Make a Simple Advent Calendar

I’m a little embarrassed to admit, but making an Advent Calendar for my family has been on my to do list for the last 5 or 6 years!  Every year I plan to make one, but I simply run out of time and it just gets to close to Christmas, so I scrap the project until next year.  I know I could have just gone out and bought one, but I didn’t want to do that.  I wanted to make an Advent Calendar, not buy one…

This year, I finally got it done and it could not have been any easier!  (And if you are like me and have a collection of washi tape that you don’t know what to do with, this is a great project for that!)

 

 

Materials Needed to Make this Advent Calendar  

(Making this advent calendar is about as simple as it gets.)  

• a picture frame, 
• twine, 
• hot glue, 
• clothes pins, 
• small treat bags (found mine at Hobby Lobby),
• stamps and ink and 
• washi tape. 

If you don’t have a picture frame to use, a foam board is a good alternative, as long as you have a place to store it away where it won’t get bent.

First apply the washi tape to the clothespins.  If you find you’re having trouble getting the edges of the washi tape to stick to the clothespins, run a nail file (or fine grit sandpaper) along the edges of the clothespin.  This will easily remove any excess washi tape and seal the edges.

The frame I used came from Ikea.  Now that it is done, I kind of feel like the frame was a little on the small side. (It is 11 x 15 –  If I were to make this again, I would probably get the next size up. To fit all 4 rows of bags, I needed to fold them in half.)

Decide how many rows you will need, based on the size of your frame.  Cut the appropriate length of string and lay out your rows with the clothes pins to determine the spacing.  Use a pencil to mark the placement of the string.  Hot glue the edges of the string to the back of the frame, making sure there is no slack.

Add the number stamps (or stickers) to your treat bags and hang them on the string…  That’s it!  Just don’t forget to fill your treat bags with goodies or notes!

The treat bags are small, so I plan to jot down the treat or activity of the day on a little note.  I still haven’t added notes to my bags yet, I need to sit down and brainstorm a few ideas. I’m not big on candy, but the kids are, so I will add do just a few sweet treats (maybe a couple of candies and some special desserts or snacks, like hot chocolate or pudding.)  I’ll add in a few special activities like roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire pit, game night, baking cookies, reading special stories about the holiday, etc…

I definitely need more ideas, I would love it if you could take a moment and share a few of your favorite activities or ideas in the comments!

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