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Has it been a year already?
It’s beyond belief that we are about to celebrate yet another year ending and a new one beginning. There are so many reasons we all love the ‘New Year’ and we each have our favorite New Year’s tradition. Whether you entertain each year, take a trip to a New Year’s party destination or simply relax on your couch watching the ball drop (personally with kids, this is our favorite!)…there is an unmistakable energy about New Years that generates laughter and frivolity no matter where you are!
Let’s talk Resolutions.
In my last post, I confessed that I am a creator of numerous organizational lists. I have so many different journals which contain sketches or chicken scratch for various gatherings and goings-on. Being that the New Year is upon us, it seems the perfect time to get started on that list of resolutions. Not all resolutions are created equal, that is to say, we each have our own reason to jot down those yearly promises. Most of us record ways to better ourselves by eating right, stressing less (yes please!), spending more time doing what makes us happy or finally taking that backpacking tour through Europe (ok so maybe that’s more of a dream). Whatever it maybe, it continues to be a tradition that makes us feel like we can accomplish anything in the coming year! And, sometimes we do 😉
Resolutions – Not just for adults.
My children joined in on the writing of resolutions and what it “a resolution” means to them, a few years back. In doing this they realized that a resolution can be pretty much anything and everything. Making better choices, being better friends to each other. Helping others, taking on more challenges in both education and at home, spending less time on electronics! Not only did this act as a guide to better understanding themselves; they also began to understand that any goal we set can be achieved if we keep it at the front of our minds throughout the year. This made me feel that we needed a place to keep these tidbits of promise, aspiration, and hope, so we may reflect on them throughout the year. Check in on our progress, if you will.
I just may have the perfect little gift for you!
A “Family Yearbook” with printable inserts for each member of your family. Below you’ll find an easy to follow slide-show “pictorial” of how to create your own “Family Yearbook” keepsake! Click the links to download and print your very own resolution template. Then set aside some time with your family, for a little handmade book building. 2015 we are ready for you!
**CLICK IMAGES BELOW FOR pdf. PRINTABLES**
Shall we…
Family Yearbook
Gather Your Supplies:
- Art Board (From any Craft Store usually comes in 20×30)
- 12×12 Decorative Papers (Front and Back Décor)
- Glue Gun
- Bone Folder
- Twine, Ribbon or Loose Leaf Rings
- Rotary Cutter or Box Cutter
- Chip Board Punch
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Paper Cutter
- Resolution Printables and any other Documented Memories
- Various embellishments or you may use your paper cutting system if you have one ☺
Directions:
- Using your rotary cutter or Box Cutter and ruler. Cut 2 pieces of 9×11.25 Art Board
- Using your paper cutter. Cut 2 pieces of the decorative 12×12 paper into 10×12 papers for the front and back covers. Then cut 2 additional 9×11.25 papers for the inside of both the front and back covers.
- Center the artboard onto the decorative paper for the front cover leaving equal spacing all around. Dot a thin layer of glue on the four corners of the paper, and replace the artboard, this keeps it from moving about.
- Next, mark and cut off each corner, leaving a little bit of excess paper at each corner. (See pictorial)
- Take your bone folder and score all the way around the artboard onto the paper, where you will fold the sides in. This makes it easier for while you quickly glue and fold at the same time.
- Drag a thin layer with your glue gun, down the sides of the artboard and fold the paper onto the glue. Continue doing this all the way around. Use your bone folder to press the paper onto the artboard.
- Now grab one of your 9×11.25 pieces of decorative paper and begin gluing this to the inside of the front cover.
- Continue this process for the back cover, outer and inner.
- Take your chipboard Punch and find the center of your now covered art board and punch the holes. My punch had two holes so I kept it simple. You may punch as many as you would like. Holes can be placed on the sides or top of your book.
- Here you can cut divider pages (9×11.25) with different years on them. I chose to make a 2014 divider as well and stash away our “Christmas Wishlists”, which can be found here. Finally a home for our wish lists from each year! Woo-hoo!
- Then, decorate away! I used a cutting system to cut some of the banner/designs/numbers. If you scrapbook or stamp or just love to doodle, I’m sure you have some fun embellishments lying about. I also made an envelope out of the same paper, just to add little items like concert tickets or trinkets collected throughout the year.
- Place all of your pages. Thread your binding material, be it ribbon, twine or rings….and you are all done!
Keep adding to your “Family Yearbook” each year for lasting and very organized memories!! You’ll have a family heirloom, which can be passed down for many generations to come.
What is your New Year’s resolution?
Those printables are awesome. I am definitely going to use these. Thank you.
Now that is super cute! We should do something like this. Would be fun to look back on over the years.
