From High School Memories to Motherhood: Kaylee’s Ongoing Mixbook Tradition

In 2011, Kaylee R. Murphy was a freshman in high school looking for a meaningful way to capture her year. What started as a creative project quickly became a tradition—and more than a decade later, her growing collection of Mixbooks tells the story of her life, year by year.

“I created my very first Mixbook project because I wanted a place where I could relive all my memories from the year—something more meaningful than scrolling through my phone or computer every time I wanted to look at photos,” Kaylee shared. She organized that first book chronologically, like a personal yearbook, and proudly brought it to school to show her friends. It quickly made the rounds. “It ended up being passed around from class to class as everyone flipped through the pages of my memory-filled book.”

Kaylee loved the experience so much that she made a new Mixbook every year throughout high school. After graduation, she continued the tradition through college—and kept going.

“Life got busier, but whenever I had some free time, I’d jump back into creating. I even have a few projects still sitting in my cart, just waiting for a final review before printing and adding them to my collection.”

Over the years, her books have evolved with her. From college memories to wedding milestones, pregnancy, and parenthood, Kaylee has turned to Mixbook again and again to preserve each new chapter.

“What makes Mixbook so special for me is how creative and personal I can make each book,” she said. “That’s what keeps me coming back.”

A Creative Tradition, Built Page by Page

Each of Kaylee’s books has a theme, often inspired by the year or the season of life she’s in. While she loves browsing templates for inspiration, she usually designs her pages from scratch—choosing backgrounds, fonts, and stickers, and building her own layouts to match the book’s mood.

“Sometimes, I even upload my own stickers for an extra personal touch,” she said. “You have the freedom to design it your way, or you can use the pre-made layouts and themes if you want something quick and beautiful.”

Kaylee has also used Mixbook to create wedding invitations, Christmas cards, and photo calendars—always with the same creative care.

“I’ve always been so satisfied with Mixbook’s customer service and their quick turnaround time for printing,” she said. “Every step of the process has been smooth, easy, and enjoyable.”

Creating for Herself—and for Others

While most of her books are made for personal reflection, Kaylee often shares them with family and friends—and their reactions are one of her favorite parts of the process.

“One of my favorite traditions is creating a custom calendar each year for the grandmothers in our family,” she said. She starts by collecting photos from everyone via group text, then curates the year’s best moments—birthdays, vacations, everyday smiles—into a personalized calendar.

“It’s become such a special Christmas gift that they look forward to every year. At this point, they already know what’s coming, but they’re always so excited to see how the new calendar will turn out. Their joy and appreciation make it all so worth it.”

Why She Keeps Creating

Kaylee works as a professional wedding videographer, so storytelling through images and film is second nature. Her Mixbook projects are an extension of that passion.

“I love turning those moments into films and photo books that help preserve the feeling of a memory for years to come.”

While it’s hard for her to choose a single favorite photo, the ones that mean the most are the ones that show how quickly life moves.

“The pictures of my children growing up right before my eyes—flipping through the pages and seeing how much they’ve grown and changed over the years—is something so special. It’s a beautiful reminder of just how fast time moves and why I love documenting it all.”