Now that I have a young family, I find myself desiring to organize family history, pictures and other memorabilia. I am making it a point to prioritize certain DIY projects that always get pushed aside but which are truly the most important. So I guess it’s my New Year’s Resolution? A part of me would agree with that and another part is just tired of running into batches of projects that are half finished. I just love the sense of gratification and organization that comes when completing a project. One of those projects has been to create a family celebration chart for my grandma. She has 4 kids, 9 grandkids, 6 great-grandkids and counting, plus all the spouses. She is always sending everyone a birthday card and showers us way too much throughout the year. I have seen her calendar and she rewrites all the special dates every year, but what a hassle, I thought!
So I was strolling through Pinterest, which I don’t do too often as I prefer to come up with my own unique content, but this sign did catch my eye. So I decided to personalize it according to my grandparents’ decor and add my own style to it! The bottom edge is the calendar for Jan, Feb, March, April, May…etc. And the wood discs represent each person’s birthday or anniversary. Hopefully you will feel inspired to make your own version! If you do, please share with me using @ahostofthings and #IamAHostofThingstoo
Step One: Find a rectangular sign.
I upcycled an old drawer front I had in the garage. I actually have like 8 of them because a couple fronts of my craft furniture came damaged and the company sent me all new fronts, so I have extra!
Step Two: Sign Message.
I started with “It All Started with a Kiss”… then near the end I decided to change it to “Families are Forever”. We have a couple people in our family who are no longer with us, but I still included them and felt the latter saying was more appropriate. You can also have the message say the names and wedding dates or something else super personal. I used my Cricut to cut out the message and the month letters. I decided just one letter for each month was enough. You can abbreviate them like Jan, Feb or just use J, F, like I did, saves space.
Step Three: Contact Paper
After peeling the excess vinyl off I used contact paper and pressed it on to the message. Then I released the vinyl backing. Contact paper allows you to transfer a design perfectly to almost any surface. I then placed the message on the wood and gently peeled the contact paper off. Makes the process a little easier and faster.
Step Four: Screw Hooks
I hand screwed little hooks underneath each month. You can pre drill if you need to as well. TIP: If you place a pen or paint brush stem in the hook, you can rotate it easily without hurting your hands!
Step Five: Wood Rounds
I found these 1.5″ wood rounds at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. I did have to drill the holes in both ends but it was easy. I also drilled several more so I could send extra for when family members get married or are born!
Step Six: Hang the Names
You can attach the wood names using different methods. I chose ribbon as it is pretty and matches my grandparents’ decor. “S” hooks work as well as paper clips!
Leave a Reply