Blogging Tips...

Need some help with your blog, we all have days where we are uninspired and can't think what to talk about, or have trouble figuring out how to add images, products, ideas for making your blog better. Head on over to my PInterest board 'Blogging Tips' for some great inspiration, how tos and blogging ideas.

 

DIY Financial Year Desk Calendar and Printable...

Since I started using Outlook Express I have really missed the calendar and task function from the original full version of Outlook.

As a result I have been using a variety of desktop calendars, which are OK, but not great. So this weekend I decided to make myself a calendar for my desk to save having to constantly open calendars on my desktop, I wanted something that was there, unobtrusive but large enough to see easily. This has become even more relevant since starting the blog as I am constantly referring to dates and need a calendar for my planning and scheduling. 

So I thought I would share what I did this weekend and offer it to download and print to create your own. It runs from July 2014 to June 2015, in line with the Australian finanical year.

Originally I did plan to make a flip style calendar, but after seeing a pack of little coloured bulldog clips in a discount store I thought they were just too cute to pass up. And whilst it means a little more work having to shuffle the cards around rather than just flipping to the next month, on the positive side, it's so cute and, more importantly, I did not have to drill holes into my stand which means at any time, it can be turned back into a photo frame.

Materials:

1 x 4 x 6 Inch (10cm x 15cm) slide photo frame.
Patterned Washi Tape (optional)
Printable Monthly Calendar
Cardstock
Bulldog Clip


Simple and fun.

Print the calendars I created to share here or click on the image below, there are 4 months per page on an A4 page and each calendar is sized 14cm x 9.5cm so that they are just a little smaller than the frame.

I cut the calendars out with an exacto knife, using double sided tape or glue, attach each month to cardstock (I used co-ordinating colours, but one single colours would work) or you could even skip this step and print your calendars directly onto cardstock or thicker paper.

I covered my frame in dotty themed washi tape just to pretty it up a bit, although this is definitely not necessary as you really don't see much of the frame at all. 

Using the bulldog clip, attached your calendar to the frame. I clipped all months together on the frame but you could clip one at a time if you had a smaller clip.

This looks so cute on my desk and now I don't have to go searching for calendars whenever I am working on my blog schedule, my budget or any other time I need to work out dates.

Next time I think I will make a larger wall mounted version that includes the ability to writ onto the calendar so I can note birthdays, appointments and dates. But will leave that one for December.

How to Train Your Dragon 2...Pre-Screening

For well over 6 months now I have had a little 12 year old girl in my ear about 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' and how desperately she is waiting for it to come out and the closer the time gets to the official release on 19th June to worse she gets. All week I have heard "Mummy, I just can't wait that long, it's 3 WHOLE weeks" and more.

But today we are off to the pre-screening, yay, no more agonising and complaining about having to wait. And, if I am being totally honest, I will say that I am looking forward to going also, I love watching kids animated movies. There is something very uplifting about them, just a little bit of fun and a reminder to laugh occasionally.

Of course, now I am going to have to deal with the repeated lines and constant talking about every little thing that happens in the movie. 

And I can only imagine what the next request will be, there are the colouring pages and activities which will be a must have, thankfully they are an easy download.

Then there are the mobile phone games that will be top of the list of requests over the next week.

I am desperately hoping that I don't get asked for one of these, cute as they are. I am not sure that I am quite ready to see my daughter dressed like Xena the Warrior Princess. Although thankfully these Astrid outfits are a lot more innocent looking than the original Xena, but very reminiscent of Xena, for those who remember her, of course.