Baxter and Jackson

By Kathryn McNeal

The first calendar I made as Christmas gifts for my family was in 2008. Which means 2018 marks the 10th edition! Here is a little recap of how they come together.

Original art for Baxter & Jackson 2018 calendar

First the fun part! I paint. Lots and lots of little paintings. I find inspiration everywhere: tiles, magazines, metal work, children's books, fabric, rugs, logos.

Baxter & Jackson Calendar Art edited

I scan my favorites and start editing. I am play with scale, repeat and colors in photoshop.

I pick my 12 favorites (and try really hard not to have a calendar that is entirely pink or blue).

I add hand painted dates and finalize the layout.

2018 Baxter & Jackson calendar piles

Then the printers in Boise produce copies and I package them.

Old calendars or other pretty paper

By Kathryn McNeal

As we near the end of the year I find myself with a stack of calendar pages that I just can’t bear to throw away. I confess I have a Baxter & Jackson calendar in almost every room. Here are some of my favorite things to do with them when the calendar is no longer relevant.

recipe cards, gift tags, place cards, bookmark

Recipe Cards – I have a million recipes bookmarked on my ipad, but my go to recipes are on paper.
Gift Tags – I make them in all different shapes and sizes. Above I used a round paper punch.
Place cards – Boy, girl, boy, girl and no spouses next to one another. This rarely works unless I plan it out in advance and assign seats.
Bookmarks – I love a nice thick paper for this, that way when it is buried deep in my book I can easily find it.

I should have a preview of some of the art for the 2018 calendar soon! I have been painting away.

News / paper crafts 

Creating a calendar

Old calendars or other pretty paper