When I was growing up, there was always a calendar hanging on the side of refrigerator. Secured by a hooked magnet up top and two clippy ones along the edges, it was the repository for sleepovers, school plays, and the dates when were assigned to bring snacks for choir practice. Our lives were simple enough back then that a month of small boxes held a family’s worth of commitment without strain.
Up until last January, I still used a paper planner (though it was a whole lot more detailed than the old fridge calendar method). But as life expanded, there wasn’t enough space to hold all my to-do lists, deadlines, and reminders. I switched to a Google calendar and have breathed more easily since.
I’ve missed having a paper calendar, though. I like having a physical thing that helps me measure the days and weeks. And at the turn of each month, it’s fun to have a new picture to keep me company.
When Anna Hewitt from Seedling Design emailed, offering to send me a copy of her Eat Real Food calendar, I jumped at the chance to have a physical calendar in my life again. Printed on sturdy card stock, this monthly calendar isn’t bound together. That means you can arrange it in a grid on a cork board, or you can prop a single month on a bookshelf or stick it to the fridge with a magnet.
Each month features an image of a sewn design (handmade by Anna) that represents some different aspect of food and community. It is quietly charming and such a good reminder that we all need allow ourselves the time to nourish, sustain, and grow in this new year.
Thanks to Anna, I have a second calendar to give away to one of my readers. If you’d like to enter for a chance to win it, here’s what to do.
- Leave a comment on this post and share how you track and measure your days. Paper planner? Calendar on the fridge? Online datebook?
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, January 5, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday.
- Giveaway open all.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.
If you don’t want to wait to see if you win, you can also click over to Seedling Design and pick up a calendar for yourself today (before the new year too far underway). It’s just $20, which isn’t too much for a year’s worth of art and helpful reminders!
Disclosure: Seedling Design sent me two calendars, one to keep and one to give away. They did not pay for inclusion in this post and my opinions are entirely my own.
 |
![[Your name]'s gallery on Punk Domestics](http://www.punkdomestics.com/sites/default/files/badges/GalleryBadge200.gif)
That calendar looks lovely! I always TRY to use a paper calendar, one of the small ones that fits in my purse, and gradually by the end of the year fall out of the habit. We’re foster parents, and our foster daughter arrived last January, so the first few months are full of little events that happened (like when she first sat up alone, as well as appointments and such), but now it’s just appointments. Those also go into my phone, because I can set up reminders and link things to my husband’s calendar.
What a pretty calendar! Beautiful! Would look great hanging in the kitchen.
Typically I use my work Outlook calendar to keep track of my schedule, but I would like to have a paper copy with important dates available (and in plain sight) at home.
Happy New Year!
I’ve tried several times to switch to a digital calendar, but just can’t do it. I like my old-school paper day planner.
My appointments are scheduled on my computer. But I teach at a title 1 HS in the suburbs. This means low income. Last year’s calendar posted on the wall was a gardening calendar, so students could not only see healthy vegetables, but also learn when to do things like “plant tomato seeds”. Whenever I would bring treats to school for awesomeness on tests or excellent behavior, I made sure to include their favorite: oranges. Who would have thought that a bunch of teenagers prefer oranges over donuts!
Healthy eating not only is learned at home, but at school. I made sure during Friday lunch time tutoring, the students saw healthy lunches: homemade soups brought in mason jars, pretzels, apples, oranges, PB&J.
That’s beautiful! My mother-in-law always supplies us with a paper calendar — *but it would be nice to have one that’s more my style than hers!*
I use google calendar/phone calendar that sync together. I also make sure to write them on a magnetic paper calendar on the fridge so hubby and my son can see what is coming up for the week. I would LOVE to have this calendar hanging on the cork board in my kitchen! So pretty!
I ad-hoc my calendar with a freebie from our city or Half-Price Books, iCal when I need to figure out what days of the week go with which dates, and a markerboard on the fridge for upcoming doctor’s appointments. I also check FB everyday for birthday reminders. We just cleared the fridge off, though, and this little beauty would look great and would remind me to keep working on my sewing projects (I’m a total newbie there).
I use iCal on my laptop to keep track of all my personal to-dos. Yet his calendar is so beautiful and awe-inspiring, I would hang it on the fridge to keep track of our home’s cooking days and chore lists. Gorgeous!
I’m switching over to an electronic calendar this year after years of using a paper planner. I may switch back if it doesn’t work out!
Hi,
What a cute calendar. It would look great in my kitchen.
I have used a lighthouse calendar for many, many years.
It reminds of my hometown, York, Maine.
But for keeping track of dates I use sticky notes on the microwave.
This way every one sees them.
I used to be a PAPER ONLY person. Each year I would carefully select the most perfect organizer that I’d cart along everywhere with me. Now, I use my phone- but love to have an array of lovely calendars (such as Anna’s) that I use throughout the house, studio and office. I still need to write things down, so I usually make some kind of handmade, makeshift notebook where scraps of paper, sketches and tons of post-its live.
Thanks for the opportunity to win such a special calendar. Love it.
Astrid
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnAstridEndeavor
I still use a paper planner for work and personal, all together. I also have a calendar taped on to the kitchen door. I use a Google calendar to coordinate child activities with their dad – too many calendars!
I use Outlook calendar on the computer, although I’m not using it as much as I used to. I also have a calendar at eye level on my desk that I always use. If I can’t see it, it doesn’t get done.
Digital (OneNote) and feed store freebie. Boo.
This one is tres cool.
Happy New Year! What a charming calendar! (AND I love your website too!) As for calendars, I use iCal for reoccurring events (birthdays, meetings, annual events), but when it comes to unique dates, creating timing/action plans or tracking contract hours I use a paper calendar and prefer a wall calendar above my desk. Whatever method, there is never enough time!
