Hello,

Do like to use those pretty wall calendars? I usually avoid them since I have a couple of other ways to keep track of the days and my plans. (See upcycled command center and vertical day planner) But the hubby likes to pick one out every year and last years was just to pretty and colorful to toss into the recycling.

So I purchased some thrift store frames with the intent of just framing my favorite pages. But then, as I often do, I decided to take it a little further. The frames that I found were deeper than most so I decided to experiment with a 3 dimensional effect.

The process is pretty easy but a little time consuming. First you need to decide what picture to use and make a plan for how to cut it. I recommend using some small scissors for the detailed part because you want the pieces to fit back together like a puzzle when you are done. The good news is that since you are gluing everything onto cardboard you can fix any miss cuts that you make. Just don’t lose any pieces.

Once the pieces are cut they are ready to be glued to the cardboard. I had planned to use a cereal or cracker box but they weren’t big enough for my larger “puzzle” pieces. So I found an old dusty gift box in the attic. Does anyone even use those anymore?

I used a glue stick and rubber cement. The rubber cement works better but to be honest I am a little afraid that over time it may bleed through on the art. Glue sticks are usually acid free which is better for photos. So I guess I will see what happens.

The basic idea for the 3D effect is that the front pieces have the most layers of cardboard with less cardboard on each step backwards.

The frames that I found were the perfect shape but they were very chipped up.

So I decided to cover them with some book paper, white wash and polycrylic to match my new vertical day planner system.

The hair dryer makes the drying time go faster.

Sorry I don’t have a lot of photos of the process but you can view a time lapsed version of the whole process here.

Happy Upcycling,