Heather Carson » Reclaimed & Created

You can use your family logo to create calling cards for your family. Handy to give out to new neighbors, schedule play dates, provide teachers or school office with a quick note, etc… I designed the above card for our family and will use the logo I created along with our names and information.  I hope to have a few designs like this one in my shop soon.  As always, I’m available for custom work if you are interested in something similar for your family.

I love the idea behind Tibetan Prayer Flags.  Prayers for luck, happiness, longevity, and prosperity are printed on cotton flags and hung for the wind to carry the prayers to whomever needs them.

Growing up, we had a big family flag that my parents designed. We all made it together as a family and brought it out on special occasions. I like the idea of using the Tibetan Prayer Flags as a model would be a wonderful way to make this idea a bit more modern.

DIY directions to make buntings are all over the web.  It’s really easy. Use scraps of fabric in any shape- no hemming or turning inside out required. I like the rectangular shape and frayed edges of the Tibetan Prayer Flags for this project.  Just cut or rip out your desired amount of squares then use stamps, screen print, iron-on transfers, or even a fabric pen to add your family logo & other designs or text that symbolize your hopes and wishes for your family. You could add journaling, old photos, poetry… the options are endless.

Sew them all together onto a ribbon or string with your sewing machine or even glue them onto a ribbon with permanent fabric glue to make a bunting. Hang it in your home or outside in good weather for the good wishes of your family to be carried on the wind.

photo via

A logo is used by businesses to help their customers remember their brand.  It is also used to unify the company and it’s employees, giving them a symbol of what they are working for.  A reminder of the company motto & vision.

Thinking of world history- families used to have a crest, a brand, or a symbol to show owner ship of land, livestock, or property. The modern family might not use it the same way, but a family logo could do a lot of the same things: help give identity and unity to family members & reinforce the family motto and values.

Typically, logo design takes a lot of research and considers the company image and it’s target market. A family logo doesn’t have the same restraints.  It’s for you and your family. It could be anything you want!

You don’t need to be a graphic designer to have a family logo. Just go back to your plan and vision board and motto and decide on images or thoughts you want to incorporate into your family logo. There are a lot of free clip art sites, fonts and drawing programs that you could use to put it together. 

For our family logo, we decided we would use our initial- C, the number of people in our household- 8, and try to incorporate of family motto of “choose happy. do happy. be happy.” I tend to create logos that are typographic and simple. I always try to make the main logo and then a smaller symbol that can be used for smaller applications. This is what I came up with for us:

If you need an editing program, try these online options:

Vector files- Aviary.com
Image files- Picnik.com, Pixlr.com

With the popularity of digital scrapbooking, there are a ton of free resources on the web. Here are a few places to check for fun free images and fonts:

Just Something I Made (the vintage bird graphics above are from here. Cathe has a lot of great free downloads- and all around great ideas)
The Graphics Fairy
Cool Vectors
DaFont
Font Squirrel

Here’s a little game. I’ll give you a phrase, you figure out to which company it belongs.

1.  Just do it

2.  The happiest place on earth

3.  Snap, Crackle, Pop

4.  It does a body good

5.  They’re grrrrreat!

6.  I’m lovin’ it!

7.  Built for the road ahead

8.  Oh, thank heaven for _____

9.  Have it your way

10.  The family company

How did you do? I’ll give you the answers at the end of this post.  Chances are you got most of them right. Most companies have a slogan, motto, or mantra that helps define their company. Often it is used internally to rally employees.  Other times it is used as a branding positioner to help potential customers get a feel for the company.

Families can have a motto too. Something that you say to your kids or spouse and it reminds everyone of who you are as a family. Think of what you wrote in your plan, or put in your vision board. Can you boil it down to a short phrase?

We decided ours would be this: Choose Happy-Do Happy-Be Happy OR Choose-Do-Be for short.  We say it to our kids all the time and they know what it means.  It’s a great little reminder.  My family had one growing up- it was “One heart. One mind.” We all knew what it meant and I still think about it. It brings back memories of all of us sitting around the table while my mom and dad taught us. 

What can you do with your family motto? Stamp it into jewelry for each member, create a self inking stamp to put on notes and letter to your kids, create a vinyl wall decal, or just annoy your kids with it all the time like we do. He He Ha Ha!

Really though, we hope that it will be something they remember now and after they are out on their own. Even if they remember nothing else we tell them.

The answers:  1. Nike 2. Disneyland 3. Rice Krispies 4. Milk 5. Frosted Flakes 6. McDonalds 7. Ford 8. 7-11 9. Burger King 10. Johnson & Johnson

P.S. Did you notice the name of the post series has changed? I was talking to some lovely ladies at a [Startup Princess] event and one of them suggested this name. I loved it and think it better describes what these posts are about. Thanks [Tara]!