Last year was a big one. Don’t believe me? All you have to do is click “2011” on your Facebook timeline to see what I mean. If your year was anything like mine, you’ll find oodles of photos from birthday parties, baseball games, vacations, baby showers, and weddings galore (royal or not, I’m sure you got gussied up for at least five this past year—maybe you were even a princess for the day in your own love story!).

To commemorate all the good times that were had in 2011, don’t settle for scrolling through a digital timeline of your events—use one of Mixbook’s three new year in review photo books to create a beautiful tribute to the year that was. Not sure which design to choose? Let’s take a look at all three!

1. A Year to Remember

Our first new year in review photo book makes it easy for you to chronicle important events, holidays, and people in your family’s life. You’ll love the way photos from parties and vacations shine in this airy design. Flower, bunny, and balloon stickers make this year-in-review design the perfect place to show off your little one’s big achievements, from Easter Egg Hunt spoils (bonus points for chocolate-covered faces) to first days of school, new backpacks and lunch boxes in tow. Make your own A Year to Remember book!

2. Year in Review

Our second new year in review photo book boasts a richer, more masculine color palette.  Imagine photos from a romantic wedding anniversary dinner surrounded by subtle colorblocked design. Fond images from your annual backyard barbeque will also be perfectly complemented by our Year in Review’s navy blue, burnt orange, and golden yellow color scheme. Make your own Year in Review book!

3. My Year Magazine

Lastly, we’re proud to debut our My Year Magazine design. This year in review photo book is all about big beautiful photos, and consequently, all about you! We love this photo-focused theme because it’s the perfect place to try out our gorgeous two-page photo templates if you haven’t already. Think of this design as the chance to star in your very own issue of Better Homes and Garden, People Magazine, Parenting, Sports Illustrated, or Martha Stewart Living. The best part? No hair and makeup team or art department necessary. Our My Year Magazine layout is all you need to mix up your very own stunning, magazine-quality year-in-review photo book. Make your own My Year Magazine book!

We want to know, which new year in review photo book are you going to try first?

It’s official. January is the month to get your life in order. It’s the time we set goals and begin taking baby steps towards achieving them. If getting organized is one of your top priorities for 2012 (it is for us!), then why wait? Start clearing out the clutter today. And what better way to start organizing than organizing your photos by clearing them out of piles in boxes, drawers, and digital files? It’s as easy as waving a magic wand (trust us).

Earlier this week, Mixbook was mentioned in a Kansas City Star article called “Strategies for organizing your photos in 2012,” in which author Stacy Downs outlines 12 simple steps to tackling your photo-related mess. Expert organizer and author of “Organize Now!” Jennifer Ford Berry says she “likes Mixbook because she finds the software easy to use. You can even auto-fill the book; no design choices required. And as you upload pictures, you can post them to social media and photo sharing sites.” With photo books starting around $15, Berry says, “It typically costs the same as if you made prints and bought a separate album.”

She’s right! Our AutoMix magic wand tool makes it super easy to load your book with all of your uploaded photos. Once they’re randomly placed into your book, you can move them around and edit them to your heart’s desire with our book editor that allows you to completely customize your creation. For more great tips on reducing clutter, check out Stacy’s article in the Kansas City Star.

Here’s what our AutoMix tool can do:

Pretty neat, right?

Whether you’ve resolved to set the imprisoned photos on your camera free, or you’ve just tossed last year’s calendar, now is the perfect time to begin making your own 2012 family calendar. If making your own custom calendar sounds like fun, but you’re not sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place. We have three new ideas for personalized photo calendars that will inspire you to get started right away!

1. Extend Birthdays into Birthmonths

Not your average birthday calendar, this fresh idea makes birthday boys and girls superstars as it highlights the honoree for an entire month instead of just one day. Your family members will love being featured in beautiful photos surrounded by stunning designs for weeks beyond their special day. Simply add photos of loved ones to their birth months.

No family birthdays in March? Consider celebrating pets too! More than one birthday in January? No problem! Feature both birthday stars! Our calendar designs (we used “Purple Fun” here) make it easy to showcase more than one person per month. With Mixbook’s editor, you can even add photos to specific dates on your calendar. Simply drag and drop your loved one’s image into the box representing their birthday. How cool is that? Make your own birthmonth calendar!

2. Celebrate Twelve of Baby’s Big “Firsts”

This calendar theme is all about baby. Photos of your little one’s first tooth, step, giggle fit, trip to the beach, and birthday cake demolition all make for incredibly impactful photos. When the year’s over, this design (we used “Guess Hoot?” here) serves as a timeline of baby’s early life—an artifact your whole family will cherish forever. So whether it’s a huge milestone like reading or something simple like the first bath, pay tribute to baby’s big moments by highlighting one “first” per month. Make your own calendar of baby’s “firsts”!

3. Serve up an Entire Year of Culinary Inspiration 

Some of the reasons we look forward to new seasons are the fresh dishes and tasty treats that are most delicious during specific months of the year. Maybe you’re known for making a blood orange bundt cake at the end of winter, or perhaps your kids always request the same strawberry shortcake each May. In my house, everyone starts begging Mom to make her famous mint chocolate torte each December.

Why not do away with the hassle of looking up treasured recipes hidden away in bookcases or binders bursting with torn magazine pages? Instead, feature family-favorite dishes on a customized calendar! This theme (shown here on our “Seasonal Circles” template) is a great way to encourage family bonding time in the kitchen as well as a useful tool for training little chefs in the ways of recipe reading, mixing, baking, and frosting. Make your own recipe calendar!

Orangettes recipe, photo

Mini pumpkin whoopie pies photo and recipe

After you dive into creating a 2012 photo calendar, get a jump on next year by snapping your way through Creating Keepsakes’ checklist of the top 10 can’t-miss photos to take each month so that by this time next year, your calendar photo arsenal will be bursting with fabulous options!

Do you have a unique idea for a making your own custom photo calendar? Dish in a comment below!