Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Our Free Annual Calendar Download

This time of year we tend to feel behind on just about everything: projects, emails, present wrapping, cleaning, proper hygiene… but by some miracle, we’re actually ahead in one department: making our homemade family calendar.

As many of you know, for the last five years we’ve whipped up a simple-yet-colorful calendar in Photoshop. A few of you (like Lauren and Alexandra) have even asked if we had this year’s ready yet (since we like to share the customizable template, in case you need a last minute gift). So I’m relieved to exclaim “the deed is done!”

Calendar Just January

It doesn’t usually serve as our note-riddled family calendar (that’s what Sherry’s desktop planner is for) but it’s more of warm & fuzzy overview of the month that we can glance at and smile while quickly checking dates or counting down to certain events. Each year we inject some meaningful elements – inside jokes in 2010, family stats in 2011, Clara pics in 2012, and sort of a hybrid of those in 2013.

Calendar Past Years

We loved 2013’s pairing of Instagram photos with funny Clara quotes so much that we decided to go that route again – just with a new design. And for the first time we designed around a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper to eliminate any need to cut off excess, and to allow for a bit more space/function for the actual date part of the calendar.

Calendar The Breakdown3

The bigger size also made room for a bigger picture size: 4 x 4″ – which just so happens to be a standard print size for sites like Snapstagram or PicPlum. So if you don’t trust your home printer to do your photos justice, you can spend $6 on real prints and stick them right on to each page. That’s what we’re planning to do, so we’ve printed all of ours with just a gray placeholder box while we wait for our prints to arrive (we ordered from Snapstagram this time).

CalendarSpreadOut

And as usual, we’re sharing our template so you guys can download the calendar and tailor it to your own photos/quotes/worldly desires. I’ve tried to make it less complicated this year (i.e. fewer layers to mess with), so…

    1. If you can edit .PSD files, you can just download the Photoshop version (click that link to do so) with ready-to-edit text in the quote area (you may need to download both fonts used: Adamas and Multicolore).
    2. If Photoshop isn’t your jam, you can download a PDF version (click that link to do so) where the quote area is left blank (that way you can hand-write in your own text).

In both versions, you’ll need to add your own photo either digitally or by attaching a real 4 x 4″ print like we plan to do with ours.

Calendar Download Options

And just for kicks, here’s a look at the quotes and photos that we chose for each of our 12 months this year. Kinda makes us wish there were more months in the year, cuz Clara can be pretty quotable. That and it’d probably give me more time to squeeze in a shower.

Calendar All Months

What are your calendar plans for 2014? Do you have a go to source every year? Do you prefer a purely functional planner or wall calendar with lots of space to scribble? Do you go for something sweet and decorative, just for checking dates at a glance? Are you one of those 100% electronic folks with everything on your phone? Or do you fall somewhere in between? One more question. Who knew there were so many questions to ask about calendars?

Comments

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Praveena! We just use little wall hooks (those clear 3M removable ones by command are our favorites since they come down in case we want to change the position of the calendar, etc).

      xo
      s

  7. Marie says

    I’m sad that I don’t have enough arms to hug everyone? Are you kidding me with this kid? So cute.

    Calendar looks great!

    Reply

    • Alissa says

      “I’m sad that I don’t have enough arms to hug everyone at once.”

      I feel like this needs to be made into a poster. :)

  11. Karen says

    Great project…my favorite part are all the Clara-isms. Some of them sound like Elf (the Will Farrell character, in case there is any doubt) would say them. Especially “I like skipping. It’s like making my feet clap.” Ha! A recent favorite that my 7 year old daughter said to me: “I’m disappointed in Social Studies. I thought it was going to be more social, but it turns out that it’s just studies.” Kids are awesome.

