Have you hung up your 2013 wall calendar?  Do you love a new calendar as much as I do?

My sister gave me The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Calendar this year.  It’s always been one of my favorites.  The pages are beautifully illustrated with helpful notations and interesting quotes. Here’s one:

Benjamin Franklin introduced kohlrabi to colonial America.The vegetable’s German name originated from the Italian words cavolo rapa, meaning “cabbage turnip.”

You learn something new every day! 😉

It’s fun turning over a new page to a new month and a fresh beginning.  Conversely, I removed my 2012 gardening calendar with great anticipation. In the past few years I’ve been re-purposing the beautifully designed pages into envelopes and stickers, tags and the odd bookmark.

This year I’ve challenged myself to use all of last year’s garden calendar in new and different ways. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Gift Card Holder

This design simply evolved based on the pattern of the flower.  The gift card holder folds into thirds and is held in place by a sleeve.  When the sleeve is in place, the butterfly keeps the top flap from opening.

Desk Top Organizer

I’ve always loved little boxes, and this one is no exception.  It arrived with some unexpected treasures from a dear friend.  Rather than pack it away with the Christmas gear, I covered the box with four different calendar pages. I used the stiffer cardstock from the front of the calendar to make a pair of dividers.  Now I can easily get my hands on what I need.

Napkin Rings

Once folded in half and glued together, the pages are quite sturdy. I cut them into strips, formed a ring, and stitched them together with a scrap of raffia.  Now I’m all set for Thanksgiving.

Envelopes, gift tags and stickers

Postcards from the Edge

I used the only bit of white from the calendar to create a writing space.  The reverse side of the postcard has a quote.

Bunting

For the Fairy Garden…of course.  🙂

Drawer Liners and a Poster

Check this out:

Katherine at Pillows a-la-Mode likes to re-fashion or re-purpose clothing in a similar fashion. She held a contest a few months back. The lucky winner mailed her a beautiful embroidered jacket (that not longer fit), and Katherine turned it into a tote bag, a tissue holder, a pillow and more. You can check out the contest winner and lots of other fun ideas at Pillows a-la-Mode.