How to DIY your Own Calendar

Want a personal calendar? You can do it yourself. Read on to learn why and how. The DIY kits are MS Excel, a photo, Ms Paint and a printer (optional).

The benefits of DIY a calendar:

1)    Use the image you like

In the demonstration below, I used my photo taken in a department store. Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma are lovely, aren’t they?

You can use your photos, drawings and so on to fill up the image section.

2)    Simple to make

The DIY kits are easy to attain. The steps are simple. It won’t take too much time to establish a template and create the first calendar. The template is reusable and many different versions can be made at a shorter time.

3)    Heart-warming gift

You can offer a unique calendar to precious people according to each one’s taste. This gift is inexpensive but heart-warming. Save in JPEG format and send the tailor-made calendar by email, the receivers will get it quickly.

Simple DIY Steps:

1. Choose a photo.
2. Open MS Excel.
3. Set page layout (vertical).
4. Set margin of the page (Top and bottom: 1 cm each. Left and Right: 1.5 cm each. Page top and page end: 0.5 cm)
5. Set width of each column (2.25, from column A to AE)
6. Add ‘Year 2011 Calendar’ at the top.
7. Start from line 24, column A to G, input the January calendar.
8. Do not input “1, 2, 3, 4…” for this is too time-consuming. Use formula instead. Type ‘=+F26+1’ at G26 for 1, ‘=+G26+1’ at A27 for 2, ‘=+A27+1’ at B27 for 3. After three to four inputs, copy and paste the formula until the 31st.
9. Once January completed, copy and paste the whole month to February.
10. Delete 1, 2, and 3, and see what will happen. Tuesday starts with 1. The rest of the days change automatically.
11. February, 2011 has 28 days only. So, delete 29, 30 and 31.
12. Copy and paste, delete and add to make each month appearing correctly.
13. Mark the public holidays in different colors as you wish. (The demo calendar has Sundays marked in red).
14. Add the photo.
15. Save file. The Excel file is reusable in the future after a few modifications.
16. Before closing the Excel file, highlight the whole calendar (A1 to AE49), copy and paste it to MS Paint.
17. Save the calendar in JPEG format.
18. Preview before printing to see if adjustments are required.

The demo calendar is a yearly one. You can make a monthly calendar if you wish. Personalize the calendar for your own use or give it to your beloved. The DIY is simple and the product can serve as a nice gift. Welcome to give it a try.

Author’s note:

Ms Excel and Ms Paint are the computer software used in this DIY project. There is other powerful software or apps to make your life easier. 

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