Wednesday, December 31, 2014

DIY cubes calendar inspired by MoMA

When I went to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) during last summer , I loved the shop there compared to the museum because they had a lot of creative products and I was going through each one of them and I felt like having all of them.(Obviously, that is not possible :P)Then my DIY mind said that I can do some of them . One of them were this perpetual cubes calendar.As the new year starts tomorrow, we can make a new calendar to start the year. Of course, it can be any day any year to start this as it is a never ending calendar.Just to make it a seasonal thing, I am posting it right on time.;)





Materials required :
4 wooden blocks (Mine measured 1.4")
Cardboard (Shipping boxes will do)
Paint
Paint brushes
Utility knife
Glue gun
Paint pen
Black card stock
Mod podge.
Scissors
Clear gloss spray paint or any sealant.

Step 1: Decide the color scheme of the cubes. My current faves are teal ,gold ,black and white but you can chose your own favorite color scheme or go with mine. Paint the cubes in the colors you picked. I went with teal for date cubes, white for days cube and gold for months.Two to three coating will be perfect to mask the wood from showing through.


Step 2: Now to the making of stand for cubes.I made this stand by trail and error method.With cubes measurement as key I started building the stand. You can pretty much make this stand for whatever size of cube you have. My cubes measured 1.4".So, if you also have the same cube measurement, then You will need

2 card boards(Middle)  --  6" x 1.4"
1 card board (Front)     --  6" x 1"
1 card board (Back)     --  6" x 2.6"
1 card board (Base)      --  6" x 2.4"

Here are the steps to make the base:

Attach the middle two pieces with hot glue.

Attach the front piece to previously build "V" shape piece

In the same way , attach the back piece also.

Now, you have something like this (A slant "M")


Cut the base piece.

Attach it to the base of the slant "M" piece.


Step 3: Once you are done building the base , trace the sides on to the cardboard and cut them. Glue them to the sides using glue gun. Your cardboard base is now ready.

Trace the sides on to the piece of cardboard and cut it.

Close the sides using hot glue.

Your base is now ready.
Step 4: Cover your stand with black card stock and mod podge. Use the base that you have just build as a template and trace around black cardstock leaving 1/2 inch extra on all sides .Cut it and use mod podge to glue it to the cardboard. Once the glue is dry , use another coat of mod podge above the card stock to give a polished look. Your base is now ready. If you feel that is too much of work,cover it with paint.






Step 5: Once the wood blocks are dry. Write the date, day and months with pencil and then go over them with the paint pen for the final touch. If you are confident enough you can write directly with paint pen.Finish it with a coat of sealant like triple gloss paint or clear gloss spray paint.And then, you are done!
Cube 1 (Day) - Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri. Sat/Sun
Cube 2(Date) - 1,2,3,4,5,6
Cube 3(Date) - 0,1,2,7,8,9
Cube 4(Months) - Jan/Jul , Feb/Aug ,Mar/Sep , Apr/Oct , May/Nov , Jun/Dec













What do you think about this cubes calendar? Isn't it so easy to make? You can also replace the cardboard base with anything else you already have.Or you can just make the cubes and place it together on a stack of books. The ideas are endless and so the calendar :) Do it once and have it life long. This makes a beautiful gift for anyone celebrating birthday in January. Feel free to share your comments below or write to vikalpah@gmail.com . As always I will be happy to hear from you. 
If you want to check my last year calendar,click here.







21 comments:

  1. Oh goodness! That's so cute! You should open an Etsy shop!

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  2. What a great tutorial! I love cube calendars, and this one is adorable! I'd love it if you'd share this at Reviews, Chews & How-Tos this week for our first Awesome Life Friday Link Up http://rchreviews.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing! I hope you'll come back again this week for Awesome Life Friday!

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  3. This is so cute -- I've got to try this! Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle. :)

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    1. Thank you Dee :) Try it , you bet you ll love it :)

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  4. What a great tutorial!! Love!! Hey I would love it if you shared your stuff on my new Link Party that starts tomorrow...Thursday! Its called My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday! here is the link...You have great stuff!! Thanks for sharing!! http://www.cookinandcraftin.com/my-2-favorite-things-link-party-1/

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  5. I love your perpetual calendar! The colors are so pretty, and I love your idea of placing the cubes on a stack of books as an alternative! I would love if you would stop by and link this up at my blog party, “Celebrate It!” We are all about celebrating the everyday wonderful!

    http://thefreshmancook.blogspot.com/2015/01/celebrate-it-blog-party-25.html

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  6. Oh my! This looks so amazing. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you so much for being a part of our party. We really appreciate you! I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls

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  7. Thanks for sharing this idea on Oh My Heartsie Girl WW!
    Super cute and super easy!
    Co-Host - Jenny from RenovarDesign

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  8. This is such a neat idea, and perfect for this time of the year! I'm featuring it for today's Creative Spark party. We hope you'll link up with us again this week: http://twopurplecouches.com/2015/01/creative-spark-link-party-37/

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  9. Love the DIY calendar cubes.... you shared at my last party,very cool! Hope you can stop by and share another creative project. Thanks Maria
    http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com/fabulous-friday-party-time/

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  10. Woah, that's amazing! I'll try make one for my friend :)

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  11. I can do some of them . One of them were this perpetual cubes calendar.As the new year starts tomorrow, we can make a new calendar to start the year.

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  12. This cube calendar seems so pretty, I have few sheets I think I can use them. Saw similar DIY calendar at https://topbenchgrinders.com too. I just need Clear gloss spray paint to make this DIY work.

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