2016 Flip Frame Calendar

I've been getting emails lately from people wanting the new 2016 calendar.  I have been doing the little calendar for more years than I can count.  Debbie who used to blog with me still keeps the calendar and updates it each year.  Thank You Deb!
This year I'm using the Tim Holtz Flip Frame -  it's the perfect vehicle for a calendar!  The links to the calendar templates can be found at the bottom of the post.  Enjoy!

The Flip Frame comes in three pieces.  The Frame has a great finish but I decided to change it up to make it a bit more vintage.

I'm using three products to transform the frame: Distress Paint Weathered Wood and Alcohol Ink in Gold and Lake Mist.

First, I used the dabber top to paint the frame, filling in the crevices.  Now you just have wait for the paint to dry (that's the hard part).  I did use a paint brush to cover the inside corners of the frame and the base.

After about 30-40 minutes (when the paint is still slightly tacky) I came back to rub off some of the paint  This will also take away the "shine" from the paint and give it a more matte finish.

Once you have worked the paint around to your liking, set it aside to let it finish drying before moving on to the next step.

I used a felt pad (no blending tool) to add gold Alcohol Ink to the frame.  I'm not trying to cover up the paint, just enhance it.  I put the gold Alcohol Ink on one end of the pad and used the other end to move the ink around.  What you see here is all the gold I used on the ENTIRE frame and base.  It does not take much.

Next, I used Lake Mist but no felt pad.  This time I used the bottle tip to add the Alcohol ink.  As you might know, Alcohol Ink does not have a stopper (meaning if the bottle tips over it will run out).  I used this to my benefit and quickly ran the tip of the bottle (slightly tilted) along the the inside edge of the frame so the Alcohol Ink will run out freely into the raised design.  I say "slightly tipped" because I did not want to fill the cavity, just parts of it.

On the inside of the frame, I just let it drip from the top, filling in different areas.  If you get too much, just wipe it up with the felt pad.  Super easy.

Love the result...and I bet you would never guess from the label that Lake Mist was such a cool color?

Okay, so the frame is drying and we need something to hang in the center.  This is my go to template for all things Flip Frame.  If I follow these measurements - it always fits.

I need some paper.  I want a very vintage look so I'm using six different papers from the 8 x 8" Collage Paper Stash.  I cut 12 pieces using the template and saved the leftovers for later in the project.

Next up the calendar.
The calendar always comes on 3 pages (4 months per page) and I normally just print it out.  This time I felt like the calendar needed to be a bit smaller to fit in the Flip Frame.  I saved the calendars to my desktop so when I was ready to print, I just clicked on the drop down box under "page scaling" and chose "FIT TO PRINTABLE AREA" which made my page 93% instead of 100% (you can see the percentage number right under the picture of the calendar).  That was a good size to fit the Flip Frame.

I cut them just about a 1/16th of an inch past the dotted lines.

Then inked each month with Gathered Twigs and a Mini Blending Tool.

I used a bit of adhesive on the back to secure to the papers I previously cut.

I always like a little red stitching (totally optional of course). 

Then I added a positive little quote to each page using Small Talk.

To add a touch of whimsy, I hand cut simple scallops using the leftover paper from the cards.  A few Remnant Rubs from Special Delivery using the Remnant Rub Tool and I'm done with the calendar cards.

I colored about 40" of Crinkle Ribbon with Weathered Wood and a bit of Gathered Twigs Distress Stain for the bottom of the frame.

Now my year calendar is ready to go.  Remember you can print the calendar on any color paper or transparency so your calendar can reflect YOU!

Calendar page 1

Calendar page 2

Calendar page 3

now carry on,
paula

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