Dry Erase Paint Chip Calendar and Memo Boards

I like to be an organized person. I like to know what's coming up and what's going on without any last minute surprises. And, I have a lot of picture frames just taking up space. I read  that you can use dry erase markers on glass and realized I could use my picture frames to make dry erase boards to help keep me informed as to what's going on! And, once again, it's free! Because I have all the stuff here to make them! 

First, I made a dry erase paint chip calendar from an old 24" x 36" frame. 

Ok, so this wasn't completely free; I did have to buy the glass, which was only $10 at Lowe's. And while I was at Lowe's, I picked up the paint chips. I asked the guy at the paint counter about paying for the chips since I was taking a lot, and he said they were there for the customers to take. I don't think he realized how many I wanted. I got several shades of red, thinking I wanted to do an all red color scheme, but I wasn't all that thrilled with the way it looked. So, I went back and got more colors and finally decided on a bright color scheme. I got about seven chips of seven different colors to make this. You also need something for the background, I used some muslin from my stash, duct tape, a glue stick and spray adhesive.

I used the spray adhesive to lightly spray my board and smoothed the muslin over it. Do this outside! The spray gets everywhere and the fumes are pretty strong. Really strong. Then I flipped it over and duct taped it down. I seriously love duct tape. There is so much to do with it. 

I tried several different layouts of my paint chips before I came up with one I liked. I decided to cut them down so they would fit better. Make sure to leave a space at the top to write the month and the days of the week. I almost didn't :) You need seven columns of five for seven days of the week and five weeks in a month.

I used my board and ruler to line them up and keep them straight, just like I did with the lettering for my "Life Is Better With A Rottweiler" art. I used the glue stick to glue them down to the muslin. Then just pop that baby in the frame, write the month, days of the week and dates and BOOM, you're good to go!

Next, I made a dry erase grocery list.  I got this frame on clearance with the intention of using it with the collage mat that came with it.  But it's the perfect size to fit beside my pantry so I can write down things as I realize I'm going to need them. it's right there so I can write things down as I realize I needed  them. I don't have to hunt for paper and then forget what the heck I needed by the time I find some. All I did for this was find a piece of fabric, use spray adhesive on the backing, smooth the fabric on,  duct tape it down, pop it in the frame and hang it up. Super easy and fast. Almost instantaneous gratification.

Finally, I made two dry erase boards for my fridge so I can keep track of my daughters' work schedules. I did the same thing as the grocery list board, using two different colors of fabric so I could tell whose schedule is whose at a glance. Only this time I added magnetic tape to the back so it would stick to the fridge. I had that in the craft stash too. I have no idea why I ever bought it in the first place. Actually, I have tons of stuff in the craft stash like that. 

 

So now I'm more organized and on top of things. At least that's how I feel. And it was easy and, best of all, cheap. Just take a look around and see what you can repurpose!

Until the next project,
Chris :)