Handmade by Hoffy: Personalized Family Calendars

Personalizing a family calendar is a lot of work, but so much fun. Every event in one place with pictures of the previous year's activities make this calendar so special and personal.

I started making Family Calendars bake in 2008. Our family was growing and I wanted to give every family member a calendar for Christmas with important dates, birthdays and celebrations that were coming up the next year.

I placed pictures of each family member on their birthday, so no one could forget it. If there was a wedding happening in that year, a reminder was also put on the calendar.

I also added any other important information that might be upcoming. Adding recipes on the back side of each month was a fun addition. Above is a sample month from 2008. A long time ago, but that's when the families were growing.

Each year I had a theme for the calendars. It made the covers so cute. We lost our Aunt and Uncle in 2012 and 2013. Our Aunt was in love with Snoopy. So that was the theme for that year. It was like a tribute to both of them. They were wonderful people.

What you will need to make Personal Family Calendars...

I used the Print Shop Program. I have been using this application since it came out over 20 years ago. You can use the program for many applications, i.e. cards, labels, calendars, craft projects, and a whole lot more.

The Print Shop Program can be purchased at Broderbund or Amazon. The price for this program is $49.99. I think the price for this program is worth it. Like I said I use it all of the time and love what you can do with it. This is a very user friendly program with lots and lots of templates and extras.

There are several different versions of this program. Some are more expensive with more features. However, the version for $49.99 does just about everything. I also buy cardstock paper online for different projects. The calendars were made with cardstock covers and just regular copy paper for each month.

When you have completed your calendar, you will need to bind it together. I use plastic combs.

If using plastic combs, you will need a binder machine to put the combs on. I purchased mine through Amazon for $36.99. I found it was cheaper to purchase the machine, than to have the calendars bound by printing and binding companies.

This is the binder I purchased. I found they are cheaper on Amazon. This model is only $25. That's a great deal. If interested, you can find the link here or just click on the picture above.

Companies that Can Make Your Family Calendars...

If you really don't want to go through the bother of making your calendars, there are several companies that can do it for you, but be prepared to spend a lot of money. Making one calendar for someone is cheap. But, I made calendars for our whole family. At that time I believe it was around 20 calendars. So making your own has a cost benefit, even after purchasing your supplies and tools. Of course, creating the calendars takes some time. I love creating, so I never thought of it as work. If you would rather have a company make your calendars, I have listed four below that are really good. Just click on the logos and you will be redirected to their websites.

More Ways to Make Personal Calendars...

There a lots of ways to create your personal calendar for you and your family besides making it totally yourself which requires less time. These calendars are so personal and make such a great Christmas, Holiday or Birthday gift for everyone in your family. I found another website that has creative ways to create that Personal Calendar for your family. Just click on the pictures and it will redirect you to the website that can help you create your own personal calendars. I love her ideas...

One Final Thought...

I love sharing things that I love to do. Over the years I have made thousands of crafty items. I loved making the calendars, because they were so personal. If you feel the urge, try making calendars. The people you give them to will love them.

Personal Notebooks...

Every year I try to make and give something personal to my kids. This year I made notebooks. I know that sounds like a pretty small gift, but I always enclose some money so they can buy something for themselves. It's the thought that counts, right? Below are a few pictures of the notebooks...they are fun to make! I like giving something they can use rather than a BD card that just gets tossed.

I also have made recipe books as gifts with the Print Shop program. There's so many things you can do with paper and the Print Shop Program! I've also made templates and my own designs for my Cricut with the Print Shop program.