4-Inch Chipboard Coaster Calendar Instructions

I've had several requests as to how my 4-inch chipboard coaster calendars are constructed, so I thought some more photos might help!  For prettier blog photos last year, I usually just showed each month on the 4-inch pieces of patterned papers, not adhered to the 4-inch chipboard ... sorry for the confusion! 

I used my 3-inch downloadable calendars for this project, die cut with either Spellbinders Labels One die #4 or Labels 8 die #3 (shown on the right calendar page below.  Die numbers start with the smallest die):

Here's what the full year's calendar looks like, sitting open on a desk:

 

Here's what the calendar looks like lying open flat:

 

Here's what the "book spine" looks like.  Be sure to keep your ribbon spacing the same on each month.  Here you can see how I've attached my 2" ribbon strips to the back of the patterned paper (more abour ribbon below):

 

Here's what the calendar looks like fully open:

 

Hopefully you can see by the photo above that my left red December cardinal page is attached to the previous month's chipboard piece and the right side of the December patterned paper page would be attached to the next month's chipboard piece.  To finish this calendar, I would add a chipboard piece to the last December paper and a cover to the first chipboard page shown above that has the red ribbon strips on it.  OR you could attach the last December page to first January chipboard piece, if you wanted the calendar "book" to stay open like this star shape above.

Ribbon:  Only two pieces of 2-inch ribbon strips are needed, attached to the backs of the patterned papers, spaced about 1/4" apart (width between the open pages), as shown in photo 2 above, spaced about 1-inch from the top and bottom of the paper.  (I just didn't know yet how I was constructing these calendars with my first month shown above -- the two strips of red ribbon fully across the back!)

When the calendar is finished, you'll have one chipboard piece that has part of a month on the front and back of it, thus reducing the number and bulk of chipboard pieces needed.

Chipboard: I used mostly 4-inch chipboard coasters-medium weight that I've had for years -- StarLitStudio carries them HERE.  Or you can cut your own sizes or number of chipboard pieces needed from Ellen Hutson's Craft-a-Board (I've used this quite a lot, too!).

I hope that helps!  If  not, please feel free to leave me a message in the comment section of this post and I'll answer your question.