So cute! It’s a great idea to do resolutions as a family, and what an awesome way to preserve them!
These are so cute and it is such a great idea. I am going to do this with my husband and son.
This is such a great project. I need all the help I can get following through on my resolutions.
Cute idea to do with kids. I never make resolutions but I do try and achieve goals during the year, so i’m not totally a lost cause. LOL
This is such a great way to share memories with the kids. Thank you so much for this idea.
This is such a great idea! I love the template for resolutions.
These printables are SUPER CUTE! What a fun thing for the whole family <3
What a great idea! It wold help us since I stopped printing pictures and leave them on the computer. A written record of what is going on and what has happened could come in very handy in the future!
Oh, I just love the idea of this book. We do something similar at the beginning of the school year, but it is nowhere near as fancy.
Those look like some nice printables! I will be using these!
That is a good and relatively easy journal to make to keep the printables or anything else you want to keep in. I do not make resolutions anymore-actually haven’t for many years now. I found they caused me more stress then anything else!
What a great way to capture the memories of our children. They will have to much fun looking back on these when they are older.
Great printables. I’m so into them lately. I will have to print some out! I love books. And basically everything to do with printing stuff off To keep records!
I just can’t get over how cute these are! And I just love your kid’s resolutions. “Try harder at Socre” so cute!
Thanks Paula…that would be my 7 year old. It’s all about Phonetics ;).
I just can’t get over how cute these are! And I just love your kid’s resolutions. “Try harder at Socre” so cute!
I wonder if the kids want to have resolutions. I never even thought to ask them, but I think I will. 🙂 Happy new year to you!
Happy New Year Rosey!!
Those printables are really cute. I need to get a few of these
I never thought to do this with my girls. What a great idea to get them thinking and planning.
Great printouts. Love this idea.
What a great idea, thank you for sharing!
This is such a great thing to do as a family instead of individually. I mean I’ve made some resolutions to better myself and my own personal goals and then I found out my husband’s new year’s resolution is it watch 36 5 movies…which will no doubt mean some sacrifice on my part. Clearly we are in different worlds. I like how together your family is.
Heather, It is always interesting what our significant others deem as “goals”..but I guess that’s what makes them lovable 😉
This is a great idea. I need to print these out for my kids.
What a great activity to do as a family! Thank you so much for these adorable printables!
These are such a cute idea. I will have to print these out for my kiddos.
These printables are great! This is such a fun thing to do with the family!
This is wonderful and beautiful and precious! Thank you for sharing part of your tradition with us and giving us help to recreate it. Happy New Year 🙂
Awe thank you Jen! So excited to see how exciting it is to others 🙂
I think the key is to being organized and consistent with keeping this up throughout the year. These are some great printables and ideas to help a family do this project together and to make if fun and memorable.
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, I don’t believe in them. I think the idea of a family yearbook is terrific!
Great project, and I’ll bet the kids would be happy to help out! I resolve to try it sometime this year! 😉
Perfect Rez Scott!!
What a fantastic idea! I never thought about including the kids in our resolutions.
What a fun idea! Thank you for the printables!
I love it what a great idea and a lovely way to keep track of everything over the years. x
These printables are so cute! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This is so cute. I love the printouts and plan to use them. Thank you so much and happy new year to you and your family.
I love these printables and the idea of completing a family yearbook together. It seems like both are projects that would be great craft sessions for families to share together over the holidays.
What a great idea, I need to print these off for my kids and have them fill it out – their responses would be interesting.
Good idea to get the kids involved in making resolutions and goals. I’ll have to remember this for when mine is old enough to know what it is!
Those are darling printables and I can’t wait to use them with my littles. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!
I think my son is a bit too young to make New Year resolutions but I really love the idea.
This is such a great way to preserve precious memories. I would love to do this with my family.
This is such a great idea! I think I might have to try it with my family.
This would be such a fun project for a family. I think it’s a great idea. I too am a fan of lists.
Yay a fellow lister!!!
This is such a neat project for the whole family. The printables are wonderful!
Very creative! My daughter would love doing this type of project with her hubby. They just had a baby this year.
We just went around the table at dinner tonight and talked about our words for the year. This would be a great addition to that convo – thanks!
these totally looks wonderful! I love these printables – easy to make use for so many stuff.
Such a great idea. My girls spent the weekend recording their memories in a book I have them for Christmas. They had fun and I can’t wait to pull it out 20 years from now.
This sounds like a really great Printable Keepsake for the family! I would totally use these with my family. Thanks for sharing.
Just wanted to say thank you all for your sweet responses! I enjoy creating, but enjoy it even more when I can feel the excitement of it all :). Thanks so much for your love!