Magnetic Family Tree game, revised

After playing so much with their 4 generations magnetic family tree, I feel that my kids are ready for their 5th generation, which now calls for a bigger board.
So here is a 12x12 page version of it.

I have also decided to have a different board for each holiday, just to spruce things up a bit.
Kids and grown ups  will love playing with a magnetic family tree whose theme can be changed according to each holiday. The more they will play, the more their heart will be drawn into the desire to know more about their ancestors. 
Here is a possible Halloween Background:

Thanksgiving background

Christmas background:

Valentine's day back ground

St. Patrick day background

Easter back ground.

Independence Day background:

I thought to put together a tree with the flag where each ancestor came from. It just so happens that my ancestors are all Italian and my husband's first 4 generation ancestors were all already established in USA.

Another idea is to have an identical family tree with actually the pictures already on them, so that the kids can compare and see by themselves if they  matched all the right ancestors with their place in the family tree.
I will post more backgrounds on the CavaGenealogy facebook page, so be sure to like it to know first hand when I make more!

These12x12 pages can be switched back and forth on a magnetic sheet inserted in a shadow box

or on a 14x14 magnetic  board.

You can find the shadow box ready to decorate and the 14x14 magnetic board  at Micheal's for $4-$5 if you have a 50% coupon.
The magnetic sheet can be found in any hardware store like Home Depot or Lowe's, but also online in various craft stores for about $6.
I haven't put mine together yet, since I am creating more family tree pages to go with the magnetic tree and I will print a few of the ones that fit my family style most,  but I wanted to give you an idea of how it would look inside the shadow box, so I used one of the 12x12 family tree pages I already created and the magnets I had from the old magnetic tree and here it is:

It will need some decoration, maybe I could spray the frame of the shadow box with magnetic paint so that it will hold more magnets, or I could modge podge something related to the various holidays or a quote about genealogy.
I guess I will have to post again when I finally complete my work of art!^__^

Stay tuned!

EDIT: my shipment just came in! The pages are gorgeous! vibrant colors, high quality papers (not to mention acid free and archival quality)... As soon as I add the next generation magnets and paint the shadow box, I will post more pictures!

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My HM club members can have their favorite template transferred to their account for personal use, or  can have it completely personalized by me for them  for a reasonable fee.

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Halloween candy wrappers ~ Super cute!

I was looking through the template gallery when this cute little template caught my attention: candy wrappers!
They are so cute, I had to share!  Template ID: 68558

 What's nice is that the instructions are included in the template!

Admit it, you want them too!
Well, with the free premiere weekend, you can create them for free and just pay for the printing and shipping!
Who's going to be the lucky person who is getting these super cute candy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can get a free Publishing account by signing up at http://www.preservemyheritage.com and start creating unlimited projects at once!
Love my Creative Genealogy templates and ideas? 

My HM club members can have their favorite Creative Genealogy template transferred to their account for personal use, or  can have it completely personalized by me for them  for a reasonable fee.

Want more for less? Check out our incredible host rewards and My Club HM!

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Happy Halloween...genealogy style^_^

Well, I thought I would stop by to wish everybody a happy Halloween, and I couldn't help but create a ghost family tree:

By the way, did you know that Halloween means Hallows Eve (the eve before the Day of the Dead, on the 1st of November), and its origins are Celtic?
2,500 years ago the Celtic people from what is now the UK celebrated New Years Eve at the end of the summer, not in December, and for them this day was the 31st of October. For some reason, the Celts thought that on this day the spirits would come out of their tombs and walk the earth. To scare off the spirits, people decorated their houses with bones and other scary objects that would ward off the spirits. 
Nowadays, Halloween is most celebrated in Anglo-saxon cultures where people dress up like monsters and fantasy creatures and do Trick-or-Treating.  Most homes, as you may have noticed, put a Jack-o-lantern outside on the doorstep.
I must say that while I knew about Halloween when I was in Italy, unless you knew some Americans or English people, nobody would celebrate it. The day to put your mask on is  "Carnevale", instead, which comes 40 days before Easter, but I will talk about this when time comes.
It is indeed  incredible how things might change in just a few years though...
From what I have noticed, many people in Italy now celebrate Halloween too.
So, wherever you are, whether you celebrate it or not,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!