    Many wishes for a happy and joyful Christmas to you!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      John got me a little journal from Urban Outfitters years ago for Mother’s Day called The Word A Day Journal and I just write a quote every time Clara says something funny (not everyday, but usually 2 times a week or so) and I now have around two years of them to look back on. So glad I started doing it. It’s one of my most treasured little notebooks!

      xo
      s

    • Summer says

      I was wondering the same thing! I always mean to write down the funny things my kids say, but by the time I do (even if it’s just half an hour later) I can never remember the exact wording (there is something about the way kids word things that is just so un-reproducable). You’ve done a great job, Sherry! These sound like they are straight from her mouth. My versions are always slightly distorted. :(

      Also… all kids are funny, but these are outstandingly hilarious. Clara is such a bright little kid!

  19. Sarah @ The Simple Home says

    She is too funny! July is my favorite. Haha.

    I love the font for the month initial! Downloading it right now. Can’t wait to see what she gets for Christmas!! (And what you guys get for each other :)

    Can’t wait to see how funny Clara gets in the new year!

    Hope that you guys get a relaxing holiday, much love!

    Sarah

    Reply

  22. Desiree C. says

    She’d be a good candidate for the old show “Kids Say the Darndest Things” with Bill Cosby. I think they’d make a great duo with her crafty quotations and his comedic style. This only intensifies my baby fever. :)

    Reply

  25. Jess says

    I love what you came up with! I’ll have to keep this in mind for next year once my son starts talking more. For now I made a calendar with shutterfly and I used my favorite pictures from 2013 for the corresponding months in 2014. I think it’s going to be a fun year of nostalgia!

    Reply

  27. Karen L. says

    I love the “skipping is like my feet clapping”! Priceless and we all ought to think of it that way—–we could start a whole new way of calling that activity—-feet clapping! This downloadable calendar is so great.

    Reply

  28. Jessica says

    I love Clara’s quotes! I always read them over on the life blog and I read them out loud to my husband because they are just so darn cute!
    I have taken to making my husband a calendar every year. This year I used shutterfly and used pictures of our little girl and different things we did last year. It is so much more work than I would have thought! But it is fun and he loves it, then we get to enjoy it all year. Love this style! It looks so much like John!

    Reply

  29. Eileen says

    The “chompsticks” picture is my favorite because it looks like John is so thankful to have the chopsticks to save his fingers. Can’t believe how big Clara has gotten over the year, thanks so much for sharing these memories with us.

    Reply

  31. nancys says

    Hahahaha – love the Clara quotes – kids are the best :)

    My “life” is kept online with my Google calendar and synced with my Ipod Touch. Without alarms I’m lost. But we also like to have a wall calendar to keep track of family stuff like appointments & fun days. I’m loving the colorful initials you’ve used and I think I’m going to download and use this one. Also a great excuse to order some instagram photos :) Thank you & Happy Holidays

    Reply

  32. Abby says

    Ok this is the cutest thing ever. I can’t wait until our little guy is old enough to say hilarious stuff like this. xoxo

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, we rasterized the letters (so they’re flattened and can be altered) and then we dumped different colors of paint into different facets of it for that confetti-ish look.

      xo
      s

  35. Darcy says

    OMG — that girl has some major funny power!! Not that any of us should be surprised– her mom and dad are pretty
    HI-larious!!

    Also, I wanted to thank you for the wonderul idea of the quote book — I started one last year for my now 4 year old, and I have some pretty funny quotes in there already! I love it soo much — so thank you for such a great idea to capture the cuteness of our kids!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’m so happy to hear that! Every time I write in that journal I’m SO GRATEFUL I started it! It’s seriously one of my favorite things. And we flip back through the old quotes all the time!

      xo
      s

    • Stephanie says

      My version of this is a Twitter account… Only very close friends and family follow me (seriously, like 15 people), so I tweet the hilarious things he says. I always have my phone with me, so I can do it right away so I don’t forget. The people that appreciate it most see it right away and I don’t have to worry about it being lost in a fire or other disaster. I’m SO glad I found an easy way that works for me to keep these things too!

