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Wall Calendars: Should They Still Win a Spot on Your Wall?

April 10, 2025

As ubiquitous as it has become to gift someone a candle, back in the day of trudging a mile uphill in the snow to and from school, it was just as common to gift someone a wall calendar, especially during the winter holidays. Wall calendars were fun to pick out and available practically everywhere you shopped. They could feature stunning art, humorous scenes and quotes, or shots from nature. Some even provided fundraising dollars for causes you valued.  

But how often do you see a physical calendar on a wall in someone’s home anymore? And do wall calendars even have a place in the digital era? What does a wall calendar offer that its desktop or virtual version does not? Is somone the "calendar keeper" in your home who worries about all this for you?

One virtue of the wall calendar is that it never moves on you. It is a reliable source of ground truth as to what is going on and when in your household. Wall calendars also have a number of other advantages you’ll read about in our story today. 

As our focus for "Around the House, With Artifcts" this month shifts to everything that goes on your walls, we took a look around to gather some perspective on the value of wall calendars in modern times. We found some interesting and relatable perspectives that may just shift your own. Enjoy!

What Do You Want From a Wall Calendar?

As with nearly everything in life, when it comes to a calendar for your home life, you have to understand your own habits and needs first, and from that starting point you can choose that right calendar. What could you want from a wall calendar? Glad you asked: 

      • Memory boost. The physical task of writing something down has been shown to help us recall the things we’ve written more effectively than when we type them, according to Scientific American. Maybe this is why Post-it notes and now writable tablets are so popular, too. Writing activates a broader field of activity in our brains. 
      • Mood boost, too. If you love the art or subject of the calendar—majestic mountains or cute kittens, anyone? —every time you walk by you get a little boost. 
      • Design infusion. If your space needs a pop of color or additional visual interest, you can surely find a calendar theme and size that will fit your style. 
      • The BIG picture. Your life is hectic, and you want to ensure everyone is marching to the same beat with a visual and accessible master calendar. Monitor multiple schedules, coordinate major events, and keep track of important dates, holidays, and horizon moments—like family trips—with one giant calendar, a.k.a. your lifeline. 
      • Accountability. For some, the wall calendar helps with accountability as you tick off dates and you accomplish certain tasks and work through to-do lists.

What else might you want from your wall calendar?  

Millennials, being nearly tech native from their earliest years, can offer an interesting perspective on this throw back from a simpler, non-digital time when wall calendars hung in every home. We ‘listened’ to some millennials sound off via a few reddit threads and found these additional perspectives on the wall calendar: 

There’s too much going on already on our mobile phones, so a lot of that noise gets ignored. It’s harder to ignore a wall calendar.  

      • A way to see the passage of time, especially during COVID 
      • Finding enjoyment in the process of updating the new calendar with birthdays and anniversaries 
      • Remembering loved ones, human and pet, through the images chosen for personalized calendars 
      • When you work on a computer all day, it’s nice to step back from your laptop or mobile when possible.  
      • When you have young children, a physical calendar helps them learn about time. 
      • Somehow physical calendars and planners feel cozy.  

We then flipped that on its head and asked a few boomers in our lives about their affinity for wall calendars. Here were a few responses we received: 

      • Using a wall calendar ensures caregivers going in and out of our home have the same information. 
      • My kids laugh, but I still keep track of big things in their lives and our grandkids’ lives, too, so I need a big wall calendar. 
      • This isn’t about my age, but about my job as a farmer. It’s helpful to see our schedule laid out in a large format so I can visualize cycles for the crops and animals. 
      • We’ve always had one, we always will. And we still have decades worth in the closet if you want to see them. Some years there’s no white space left. Life was busier then. Editor’s note: Artifct those old calendars! They can be treasure-troves of events and memories past. Keep reading for tips on how to Artifct your calendars.

Could You Go Digital With Your Wall Calendar? 

You could go digital for your wall calendar, even pocket sized on your mobile, but is it right for you? 

Digital offers several advantages. The primary benefit is probably obvious: accessibility from anywhere. You’re at the grocery store, you’re at an event, whatever it is, you need information that is tucked inside the squares of that wall calendar. If you don’t get that information, it’s a deferred decision or another to-do added to your life. 

You might also lean on a digital calendar for the benefit of reminders. You can set them by default (one month, week, day, hour). Technology is also evolving to offer smart reminders. For example, it’s likely that before long if you add a trip overseas to your calendar, the calendar will ping you well in advance to make sure your passport gets renewed, if necessary, on time. That’s efficiency and less stress all in one. It can also remind you about prescription refills and more. 

