Calendar Boy...

With interchangeable photos and a tear-off calendar, this is a gift that will be useful throughout the year.

Thank goodness it's Friday! I have had a crazy week with a sick rugrat and sleepless nights of worry, but now he's all better and I have some wonderful news to share. I have been a huge fan of Lifestyle Crafts (formerly known as QuicKutz) and I was so thrilled to be invited to become an Affiliate of this fabulous company. The best part is that all my readers get to benefit by receiving an exclusive 20% off coupon off purchased made in the LC store!

Enter the code: BEAN for your exclusive savings!

It is going to be such a pleasure sharing with you some projects created with Lifestyle Crafts products, and I wanted to begin with this interchangeable photo calendar that was inspired by the Taylored Expressions Calendar Challenge. I was so in love with this project that I thought I would create a mini tutorial for anyone interested in making one:

A sturdy, precisely cut easel-back makes this perfect for display.
It folds flat, which would make it easy to mail.

I began by die-cutting the pieces to assemble my photo calendar stand from the very cool Card & Photo Easel Die. To make this extra sturdy, I used Craft-A-Board, which is a thin cardboard that runs through die-cutting machines using wafer-thin dies with ease.

You will want to cut two of the panel on the right in order to create the interchangeable photo frame.

After covering one panel with patterned paper, die-cut a frame using the included frame (BEAN TIP: use removable tape to secure your die in your desired spot.) 

Punch or die-cut a circle on the second panel. After trimming a photo to your desired shape, secure the two panels together using Scor-tape. Be sure to leave the top of the "pocket" free of glue/adhesive.

Photos can be easily interchanged with the formed "pocket" between the two panels. Adhere the easel back piece after you have finished decorating your front panel.

Print out as many photos as you would like, trimming to fit the pocket. For my project, I also added a fun Mini Tear-Off Calendar from Taylored Expressions. The Card & Photo Easel Die is so versatile that I think I'll be able to create a ton of other display and gift items, such as single- or multiple-photo frames, table toppers, and memo holders. 

I hope you enjoyed my first "tutorial" -- I hope to do more in the future. I'm so pleased to be able to offer a discount for readers of TSB. 

Don't forget to visit the Lifestyle Crafts store and enter the code: BEAN at checkout for 20% off!

Have a Happy Bean Day!

BEAN NOTES

Patterned Paper: Blink of an Eye (My Mind's Eye)

Cardstock: Baby Blue Medium (Bazzill)

Specialty Paper: Craft-A-Board (Ellen Hutson)

Fibers: Ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Embroidery Floss (generic)

Calendar Product: Mini Tear-Off Calendar (TE)

Accents: Button (October Afternoon)

Die: Card & Photo Easel Die (Lifestyle Crafts)