2014 calendars: part 10

Welcome to 2014! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and that you're excited to begin another new year. I thought I'd kick off 2014 with one final calendar post, featuring some very unusual ways to keep track of the year.

First up is a very clever wall planner that the London design studio Vitamins created for its office. Made entirely out of Lego, it's designed so that everyone in the studio is represented, and so that it synchs to an online calendar when they take a picture of it with their phone. It may sound a little complicated, but the above video gives a great overview of how it all works.

(Via kottke)

Then there's this interesting offering, a tear-off tea calendar, from Hamburg creative agency Kolle Rebbe for Hälssen & Lyon. Each day of the year is represented by a unique flavor that can be torn from the booklet-style folio and dropped into hot water for you to enjoy.

(Via designboom)

And finally, industrial designer Patrick Frey created this scarf calendar you unravel to mark the passing of time. Sadly, it's currently out of stock, but you can keep an eye on it in case it becomes available in Frey's shop.

2014 calendars: part 9

This week's calendar post is coming to you a day earlier because it's family time from now until 2014. So what better way to celebrate than with calendars? Free calendars! That's right, all of this week's calendars are 100% free. Enjoy them, and I'll see you all again next week!

First up, designer and illustrator Tim Denee has designed this great free, downloadable calendar. It has a seaside theme that matches up with the seasons, and he's even created two versions, so you can be sure that the illustrations match with the month depending on whether you live in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.

(Via Design Work Life)

Next up, Bonnie, of Going Home to Roost, has created this lovely calendar using some of her favorite Instagram photos from 2013. It's easy to download, and she's even included the template so that you can make one of your own.

And finally, not only can you download Nicole's pretty free desktop calendars, but they come with tutorials on how to recreate them in Illustrator!

2014 calendars: part 8

This week's 2014 calendars feature illustrated stories, to provide inspiration all year long.

First up is Rob Ryan, a long-time favorite of mine, whose beautiful papercut illustrations are often accompanied by sweet, sentimental short pieces of writing. You can find his 2014 calendar on his Etsy site, as well as through Amazon.

And speaking of cut-paper illustrations, Nikki McClure, another long-time favorite, has chosen Home as the theme for her 2014 calendar. Although they're not stories, per se, each of Nikki's images comes paired with a related verb that expands on the depicted scene. In 2014, these include Vibrate, Honor, Delegate, Matter, Lunch, Befriend, Ache, Inhabit, Chance, Save, Agree, and Stay.

And finally, I grew up on Brian Andreas' StoryPeople, short illustrated stories that run the gamut of human emotions. The 2014 calendar includes such gems as "Invitation of Spring," "Quiet Pride" and "One of Us."

2014 calendars: part 7

2014 is almost here, but don't worry! I've still got you covered on the calendar front. This week is all about your year in objects, from chairs to monuments, and bicycles too.

First up is a chair calendar that the decorative arts historian in all of us will love - from classical to contemporary, and everything in between, Rocket Ink's got you covered. Each month features an illustration of a unique historical masterpiece, including its maker and date.

But if furniture's not your style, why not go around the world with Dear Hancock's Monumental Cities calendar? Featuring 12 illustrations of some of the world's most well-known and loved landmarks and monuments, this calendar is guaranteed to give you travel ideas for 2014.

And finally, another calendar that really gets around is Forest & Waves' 2014 Bicycle Calendar. Each month features a bicycle - and one unicycle! - whose frame spells out the month.

2014 calendars: part 6

This week is all about a multitude of flowers of the Scandinavian, perennial and watercolor varieties.

To start, we have this lovely year-at-a-glance Scandinavian floral calendar, from Brittany Jepsen of  The House That Lars Built. Starting with a traditional painted Scandinavian folk pattern, Brittany took the original design and replaced all of the florals with photographs for a calendar that's as pretty as a picture.

Then there's this gorgeous collaborative perennial calendar, from Brown Parcel Press and one of my favorite florists, Saipua. Rather than simply creating a traditional 12-month or year-at-a-glance calendar, these two teamed up to produce a collection of 6 letterpress prints containing carefully detailed illustrations and naturally inspired colors from Saipua's seasonal arrangements.

And finally, we have an annual favorite with Bookhou's 2014 calendar. This is one that hangs above my desk at work all year, and never fails to make me smile. This year's version, with lovely floral and nature-inspired watercolors is definitely my new favorite.

2014 calendars: part 5

This week's calendar post is focused on heavenly bodies - from the sun to the solar system and the stars in the sky.

First up is The Circular Calendar, a giant poster-sized calendar by German designer Sören Lachnit, which organizes the year in a clockwise fashion. The yellow form in the interior of the calendar represents the possible sun hours fifty degrees north of the equator, with weekdays, calendar weeks, moon phases, months, and enough space for daily notes represented. A very conceptually cool calendar for 2014.

(Via designboom)

Next up, a silkscreened Solar System calender from Forest & Waves. With its black and metallic gold foil ink, this heavenly calender features illustrations of the sun, the 8 planets (Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus, and Mercury - sorry Pluto) and their larger moons, dwarf planets (Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris), and the Halley's Comet.

And finally, Heather Lins Home gives you a glow-in-the-dark, interactive Stitch the Stars Calender Kit. Each month features a screenprinted illustration of its corresponding Zodiac constellation, with embroidery thread and needle provided for you to connect the dots and watch each constellation glow.