On December 30th I realized we didn’t have our 2013 calendar ready. A few hours on New Year’s Eve morning and a couple more the next evening produced our fourth homemade calendar. As in years past, we’re sharing the file so you can download it and swap in your own photos and quotes to personalize it.
These calendars have become more decorative than strictly functional, and over the years they’ve turned into a little family tradition. Since 2010 we’ve followed a similar formula: a long, narrow layout with bright text. In the earliest version we used funny phrases and inside jokes. Later we tied each month’s number to a personal fact. Last year we got bolder and added photos for the first time, pairing a favorite black-and-white snapshot with each month.
This year’s version is a blend of the past approaches: humorous lines, personal touches, and black-and-white photos. I’m biased, but this calendar might be my favorite yet. The quotes — taken from a collection of things our daughter has said — are sweet and unexpectedly funny, and the photos help capture her personality even when the words and pictures weren’t recorded at the exact same instant. Put together, the images and captions paint a warm, chatty portrait of our little girl. For example, one quote shows how she tried to describe helmets: “Helmets keep the head face!”
As with previous years, I made a downloadable, editable version of the calendar for anyone who wants to customize it. The file is set up so each month is its own layer; to personalize, show a single layer, add your picture and quote, then print just that layer before editing the next month. This layer-based setup makes it easy to work through all twelve months one at a time.
If you don’t already use Photoshop, there are many online tutorials and books that can help you get comfortable with basic editing tasks like placing images, changing text, and exporting printable pages. The editable file is intended for people who want a DIY printable calendar that feels personal and stylish.
Below you can see all twelve months at a glance in the downloadable file. Because some of the quotes are small in that view, here’s a readable list of the sayings we used, starting with January:
- “Mommy’s awake! Now I can scream!”
- “He has pretty hair like a lady.” (Originally said about a character from The Lion King)
- “It’s Cinderinda!” (How she says Cinderella)
- “I’m a little teapot, short and shout. Here is my cupcake, here is my shout.”
- “Don’t be shy. Be friendly!”
- “I smell like strawberries!” (Her reply when someone suggested she smelled like she had a dirty diaper)
- “Helmets keep the head face!”
- “Baa baa, black sheep, have you any chickens?”
- “We have to go to Home Depot to change your diaper.” (Said to one of her dolls)
- “I don’t have a beard. I just have a little chin.”
- “Daddy’s workin’. Don’t bobber him.”
- “Her name will be Santa Claus and she will bring me toys.” (Pretending to describe a little sister)
For printing, we simply print each page on cardstock using a home printer, trim the edges with scissors, and punch a hole at the top for hanging. It’s an inexpensive and quick way to create a keepsake-style calendar that also functions as wall decor.
How about you? Do you prefer a decorative paper calendar in one spot and a separate functional calendar elsewhere, or are you all digital for date-keeping? If you make a personalized printable calendar, what elements do you include — photos, quotes, important dates, or something else? We’d love to hear how people balance style and function when creating their own calendars.