Where can you find a digital wall calendar? We only know of one so far with size and features options that we’re eager to explore, and it’s from a well-known manufacturer of digital photo frames called SkyLight, a very logical product expansion from frame to calendar. If you have experience with the Skylight wall calendar or another digital wall calendar, we’d love to hear from you!

Traditional Wall Calendars: Before You Save that Old Wall Calendar, Consider Your "Why"

In an amusing thread on reddit, a discussion unfolded when a poster shared a website that would tell you when the dates on your calendar would align again in a future year. One commentor passed on that idea, claiming they would end up at the dentist office on the wrong day. Ha! Another felt this was a stretch too far to upcycle and leaned toward hoarding behavior. (But does it? Learn more about hoarding disorder.)  

Historically, many people have treated calendars like journals, the ephemera of life, a record easily shared with others to remember what consumed our days, big and small, “back then.”  

Some calendars these days are designed to be upcycled based on the beautiful, high-quality printed images on each month, which are easy to slice out and frame or even affix to cardstock to create a greeting card. Some large wall calendars like those created by School House (and pictured in the banner at the top of this story), are designed to be flipped over to enjoy the design on the back when the year is over.

Clock, calendar, and stepping stool, situation in a home

 
 
Wall calendars work hard! They fill space, keep everyone walking by informed, and give you a sense of time and structure for your year.

Artifct those calendars!

Now that we can simply take digital photos of the calendars and/or digitize them, we suggest going back through that particular collection and considering whether it’s time to ditch the hardcopy. Consider Artifcting the calendar before you recycle to keep the memories and for reference back to potentially important dates. If it’s a monthly calendar, choose a month or two or three for the photos to feature in your Artifct and attach a scanned copy of the complete calendar in the documentation of your Artifct. Done!

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© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Photos + Timelines Go Better Together

Love photos? You’re not alone! What’s not to love about the memories, smiles, and special firsts all frozen in time for a moment.  

With the ever-increasing ease of digital photography (hello smartphones!) we can capture all those moments and more. In fact, we capture a lot more. Worldwide, we take on average 5 BILLION photos a day, or approximately 57,000 photos per second. According to Photutorial, the average American alone takes 20 photos a day. 

What do you do with all the digital photos that accumulate at an ever-increasing speed?   

Do you post them to social media and wait for the comments and likes to roll in? (Our resident privacy expert recommends that you don't.) Or push them into whatever cloud or other storage device you prefer, and look back through them only for the occasional calendar, school project, or holiday card? Perhaps you send a few to lucky friends and family through one of those digital picture frames, like Aura 

We’d like to suggest a different approach—Artifct those special photos, the ones that capture something unique, memorable, or otherwise notable. What is more, when you Artifct them, they are automatically added to your Artifcts timeline, instantly creating a contextual history of all things you.  

Put Photo Timelines to Work for You! 

As you Artifct your photos, Artifcts creates your photo timeline automatically. Simply pick a photo, create a new Artifct, add a short story, a date (if known), save, and you’re done. Your Artifct will automatically be added to your timeline based on the date you entered.  

 

A snapshot in time of our co-founder Heather's photo timeline. 

Not sure of the date? We’ve got you covered. Your Artifct will be added to your timeline based on the date you created it; you can always go back later and edit should you remember the date or even the decade.  

Assuming you have created a few Artifcts already, you will find your timeline by  visiting your homepage  and choosing "My Artifcts." You'll see the timeline option marked with a yellow "New!" Want to view just your Artifcted photos on your timeline? Simply select Life's Moments > Photographs as the category while in timeline view and voilà! Your very own personal photo timeline. 

As you explore Artifcts timelines and think about your family photo history, test out the built-in timeline features, because you never know what may inspire you: 

  • Switch between annual and decade views. 
  • Flip your Artifcts from newest-to-oldest and oldest-to-newest. 
  • Drag and drop to move any Artifct to a different year. 
  • Add time period notes, per year, about key events, trips, or other firsts. 

Feeling overwhelmed with so many photos and not sure where to start? As part of Save Your Photos Month, we recommend you give yourself a goal. Pick a photo a day, or one a week. Spend five minutes creating and sharing the Artifcted photo with loved ones.  

We recommend you give yourself a goal. Pick a photo a day, or one a week...

Just think, if you Artifcted a photo a day for a month, you’d have 30 photos and stories that are preserved for generations to come. Bonus! You’d also have a timeline spanning 30 {days, weeks, months, years!}. All that context, and all those memories, safely documented to protect against all of life’s what ifs.  

Want to learn more? We have great  FAQs  about timelines and  a quick video  ready for you as well. 

