diy paint chip dry erase calendar

With a thrift store frame and free paint chips from the hardware store, you can create a dry erase calendar you’ll behappy to display on your wall.

It’s hard to believe I’m writing a back to school post. Summer just started. Right? I know many readers won’t be going back for another month or more, but here in Mississippi, I get to start back tomorrow.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. And as much as I treasure the lazy days of summer, I can’t help but crave routine and structure. I’m not naturally a very organized person, though, which is why I need tools like this DIY paint chip dry erase calendar in my life.

Here’s how I made it:

Let me tell you about this frame. I bought it three or four years ago at a thrift shop in Oregon, without glass, but with a sweet woven rug slash piece of art.

Since I didn’t really need watermill art on the bathroom floor, I pulled the rug out of the frame and painted the frame yellow/gold. I also bought a piece of glass, which was surprisingly affordable (about $18, I think).

For the calendar, I picked up paint chips from Lowe’s. To be honest, it felt like stealing to take so many, even though there isn’t a limit. I justified it by reasoning that I’ve purchased a lot of paint from there- along with a ton of other stuff- but never taken any paint chips.

To make a calendar, you’ll need 35 squares, or enough for a 7 x 5 grid (plus extra for days of the week). I chose to create an ombre look, but I’ve seen several different paint chip arrangements that look nice.

I used scissors to trim the white borders from the paint chips. A paper cutter would make more precise lines, but I don’t have one and it wasn’t super important to me that everything line up perfectly. If you’re more Type A than I am, go with a paper cutter. After I trimmed the chips, I laid them out in the grid I wanted the calendar to be in.

Then I flipped the squares over and taped each column together.

I taped the columns together to form the entire calendar.

If you look closely, you can see that all the lines don’t match up exactly. I’m happy with the result based on the amount of time I invested- not much- but you could easily make everything more square if you opted for a paper cutter.

Finally, I trimmed leftover squares to add the days of the week to the top of each column.

I saved the remaining leftovers and attached one above the calendar to display the month. The other two went under the calendar, and that’s where I can include information like a grocery list, reminders for the next month, etc.

My dry erase calendar has been hanging in the kitchen for a few months now and I love it. I love that the squares are big enough to fit several events/reminders, I love that I have room at the bottom to make additional notes, and I still love the colors I chose.

With free paint chips and an inexpensive poster frame, you could create your own custom dry erase calendar for less than $20.

I’m so excited to have this big, beautiful calendar helping me stay organized this school year.

What are your best tips and tricks for staying organized during the school year?

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