free printable 2016 photo calendar {great DIY gift idea!}

NOTE: Click here for the 2018 photo calendar

I’m betting a good percentage of us have made photo calendars before to give as Christmas gifts. Because really, who wouldn’t want a calendar full of pictures of my kids? No one, that’s who. But I’ll admit I’m totally over the generic looking spiral bound photo calendars you can order from most photo places. If you’re going to give pics of your kids and call them a gift, why not do it in style? Hence today’s post: a cool, modern looking free printable 2016 photo calendar than you can personalize with your own photos for an easy, inexpensive DIY gift.

The nice thing about this DIY gift is that (other than being practically free) it’s also totally customizable. Use pics of your own kids to make a calendar for your spouse, or old family photos to make a calendar for your mom, or even pretty scenic pictures you can find free on the web (and I’ll tell you where) to make a calendar for anyone.

Hey, want a mini version? Click here!

Add a clipboard or inexpensive frame and you’re good to go – one more holiday gift checked off the list. Easy, cheap, and beautiful.

To make a 2016 photo calendar, you’ll need to download the free printables by clicking here. Print them onto sturdy cardstock at 100% or full size.

Use an exacto knife and ruler to cut out the box on each page of the calendar, then attach a 4×6 photo behind it.

Cutting a window out of each calendar page looks cool because the calendar page now “frames” the photo, but if you want to make things really easy you can skip cutting out the box and trim a photo to just larger than 4.5 inches wide and 2.75 inches tall and adhere it over the box instead.

Once all the pages are complete, slide them into a clipboard and you’re ready to give it away!

If you want to give them in a frame, either purchase an 8.5×11 document frame, or trim 1/2 inch off the top and bottom of each page and 1/4 inch off each side so they’ll fit an 8×10 frame.

Either way it makes a very pretty, minimalist/modern gift.

If you’re looking for beautiful, free stock photos to use in these calendars, check out Stock Snap. It has a searchable collection of beautiful photos that are absolutely free to use. It’s a fantastic resource!