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Our good friends and partners at The Photo Managers are once again hosting free virtual events all month long in honor of Save Your Photos Month. Click here to learn more and to register. 

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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How to Artifct with Grandma and Grandpa

For many of us, summertime means time with extended family, maybe even “sleepaways” with Grandma and Grandpa. We should all be so lucky!

In the spirit of quality time together at any time of the year, we sat down this summer to interview a granddaughter-grandmother duo who have spent occasional Saturdays throughout the past couple of years Artifcting together. We wanted to learn why they took up Artifcting and any tips they have for other intergenerational pairs who plan to connect with each other through Artifcts.

In case you’re short on time, here was what they each wanted to be sure you knew: 

Granddaughter: I never spent time one on one with my grandma. We see each other a lot, she only lives 45 minutes away, but all of our gatherings involve my siblings and/or at least one of my parents, too. Plus, I was going away to college soon and knew I wouldn’t see her much for a while. 

Artifcts is easy to use, easy to share, which was critical. I knew my dad would love the Artifcts, too. He’s a big storyteller. The biggest surprise about Artifcting was that it totally changed how I think of my grandma, and I feel closer to her than ever.  

It was never a chore. I wanted to be with her. 

Grandma: No one can sit still these days, never mind exist without their cell phone.  

My granddaughter is funny and an artist, too. I’m always interested in what she’s doing. I didn’t think she was interested in my stories from the old days. But once I told her a story or two from living abroad in my 20s, she kept coming back to ask for more stories.  

It wasn’t my plan, but I started to give away items I had collected, too. Not just to her. I had her bring items to others because once I told the story, I knew who would enjoy it and would give it a good home. And you know what? Not once did they say to her that they didn’t want it. They loved the stories! 

You may also be interested in our ARTIcles by Artifcts about Swedish death cleaning

 
 
 
We're honored to participate once again in Grandparents Week - the largest online celebration and educational event for grandparents of its kind. Hosted by our partner, GrandparentsAcademy.com, this event showcases leading experts and resources for grandparents. Artifcts will be spotlighted in the GrandTech Showcase and delivering a walkthrough on how grandparents can use our solution to capture and share meaningful stories from their stuff.'

Tips for Artifcting with Your Grandparents

Above all else, don’t let the age difference get in the way. Fun fact: A 2006 study by researchers from Duke University and the University of Aarhus found that older respondents feel 20% younger than their actual age. So your grandparents may very well respond to you as though they are much younger than they are! 

But as far as true age goes, be mindful of how your respective ages might require a breath or two to (a) break down any awkwardness, (b) explain the purpose and process of Artifcts, and (c) find the right pace for your Artifcting together. Here are tips other grandchildren offered from their Artifcting experiences: 

1. Be ready. Create a few Artifcts for yourself before arriving.  

Use whatever device you plan to use when Artifcting with your grandma/grandpa to avoid any stress or delays in the process. (Artifcts note: We have a series of tips videos, too, if needed.) And if they want to Artifct on their own, share one of your unlimited Artifcts accounts with them and help them set it up.

Bring an Artifct That! Kit with you so you are not asking them for these supplies to support your Artifcting, and review our tips for taking photos of objects.

Also, if you know they plan to move or downsize, help them out by adding dimensions to their Artifcts, using helpful tags (e.g., #attic, #livingroom, #hallcloset), and filling in that ‘In the Future’ field too – does Grandpa want to sell this item, donate it, bequeath it?

2. Explain yourself! Share what Artifcts is, why you want to Artifct together, and how it will help them to share the memories and value behind all these objects with other family, friends, and potentially advisors (estate attorneys, insurance agents, wealth managers). 

3. Again, they may be older, but they were young once, too. One granddaughter said she felt like her grandma was a 20-year-old person in an 81-year-old body. Once they started to talk, the decades between them melted away. Talk with respect, listen with still greater respect, and remember they were your age once, too! 

4. Breaks are good for everyone. If you are creating Artifct after Artifct for grandma/grandpa, you’ll want a break. Eventually they will, too. It's hard to be “on” for so long and you’ll need to stretch your legs. Go for a walk, grab a coffee, or call it a day and come back again sometime soon. 

5. Hold those assumptions. Just because that portrait or vase has always been featured in a seemingly special location in their home doesn’t mean it’s what they value most. Start by asking about an object you are interested in. Then ask them to pick an item and see where it leads you both. 

6. Make sure they know you truly do want their stories. This is not homework. No one sent you. You are curious. Now, in reality, there may be details they aren’t comfortable sharing with you, and that’s okay. Avoid rushing them, embrace pauses, and let them take the lead. 

