Mommy Monday: DIY calendar as a family scrapbook

I am so excited about my latest project: a DIY calendar as a family scrapbook! I am excited to use it with my family this year and I am seriously thinking about giving one to friends and family as well- it would make a great Christmas gift!

This is such a simple, cheap, and fun way to keep photos and note dates for things that happen throughout the year without the pressure of a full scrapbook.

I printed this blank 2016 calendar that I made and had it bound at Staples with a simple plastic coil. With printing and binding, the total cost was around $4. I printed every page 1-sided, including a title page, so that there would be a blank page before every month (where a traditional wall calendar would have pictures).

My plan is to add printed photos, notes, memorabilia, and decorations to each month as we go to both keep track of important dates (like birthdays and appointments) and remember things that happened (like a scrapbook). This way, instead of having old pictures from last year or generic nature scenes or cats snuggling balls of yarn, I can put pictures from the family vacation, birthday party, or trip to the ice cream store right into that month's calendar.

I have, of course, already decorated January so it is ready to go:

Because there was extra space at the beginning and end of the month, I was able to include a space to write down goals at the beginning and favorite memories at the end of the month. I also noted birthdays (and New Year's) with some washi tape. I left the rest blank so we can add in photos and note the things we do as we go. And the best part is, we can stick things in with washi tape, so if we get tired of looking at one picture we can just change it out (or add another)!

I've often made calendars for family members with photos from previous years on each month and had them printed to pass out to everyone at Christmas. While looking back on the past can be fun, having the freedom to make something that fits the mood and style of our family in the present sounds really appealing to me. I'm also excited to have an easy way to "scrapbook" to look back on years from now without adding a major craft project to my list of to-do's.

Because the calendar is plan and blank, I am thinking it would be a fun way to make the gift of a calendar a little more handmade by adding some washi tape, stickers, or other decorations to each month to give as gifts. Then they can add their own photos and events wherever they want.

I don't know if this is even a thing... do people do this and I am just now stumbling onto an old idea?!? Do you do something like this with your family? If you want to print out the blank 2016 calendar that I made for this or any other project, click here to download it for free, and I'd love to see how you use it! :)