I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love giving homemade gifts for Christmas. It's fun for me to create something new and different, and give a piece of myself to the recipient as well. Well, I stumbled upon a gift last year that really seemed to be a hit.
For years, my mom has made family calendars for our family. Each month has several pictures of the cousins, aunts and uncles, along with our birthdays and anniversaries marked on the appropriate date. She makes each on her computer and has them printed and bound as New Year's gifts. I love flipping over every month to see the new pictures and having the reminder of upcoming birthdays.
As the cousins have grown up and moved away, we still see it other every few months, but not as regularly as we'd like. It's nice to have the beautiful reminder of our family and reminder to call and pray for each other throughout the year.
So last year, I decided to take on the task for my in-laws and include the calendars in their Christmas presents. Again, we aren't often together throughout the year, but when we are, I make it a point to take a few pictures, with these end of the year calendars in mind.
My husband and I purchased a computer program which gives us the ability to create our own calendar layout with graphics and multiple photo positions. We bought it on sale and it came with a partical rebate form. After only two years, it's more than paid for itself. I print my pages at home and take them to the local copy place to be bound. Or if you have a friend with a binding machine, all the better. Just buy the "combs" and put them together yourself.
You can also find some good deals this time of year for photo services that offer calendars. While these aren't as economical or versital, they still make wonderful gifts. Some places to start are:
Vista Print
Shutterfly
Kodak Gallery
Let your imagination run wild, enjoy looking through old family photos, and have fun creating this one of a kind holiday gift.
For more Frugal Friday ideas, check out Life as Mom.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
I have been doing this (similar) for the past 3 years. I find the $1 calendars in the dollar bins (Target, JoAnn's, Michaels, etc) and insert a picture of my own (the boys). Nothing fancy... but it gives the grandparents 12 different pictures of the kiddos... with family birthdates already written. :P
Post a Comment