7. Ask first. Before you grab an object or take a picture, especially if they are in the picture, ask their permission so it’s clear this collaboration is on their own terms. Maybe they are more comfortable recording using their voice only instead of on video. Or maybe Grandma got all dolled up and is ready for her spotlight. Be respectful of their space and their person and ask first.  

8. Don’t argue. You may have heard the story told another way by your parents or another family member. Think of it as a difference of perspective. Record it faithfully. This may make for some fun conversation the next time the whole family is around the table as you parse through tall tales and family lore.

This is especially important if you are Artifcting with someone with any stage of cognitive decline. Let the conversation flow. Be an active, supportive listener, not a domineering guide. 

You may also be interested in these ARTIcles by Artifcts about dementia.

Tips for Artifcting with Your Grandkids

You didn’t think this was a one-way street, did you? Your grandkids may in fact have short attention spans and very narrow or different interests than your own. But this is your home, your life, so enjoy the element of surprise as you share never-before-heard stories that will capture their attention and imagination.

1. Gather a few objects in advance. If you have picked a few items you want to share, it will remove any hesitation to dive in once they arrive.  

2. Find a comfortable place. If you prefer to be in the living room, then guide them there from the get-go. Ideally your location has nice natural lighting so they can snap some nice pictures of the items and maybe even record you on video, too, if you’re game. 

3. Is anything off limits? Let them know if there are people or times of life you do not want to talk about. Conversely, if you want to talk about your parents, your career, your passion for {hobby}, let them know, and have photos, objects and other things on hand to guide the Artifcts conversation in that direction. 

4. Do you need any help with these objects? Perhaps you’ve decided to sell a collection, donate certain items, or pass keepsakes along to family members and friends. Make sure you note your intentions in each Artifcts’ ‘In the Future’ field. If your grandchild is of the appropriate age, maybe they can help get the ‘stuff’ where you want it to go next. If not, download your collection and choose the ‘Up Next Report’ to download and share with loved ones who can help you begin to downsize and/or declutter. 

5. Enjoy. Let them do the Artifcting, like your own very own biographer. That said, if you’d like to surprise loved ones with Artifcts after your grandchild has left, make sure they show you in the ins and outs of Artifcts so you feel comfortable Artifcting and sharing Artifcts from your own account and your own device.

Happy Artifcting!

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© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Meet Mercedes the Alpaca – She’ll Make You Smile

Hello Arti Community! 

It's Ellen here, co-founder of Artifcts. We emailed you all a few weeks ago when Heather and I first discovered Fracture and promised to reveal the rest of the story of our first experience printing photos to glass. More specifically, I shared that I had chosen a hilarious print for my first photo to glass purchase, and I hope this one does not disappoint.

I’ve never been a massive collector. Too much stuff stresses me out. (And it means more to dust!) 

But I’ve always been someone who likes to weave friends and family into my family’s home via artwork they’ve created, heirlooms I’ve inherited, or mementos from travels together. If those things include pops of color, even better. 

Well, about a month ago, a friend of mine who is on an epic 3-month RV road trip with her two dogs shared with me a story about Mercedes the alpaca. I was having a rough morning, so opening up her note to see Mercedes staring at me left me with no choice but to laugh. How could I not?

Photo: B Hardie.

Fast forward to wanting to choose that first photo on glass with Fracture and having a blank space on the wall in my master bathroom, I knew JUST the photo to choose. For anyone thinking it’s crazy to decorate a bathroom, I ask “Why?” How many times do you see in tv shows and movies characters standing in front of a bathroom mirror psyching themselves up for a big game or meeting? Any room in your house can be inspiring, even the bathroom.

And, really, look at Mercedes. She’s hilarious. And my friend’s story comparing herself to Mercedes makes this pic still funnier. I’ll see the pic, laugh, think of my friend, and prepare for my day. A triple win.

_______________

If you’ll indulge me just one more moment of your time, I want to share with you all that I’ll departing Artifcts at the end of this month. I’ll remain co-founder always and ardent Artifcter, too. But, as this is my final ARTIcles story for you all, I want to say thank you. Thank you for reading our blog, sharing your stories, and celebrating the growth of Artifcts with us. It’s been a joy to write for you, inspire you and be inspired by you, and swap Artifcts with you, too. (Never shared an Artifct with me? Please do! I’m @Egoody.)

I hope you find bursts of Mercedes-esque joy in your own lives every day. Let the ‘stuff’ you surround yourself with bring you happiness and connect you with all whom you love.

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© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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