Pony McTate: Pretty organised

You'll love this flippy desk calendar.

I'm all for celebrating life's minor successes. You know the kind: those little moments of victory that make you feel good. Nabbed the last parking spot? Hooray! Stopped one Tim Tam short of eating the whole packet? Woohoo! Shaved your legs mid-winter? Glory be! If you're after a daily dose of satisfying resolution in your life, you'll love this flippy desk calendar. Starting your day right can be as simple as starting on the right day.

I used washi tape to decorate mine. It's a crafty must-have that has been readily available for a while now, and in an ever-dizzying array of colours and patterns. Unsure what it is? Washi tape is a decorative masking tape made of rice paper. It originated in Japan in 2006, when a group of artists approached their local masking tape manufacturer. They showed the boss the art they'd been making using the company's products and requested that a greater variety of colours be produced for future projects. He was blown away by their creativity and saw the potential for a bold new direction in adhesive tape design.

You need some (actually, lots of) washi tape in your life; the stuff is amazing. You can stick it, restick it, write on it and it's safe to use on painted walls.

What you'll need

A wooden base. So long as it will hold a screw, you can use anything: length of timber, photo frame, chopping board. I used the lid from a cheap wooden box I had lying around. Turns out it was only particle board but it worked out fine.

•Ruler or tape measure.

•Powerdrill with a drill bit to match the diameter of your screw hooks.

•Three little screw hooks.

•26 cardboard tags. You can cut out your own or buy them ready-made at a craft supply shop. Either way, they'll need holes at the top.

•Washi tape or some other means of decorating your tags.

Step one

Step 1

My base came pre-stained. If yours needs a lick of paint, apply that first and let it dry.

Measure out where you want the tags to hang, using a ruler to ensure they're even. Make three drilling guides by marking the tag holes on the base with a pencil.

Step two

Step 2

Drill holes in the base, as per your pencil guides. Use a suitable surface to do so. Powertool novice that I am, I didn't and drilled a hole in my floor (sorry, darling).

Step three

Step 3

Screw in your hooks. If your base is thin and the screw busts out the back, don't worry. You can cover it up nicely with a slice cut from a cork. Hold the slice over the back of the hole then screw your hook into the hole and through into the cork.

Step four

Time to decorate your tags. I stuck a strip of washi tape along the bottom and then wrote out my numbers and months. If hand-lettering is your thing, now's the time to go to town. You want 0-3 for the first hook, 0-9 for the second, and Jan-Dec for the third. Put your tags on their hooks and voila! Instantly organised and in control. One flippin' day at a time.

Instagram: @pony.mctate
Email: pony@ponymctate.com