bottom of my calendar to store my extra magnets and my chalk clips. You might want to think about that when you are sizing your own calendar.

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I hope you make your own magnetic chalkboard calendar and enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine!

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