The new year approaches, and for those of you unwilling to let go of certain paper ephemera (we understand), it’s time to purchase a 2014 calendar. If scribbling your personal appointments on gorgeous letterpress paper or livening up your kitchen with 12 months of pop culture-inspired photos makes you tingle, we have some delicious calendar candy for you.
The ffrench family has been making the Dolphin Studio Calendar for 43 years. The project started back in the 1960s when artists John and Primm were married and wanted to create personal Christmas gifts for loved ones. Their daughters Crispina ffrench and Sofia Hughes (with help and creative contributions from other family members) have since taken overs. The screen prints are created with hand-cut stencils, and the artworks have captured the attention of sought-after designers like Robin Standefer, who described the work in the tradition of “Massachusetts craft-makers — very primitive, very personal.” $60 Buy it here
Photographer Adam Myatt (the “Cat Man of West Oakland” and one half of electro-pop duo James & Evander) chronicled his encounters with the homeless felines hanging out in his Oakland, California neighborhood. There’s no indication that the proceeds of these calendars are used to help cats, but Decoder reassures us that Myatt has worked with nonprofit organization Cat Town Oakland to find several kitties good homes. $12 Buy it here
Boutique hotel chain The Standard is known for their quirky, contemporary brand of design and pop culture-savvy. French multimedia artist Thomas Mailaender photographed the company’s 2014 calendar, which reimagines memorable guest letters, complaints, and comments — one for every month of the year. Each scene is acted out by the hotel staff — like the employee who plays Jesus, dramatizing a letter from a man who felt “reborn” after a stay at The Standard. There’s also a reenacted note from a pooch-lover, taken literally. $35 Buy it here
Need a little New York City cabbie beefcake in your life? Taxi drivers from the Big Apple got in touch with their inner pin-up model by posing for this hilarious 2014 calendar. Photographers Shannon McLaughlin and Philip Kirkman headed up the project, which benefits University Settlement – America’s oldest settlement house (1886), based on New York City’s Lower East Side and serving over 30,000 immigrant and working individuals and families every year with basic services like quality education, housing, and literacy programs. $15 Buy it here
Isa Gagarin’s oversized, screen-printed calendar makes tracking the moon and your daily affairs an art form. This beauty rotates for each month, and all the moon phases are noted. $30 Buy it here
The Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and other classic monsters are given a “sexy” makeover by Los Angeles artist Erika Deoudes. You can purchase individual prints of your creature crushes or an entire calendar of pin-up fiends. $30+ Buy it here
If you’re going to make a pocket matchbook calendar, make it beautiful by hand printing it via antique letterpress in a rainbow of colors. $8 Buy it here
Typography lovers will appreciate artist Noa Bembibre’s striking, limited-edition calendar, which made its debut back in 2005. The Cats Let Nothing Darken Their Roar calendar cleverly hides the name of each month within a phrase in eye-catching, colorful ways. $45 Buy it here
Recycled kraft paper, rounded corners, and fluorescent inks make J.P. King’s 2014 risograph calendar a contemporary stunner with lots of retro appeal. $20 Buy it here
The pretty and customizable Year in Stitches Calendar kit includes a needle, embroidery thread, and recyclable kraft cards so you can stitch through your year in style. $25 Buy it here
Patrick Frey’s Gregor Calendar Scarf will surely be a favorite of cats and knitting nuts. Pull the thread and unravel the days of the year like a well-worn sweater. $75 Buy it here
Gaze lovingly at two of your favorites all year long: Kanye and pugs. It’s “2014% awesome.” $18+ Buy it here
Endlessly amusing feline-inspired poems and lovely cat photos fill Francesco Marciuliano cat calendar, I Could Pee on This. $14 Buy it here
“Treat Yo Self.” $24 Buy it here
It wouldn’t be a year without Edwardian eccentrics, anthropomorphic cats, and books. The official Edward Gorey calendar contains all of the above and more. $15 Buy it here