Green Horned Unicorn

2012 Hybrid Photo Calendar

One good thing about the holiday season ending is that I can finally share some of the projects I created to give as gifts. Today, I have a bright and fun 2012 photo calendar I created as a gift to my mom. A photo calendar is sort of a tradition for me to give my mom each year. I fill it full of photos from the previous year (these photos are from 2011), and once she's done using it as a calendar, it serves as a small mini-album of sorts, which she keeps together on a shelf. This particular calendar is my favorite to date!

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To create the calendar, I used:

• Sassafras papers and embellishments
• Almanac Template Pack by In the Making Designs
• Ikea Nyttja frame 

You read that right, the base is actually an Ikea frame! I removed the plexiglass, added a sheet of patterned paper, punched holes into the backing with my Crop-a-Dial. I then threaded the binder rings through the holes and added the pages. It was the perfect solution for a calendar stand - it's sturdy and has a nice easel backing. I apologize for not having a side view shot so you could see how it's attached - I shot these photos at the last minute before Nate and I ran out the door to head back to PHX.

I tried to keep the pages consistent with one another by using similar embellishments, scalloped edging, buttons and twine on most pages. I had to adapt the digital calendar template ever so slightly for my format. Since I needed 4x6 prints, I resized the 5x7 tempates and added some additional space between the photo and the calendar itself so I would have room to add my embellishments.

When selecting photos, I tried to feature people on their birthday months and/or anniversary months. After choosing a photo for each month, I selected digital cardstock that matched the patterned paper I planned to use for that month and printed the photo/calendar. Matching the digital papers to the actual patterned paper was a little challenging, but I got most of them right on the first attempt!

Here's a look at the rest of the calendar:

I really love how this project turned out and I'm pretty sure my mom loved it too! I am actually considering making myself one for my desk at work to add some color and cheer. I don't know about you, but I can't believe it's 2012! Hats off to a great year :)

A project I can share!

Since my family and I celebrated an early Christmas this weekend, I can share one of the projects I've been keeping under wraps...a 2010 Calendar I made for my mom. My goal was to keep the calendar simple and clean, which I think I achieved. 

To start, I went to a LSS and selected a piece of American Crafts paper to coordinate with each month. I trimmed each page down to a 12 X 6 and rounded the corners. Then I used my Zutter to punch all the holes. After that came the page design. I chose two simple designs to use throughout the album. Then I cut felt shapes (mostly flowers) to decorate the pages with and got to work cutting and assembling. Once the pages were complete, I added the wire binding with my Zutter. Here is the end result (July is missing a photo):

    
         

Mom loved it! I think I'll keep this design in mind for a future mini-album. I can just swap out the calendar with a journaling spot and presto, a nice mini! On a side note, this was the first time using my Zutter. I've had it for a while, but have never put it to use. I love it!! 

I'll be back in a few days to catch up on some blog reading and to share with some stories and Christmas pictures from Nebraska :)