{this post was originally written for write.click.scrapbook}

Welcome to Day 2 of Calendar Week! Today we will be talking about wall calendars.

Wall calendars

Around this time of the year, I always start working on the calendar I put together for our parents. It’s now become a tradition since I have been doing this for five years, and I want to share what my process is for that. I design an 11.5″x8.5″ calendar topper (12 monthly pages + the cover), and use a blank grid for the dates. Since I am also a digital scrapper, I find it quite easy to select a few of my favorite 12″x12″ pages and modify them to fit the smaller format. I always make sure that my design is at least half an inch within the edge of the page, so it won’t be cut during the printing phase.

Several printing services offer ready made backgrounds, so depending on what your design preference is, you will find plenty of options. I really enjoy picking a few favorite pages made in the past year and turning them into calendar toppers. If you want to design your own calendar toppers like me, or use a ready made quick page, make sure that the printing service allows for custom backgrounds. I have always had my calendars printed at Artscow, because they have great prices, and allow me to customize my calendars. Other services are known for top quality, so it all comes down to what you are looking for, and how much you are willing to pay for it.

To create a calendar of this size, you could also print the pages on letter sized paper, and bind it yourself. I don’t have the patience to do this, so I outsource.

The inside pages

Here’s a look at some pages from my past calendars. I always include a picture of my husband and me (I try to take them over the course of the year, but inevitably come September I need to schedule a few extra photo sessions to make up for the missing photos!). I decorate the page with colors and themes that match the month, and if at all possible I use a photo taken in that same month.

I prefer to keep the grid part clean and simple, so that everyone can use the calendar to jot down other appointments and events. I always include all the dates of family birthdays and anniversaries on the calendar (this is an option that Artscow offers).

The cover

I like to include some photos of us on the cover as well.

This project takes a few days for me. Selecting the photos and designing the calendar toppers takes a while, but the end result is worth the time for me! Tomorrow we’ll be looking at desktop calendars, and I would say that those are much quicker to put together.