Animals Gone 7 Deadly Sins Calendar

Spring 2010. Although it was early, I thought that I should get started on my “Make Something Present”. I like making calendars, so I wanted to make another and came up with the format first. I wanted to create something with layers, so I decided on using different sized sheets that would go from the smallest size in the front to the largest size in the back.

Once I figured out how the calendar would be put together, I thought about what the calendar should be about. Suddenly it came to me: 7 Deadly Sins. With seven sins, I could divide the months up to two a sheet plus a cover sheet. But I didn’t want it to be a straight up “sins” calendar; I wanted to do something that would amuse me.

Thus, I came up with the idea of animals sinning. I just think it’s funny because animals wouldn’t think about their actions as sins; they would just be acting like their normal animal selves. I thought about the seven deadly sins and what animals could do to correspond to them. I drew all of my images and gave each animal a little quote to go along with the sin they were committing.

I decided that each sin would be a different color, so it would create a rainbow effect when all the sheets were put together. The only question was, how to keep all the sheets together? I needed a stand for the calendar, and it was the stand that ultimately decided the size of the calendar.

I was roaming a craft store [because I often go to craft/art/fabric stores and just roam the aisles, looking at the wares, waiting for some bit of inspiration to hit me. (Pause.) I probably look like a shoplifter. (Sigh.)]. I was hunting for something that I could make a stand with, and then I saw some wood clothespins and realized that that could work. But I needed something for the clothespin to be connected to so it could sit on a desk and my eyes shifted to a nearby wood block. All I had to do was glue a clothespin to a wood block. Stand complete.

However, with such a small stand, it couldn’t hold that much weight, so my calendar had to be pretty small. I was fine with that. My small and cute and deadly calendar amused me greatly.