Calendars for the previous year can be reused by lining drawers, wrapping empty shoe boxes to make gift or storage boxes or making a shopping list booklet so that you get to enjoy the pictures for longer duration. (PHOTO: WANGECI WANYEKI/ STANDARD)

You have probably already received new calendars for the New Year, but what should you do with your 2015 calendars which are still in good condition? Let’s face it, some were hardly used and were instead left in your drawer for an entire year waiting to be used. I have an idea for you: You can re-use or recycle those old calendars. Here is how to go about it:

Line Drawers

Unless you have a modern kitchen with ready professionally lined drawers, you know what an eyesore it is to open unsightly unlined cabinets. Delight yourself with a pleasurable sight whenever you open your drawers and jazz up the inside of your kitchen drawers or shelves with calendar pages. This is a great low-commitment way to spruce up your kitchen.

The calendar pages are more durable than a newspaper, which is not only fragile but wrinkles and tears more easily.

It is always preferable to have the white side of the calendar facing up, especially if using drawers to keep crockery and cutlery so that they do not touch the printed ink. However, for other items like books, you can put the printed pictorial side up and get to enjoy the pictures on your calendar for another year.

Measure the width and length of each surface to be lined. Clean and wipe the shelves and drawers with damp cloth and dub them dry. Unroll the calendar and cut accordingly to the measurements, then line the drawer or shelf and smooth out wrinkles and burbles before placing your crockery.

Laminate

Cut out those animal or scenery calendar pictures you like and laminate them. These can be used as table placemats or affordable wall art, which can also placed in bathrooms because of their water-proof nature. Some of those spectacular pictures can be framed for hanging on the walls.

Some calendars usually have a summary index of all the pictures used which are printed as pictorial icons on the back page. These can be cut out into coasters using the same technique.

Jigsaw puzzles

Cut out your preferred calendar page and place the picture on a piece of cardboard. To create a jigsaw puzzle, cut it out in a wiggly line rather than a straight line.

The number of jigsaw pieces will depend on the age of the child. Smaller children will be more comfortable using fewer and larger jigsaw pieces so that the task is achievable.

Shopping list

Rather than use loose sheets of paper to write out your shopping list, cut out same-size rectangular strips from your old calendar and staple or bind one end to create a shopping list booklet.

Write your shopping list on the white side of the calendar paper while enjoying the pictorials on the back side.

Storage boxes

Transform an empty shoe box by wrapping it with calendars. Use a glue stick to spread the glue around the box and the lid, then stick the pretty calendar paper all around the shoe box and revamp an ordinary box into an attractive gift or storage box.

So, rather than throw out your 2015 calendars, let your crafty juices flow as you recycle and reuse each treasured page.

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