personalized family tree art by KinAndCaboodle on Etsy.com
Love this family tree made up of names. KinAndCaboodle on Etsy.com will custom make one just for your family or if you have the right skills you could probably create your own, it should be doable in software like Adobe InDesign. I want to try this sometime, partly because I’ve never done anything like this before. If you are in the market for a word art style family tree check out KinAndCaboodle they have several styles to choose from.
Faux Embroidery Family Tree from PiecesByPolly.com
Here is a light-hearted family tree that many a grandma would love, featuring all of her grankids. Instead of doing the traditional and time intensive embroidery that the pattern (see below) was designed for, Polly used what she calls a faux embroidery technique using crayons instead of thread to add color to the design. Great idea for today’s busy lifestyles. Click on the image above for Polly’s tutorial.
Our Family Tree pattern from TwinStitchers.com
Just came across this great resource, FamilyTreeTemplates.net. They have tons of kinds of family trees in pdf format, free to download, print and fill out. Some of them are also available in DOC format for $4 that you can edit and then print. There is an amazing variety from simple two generation charts to 10 generations, with graphics and without graphics, simple fancy etc. etc. Here a just a couple of samples. Click on over and check it out.
7 generation radial family tree
family tree coloring page
family migration chart
Family Tree Quilt from agirlandagluegun.com
This family tree made of hand prints would make a priceless gift. So if you know how to sew (or know someone who is willing) this would be an incredible project. My parents 60th wedding anniversary is coming up next year. Something like this would be perfect. Click on the photo above for more photos and how Kimbo went about making this quilt. I’m filing this idea away for next October.
Here is another non-traditional family tree. It looks like so much fun. I really want to do a Scrabble style display for all the puppies we have raised. Here are some more ways people have used Scrabble tiles for their family names. Click on the photos to get more info on each idea.
magnetic family tree from VisitingTeachingSurprise & StoriesByMe
This is a great idea for a growing and changing family. With the photos on magnets it is easy to rearrange to accommodate new members. It would also make a fun game to see if family members know who goes with who in your family tree. I didn’t find any directions for making the magnetic family tree. The original idea was on StoriesByMe’s blog for a product they sold but they don’t seem to be in business anymore. So you are on your own. But I think the concept is good and it should be too hard to figure out. If you figure it out or find a tutorial let me know and I’ll add it here.
version of the colorful clan for Apex (the first puppy we raised for GDB)
A couple of weeks ago I did a post on colorful clan family tree for a 4″ x 12″ panoramic frame. I’ve put together a simple Adobe InDesign template to recreate the one from Parents.com. As I was working on it I realized that I didn’t need to have different colors of paper. With a color printer I could just print my background color.
For a sample I decided to show Apex’s (the first puppy we raised for Guide Dogs for the Blind) family tree. As you can see I don’t have all the birth dates and I don’t have any death date though some of these dogs have certainly passed away. But I though it would work to show what the template is like. Of course when you open the template up in InDesign you will be able to customize anything you would like from the fonts to the background colors.
You can download the Panoramic Clan Template here from Dropbox. When you open it up in Dropbox it will look like crazy gobbledegook. But once you save it to you computer and open it in InDesign it will work fine. I made this template in InDesign CS6. Let me know if you have problems or suggestions. I’m hoping to make more templates this coming year.
photo by Aaron Dyer from parents.com
A project doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. This idea from parents.com is easy to put together with a panoramic frame, your printer and some colored paper. Click the photo above for more detailed directions. If you register on their site they have a cutting template too. But I’ll make it my goal to put together an InDesign template to make it super easy to put in your families names. Watch for it on Thursday.
I think this format would also lend its self to putting photos in place of the colored paper. Maybe all in black and white or sepia tone. It could be fun with tightly cropped photos too. Some great possibilities with this. I’ve got to try this out asap.
photo collage by Cactus and Olive
Sometimes the best ideas come when you are solving a problem. This is one of those ideas. Loni Harris wanted to send her brother a family photo but the most recent one was a couple of years out of date and missing some new members. So she came up with this circular format showing three generations of her family. It is a brilliant solution and very adaptable do different numbers of children. Her readers loved it so much that she now makes custom version in her Etsy shop. At the time of writing this post she is taking a break from her shop. Hopefully it will be back up soon.
She did her’s project in Photoshop and Illustrator. I think I could do this pretty easily in InDesign. Maybe I’ve got myself a new project for Mother’s day or my Mom’s 92nd birthday. I’ll be sure to let you know how it comes out.
I’ve decided to regularly share ideas I find for family trees, so stay tuned. More to come over the coming weeks and months.
telling family tales 