Sentimental Advent Calendars

 

MAKE A SENTIMENTAL ADVENT CALENDAR

 

Design by Wendy Musgrave

Count down to Christmas with everyday reminders of classic holiday moments. Decoupage photocopied letters and postcards to the front of a wooden plaque. From cardstock, cut twenty-five 2-inch squares and adhere a photo to the back of each square. Add a mini eyelet to the top of each square. Stamp a number (1 through 25) on the cardstock side of each square. Hammer five rows of five nails 2-1/8 inches apart; hang the squares on the nails. Add words to the top of the display using stickers or rub-on transfers.

Handmade Happy Christmas Advent Calendar

This handmade Advent calendar helps kids anticipate Christmas by having them get creative with glitter, ribbon, paper, letters, and other scrapbooking supplies.

What You'll Need:

• Cookie sheet (not nonstick coating variety)
• Spray primer
• Acrylic paint in desired color
• Card stock
• Patterned scrapbook papers
• Markers
• Embossed papers
• Decoupage medium
• Stickers (we used KI Memories)
• Chipboard letters
• Chipboard shapes
• Buttons
• Gel shapes
• Glitter
• Ribbon
• Metal numbers (we used Making Memories)
• Die-cut numbers (we used QuiKutz)
• Scrapbooking ink (we used Tim Holtz)
• Distressing Ink by Ranger
• Magnetic tape

How to Make It:

1. For the cookie sheet background: Be sure the cookie sheet is clean and dry. Prime the cookie sheet using spray primer.
2. Paint cookie sheet using acrylic paint.
3. Select a 12x12-inch sheet of card stock for the calendar grid. Trim the card stock width to fit within the edges of the cookie sheet. Draw a calendar grid in pencil and then use a marker to go over the grid.
4. Arrange patterned papers and calendar as shown, trimming as needed to fit the cookie sheet. Use decoupage medium to adhere papers to the cookie sheet; let dry. Add 2 or 3 additional coats of decoupage medium over entire cookie sheet to seal.
5. After decoupage medium is dry, glue the letters for "Christmas" to the top part of the cookie sheet.
6. For the day-of-the-month pieces: The 25 pieces for the 25 days until Christmas should be all different and backed with a small piece of magnetic tape so they cling to the cookie sheet. Use pieces of chipboard as a base to create many of the days. Add gel shapes, glitter, additional small pieces of chipboard, and buttons to the main pieces of chipboard to create the individual magnets. See the photo for ideas. Also look for purchased dice or game pieces, premade chipboard shapes, small toys, and small cookie cutters to use as day-of-the-month pieces.

Scrapbook Paper Advent Box for Christmas

A clever shadow box is transformed into an Advent calendar using a variety of scrapbooking supplies. Each day holds a small gift for a sweet surprise.

What You'll Need:

• Wooden shadow box with 24 boxes*
• 2 wooden candlesticks
• Wooden dowel (with diameter smaller than candlestick)
• Wooden finial
• Christmas-motif two-sided scrapbook card stock, 6 sheets totaling at least 4 patterns
• Number stickers
• Semi-gloss white spray paint
• Paper glaze (we used Aleene's Paper Glaze)
• 24 red buttons
• Strong crafts glue (we used Quick Grip all-purpose permanent adhesive)
• Drill; handsaw
• Paintbrush, 1-inch wide
• Scissors; hot-glue gun and hotmelt adhesive
• Hook-and-loop tape (optional)

How to Make It:

1. Attach wooden candlesticks to the bottom of the shadow box by drilling a hole (the size of the wooden dowel) partially into the candlesticks and partially into the bottom of the shadow box. Saw a short piece of dowel to connect each candlestick to the shadow box. Glue the dowel, candlesticks, and shadow box in place using strong crafts glue. Glue the finial in the center of the top of the shadow box; let dry. *If the shadow box you are using contains fewer than 24 boxes, create additional sections with wooden paint stir sticks. Cut them to size and glue them in.
2. On a protected surface, spray-paint the shadow box white. Let dry and repeat until fully covered. Apply paper glaze with a brush to one side of the card stock at a time; let dry. Apply a second coat. Press number stickers onto buttons (covering the holes). Apply two coats of paper glaze to the number surfaces as well.
3. Cut and fit a door for each box out of card stock. Allow extra card stock at the left side of the door and fold over to form the door hinge. Cut and fit the remaining 23 doors. Number each door with a temporary sticky note if desired.
4. Hot-glue the door hinge to the inside of the box. Hot-glue the corresponding numbered button to the door.
5. If desired, add small pieces of hook-and-loop tape to each box and the back of each button.

For these ideas and more advent calendars, go to www.BGH.com

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