  36. Alyssa says

    Love the Clara quotes! I can’t wait til my munchkin is old enough to start saying sentences. Thanks for the template, that might be my gift to family next year!
    Alyssa

    Reply

  38. Gem says

    I seriously hope you’re doing a copy of that for the grandparents. That calendar is like a grandparents’s dream. So adorable!

    Reply

  39. Tanya says

    Aw, this is SUCH an awesome idea! I make a calendar each year, as well – with the funnier/cuter kid photos for some family members, and with artsy nature shots (of places we’ve hiked or from our garden) for others.
    But I never thought of adding quotes! This is so good! I probably wouldn’t put the majority of my teenager’s quotes on calendar pages, but next year my toddler should be old enough to have enough quotes to fill a calendar!

    LOVE LOVE all Clara-isms! Love the one addressed to Burger and the Home Depot one ^_^

    Reply

  40. Shelise says

    How is that girl so hilarious? She seems so sweet and funny at the same time. I swear my kids don’t say stuff that is that funny. Or at least not as often as her. A family calendar with kid quotes is such a cute idea.

    I’ve been meaning to ask you two a question about Clara. It seems like she plays really well on her own. Would you say that’s an accurate statement? Is it something she does naturally? Did you have to teach her to play on her own? Or is this a misperception on my part? Maybe you two play with her a lot?? My kids just won’t play on the own. They seem to always need me or one of their brothers with them at all times? Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Good question! I think there’s a fair balance. We definitely play with her actively and then there are other times where she’s happy to play on her own with us nearby working (writing posts, answering comments, taking photos, etc). So I’d say that for us, the way that seems to work out is to let her have her time to play if she’s happy to do things on her own, but to always be nearby to help if something gets stuck or frustrates her. And then we love doing things together, like every morning we usually build lego castles or play with her dollhouse together, and every afternoon (before naps) and evenings (before bed) we read books with her. We try to work in fun outings when we can too (the bookstore, her music class, the playground, going swimming at the local indoor pool, etc). So there’s definitely a balance of being “actively on” and just “available nearby” I think.

      xo
      s

    • Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

      (Hope it’s okay to chime in. If not, please delete..thanks!)

      My husband and I both work from home, too, and have a little girl (just turned one). She has always played very well on her own from a few months old on. It’s surprised me at times, so I’ve just carefully observed her, the situations, the toys, etc. and trusted myself and her.

      Like John and Sherry, Scott and I are always on hand for our daughter (Susanna). We start our mornings with either Mom-Daughter reading or active play (as in “jump on the bed, tumble, laugh, leap, and be silly”- it’s one of my favorite times!).

      We make time for Susanna-Mom and Susanna-Dad time so the other parent can work. We always have plenty of Susanna-Mom-Dad time that varies: active, somewhat chill, completely chill, etc.

      We just listen to her and follow her cues. We also set very clear expectations with her and clue her in. We know she’s listening. We’re exceptionally grateful that our lives and choices have allowed us to live this life.

      Susanna, some days, is the most content child in the world playing peek-a-boo in the pantry or mix up her own play food while I clean the kitchen, make baked goods or dinner, or other. She thrives on her alone time and/or alone play time, and it’s something we know to give her.

      Respectfully so, we’re also out and about during the day/week, so, even at a year, she has different experiences.

      It seems that listening to our daughter, having great communication with each other, and being willing to be open and flexible helps us and this set up. (Plus we work non traditional jobs. My hub and I are both writers, though sometimes I teach a bit, too.)

    • Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

      PS Lest it sound like our girl is a plays-by-myself-only kind of kid, she’s not! She’s super social and all around happy. We actually joke that we live on “Susanna time” when we run errands, because she makes friends with everyone she can! We just know to add an extra 5-10 minutes per store. Sometimes we have to add time per aisle!

  46. Rose says

    LOVE this! I am racking my brain trying to think of funny things my 3 babes have said wishing I could have done this… So sweet :-)

    Reply

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