Thanks for the opportunity. pm, minneapolis
I’m an old school paper calendar kind of guy. never could get into digital, even when it was a requirement for my job, still had a paper calendar with everything in it I carried around.
i use two calendars one in my purse and a reference in the kitchen on the fridge. my fridge is a jiant magnet board it keeps me organized.
I can’t use an electronic calendar. I have tried, from calendar’s on my computer, palm pilot (reember those?!) and iphone, but nothing is as reliable for me as a paper calendar.
I’m really bad about it at home, but at work I have my Outlook calendar and my desk calendar. I splurged and bought a fancy desk calendar from Paperchase I think or some such fancy stationary store. It helps me to keep track of thing when I have something pretty to look at while I’m tracking!
I use a paper planner book for most things; I did digital for a while, and I loved it, but it was better when I had more places to be, meetings, etc. and fewer tasks to do at any time. I also keep a wall calendar in the dining room, not to write on, but just to glance at if I want to think about future weekends.
I love paper calenders. I have one on the frig that I use for appointments and things like that, and I have another one-usually a pretty one from our state’s conservation dept that we enjoy reading each day-and there I put birthdays and anniversarys.
If I were to win this one-it will be my frig calender thanks for the chance
Happy New Year to you as well-love reading your blog posts here Kathy
I use Google Calendar as it syncs home, school (teacher) and phone together. BUT there is a write on calendar magneted to the fridge for meals and more “home” planning.
it’s a beautiful calendar, thanks for doing this!
I have been trying to transition to a google calendar, but still love the satisfying nature of a paper calendar where I can cross things off… It’s been a struggle.
I use Google Calendar but I also use a notebook to keep more detail track of tasks and notes.
My family uses a complex system of syncing online calendars to keep track of work (2), schools (3), and everything else. But I still love having beautiful printed calendars around the house.
It’s so beautiful!!! I use a calendar on my wall to track things monthly, and a “planner” type calendar from the Sierra club on my desk to track things weekly. And for work, I print out a month-long calendar I can write on to schedule my visits. What can I saw, I’m an oldest child Virgo.
Happy New Year, Marisa! I love that calendar, the graphics are so wonderfully colorful and meaningful! I use paper and electronic calendars for my work and personal use. I use old calendars for their pictures to make children’s books and activities, I can’t find enough of them!
I use Google Cal for work but I love having a calendar to mark more exciting things on…
I have a work Gcal, a personal Gcal, a paper page-a-day style planner, a series of alerts on my phone’s calendar (still haven’t figured out how to link them, oy) and several stapled-together recycled pages for notes, figures, and scribbling. And yet I think I mostly keep things straight in my head — sometimes the act of recording a to-do or setting a reminder does enough to keep me on track.
I am a paper planner, I always have to have things written down and in front of me. Digital means don’t seem to work because I forget to go look at the information
I use a paper calendar. I tried online/electronic options but just don’t find them as convenient.
sticky notes! the day doesn’t exist until i paste it to the wall.
I have a large desk calendar on the wall in the kitchen, and a “paper” datebook..
Not too hip, but functional!!
I use both a calender on my fridge and the calender on my phone.
I love the look of this calendar – I still stick with paper calendars, can’t bring myself to go digital!
I use a google calendar for my official calendar but I always have a paper calendar hanging in my kitchen for quick reference
I have a paper wall calendar.
I use a paper planner to record major goings on, but also make a weekly “at a glance” scrap sheet where I add reminders to myself about which chores I plan to do which days (I also like listing downwards for the week, because this “daily to do list” format gives me satisfaction when I cross items off for each day). It’s a bit compulsive, but works for me!
I have a few calendars, my Android which syncs with my google for personal use. Outlook at work and a paper calendar in the kitchen. I could use another one for my home office.
Well I’m in school so I have a weekly and monthly planner to put all my assignments in. I like to be able to look ahead and have all my projects and homework laid out. Also, I have a smart phone so sometimes I will put reminders on my phone so it will buzz later and I won’t forget to do something. I love to have hanging wall calendars though! I don’t necessarily put anything on them but they are so pretty to look at.
I use the calender on my iphone, and I have a calendar (for looks) hung in my studio. However, I miss having a paper planner to look back on after the year has passes. Thanks for the giveaway. xoxo
Happy New Year! I love calendars, the idea of them and how they look, but I am not the best at actually using them. With a beauty like this, maybe I would be more inspired to calendar it up!
I love google calendar for keeping track of my life but I always have a paper calendar for display.
Great calendar. I like the fact that the pages aren’t all connected, giving you lots of options. At the moment we hang a regular old fashioned calendar in the kitchen and it holds all the family birthdays, days to take the trash can down the hill to the road (we only have bi-weekly pickup), doctor’s appts., etc. etc. Which reminds me, it’s time to get out the new calendar and fill it in!
This calendar is so lovely! Thank you!
I use my iphone but I miss a paper calendar!
paper planner forever! I feel very attached to my planner. one month per page spread. when I’m wound up, I take out my planner and take a deep breath and strategize a way to chill. (lovely one in the giveaway here — sewing pics are so warm!)
iCal baby. Although sometimes I forget to put things in there, but that’s on me…
Calendar on the fridge and the TeuxDeux app for my iphone. Between the two, I manage to make MOST of my appointments!
Like you, I use a combination. I set reminders in my (dumb)phone for some things, but I also use a paper calendar to track bill due dates, appointments, and hours worked per pay period for my husband’s job.
We still use the paper calendar on the fridge. This one is beautiful.