DIY Industrial Desk Calendar

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of True Value. The opinions and text are all mine.

With little kids at home, I’m always looking for projects that the kids can help with too! Especially if a project is something that will use in the long run. With my daughter in Kindergarten this year, we are constantly looking for ways for her to practice her numbers and letters. So to kill two birds with one stone, I partnered with True Value to create this DIY Industrial Desk Calendar that my kids and I could make together and use to practice numbers. I also thought they would have fun flipping the new number over every morning

DIY Industrial Desk Calendar

What I love most about how it turned out, is that it looks amazing on my kitchen shelves and doesn’t necessarily look like a calendar, but a cool vintage industrial piece. My kind of decor, interesting yet practical.

It was actually really easy to make, so let’s dive into what you will need.

Pipe Calendar SUPPLIES

• Piece of reclaimed wood (or a piece stained)
• Galvanized Plumbers Pipe
  • (2) 1/2″ flanges
  • (2) 1/2″ X 6″ pipes
  • (2) 1/2″ elbow joints
  • (1) 1/2″X 8″ pipe (I think a 6″ one would also work just fine
• Black Matte Spray Paint
• (8) 1 1/2″ Black Screws
• (2) Metal Craft Rings
• (31) Pieces of Finished Fabric Banners
• Heat Transfer Paper

TOOLS

• Circular Saw
• Power Drill
• Tarp for Spray Painting
• Iron
• Printer

Here are the pipes you want to start with and the layout of how they will connect.

Pipes are so easy for kids to help with. Both of my kids helped me screw them together and they thought they were working with some cool stuff!

Once the pieces were all together,  I gave a coat of black matte spray paint.

Time to cut the base. I has some reclaimed wood on hand, so I decided to use a piece of it to add some character. But you could easily cut your own board down to size and stain it with a beautiful dark walnut or classic gray.

I placed the structure on my piece of wood and then marked where I needed to cut. My board ended up being about 16″.

Then, screw the piping onto the board.

Using Iron On Transfer Paper

Now let’s get to the calendar part! Ok so you know I love using heat transfer paper. It’s sorta my go to when transferring images onto fabric. First, I created all of the numbers and then flipped the image so that it is the mirror version.

Next, load the heat transfer paper into your printer and print the numbers on it.

Cut each number out as close to the edge as you can and then place it facedown onto the canvas banner. Press the iron down and old it for 30 seconds.

Once it cools, gently pull off the paper and see the transferred image. I used pre-finished banners from the craft store, but you could easily create your own using drop cloth!

Then, I threaded them through the crafting hooks and contact them to the pipe.

And you are done!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of True Value. The opinions and text are all mine.

Click here for more DIY pipe projects!