DIY CHRISTMAS ADVENT CALENDAR

Hi, friends! The Christmas season is upon us, and I am having so much fun getting the house all spruced up for the holidays. This really is the best time of year in my mind.

So, you know when you’re laying in bed at night dreaming up your decor, and suddenly an idea pops into your mind, and then you can’t sleep because you start thinking about all the details of it? No? Just me? I know, I’m a little crazy, but I’m sure my fellow home decor enthusiasts are with me on this one! Anyways, this DIY advent calendar idea was one of those times.
I bought a cute little cabin style advent calendar for my husband and I years ago, and though I still adore it, it is bright red, which doesn’t go with my colour scheme this year. With still wanting to have the tradition of an advent calendar, I thought it would be fun to try and make my own this year, and that is when one of my late night thought processes occurred!

The great thing about this DIY is that it was so simple to put together. It didn’t take many materials at all, and doesn’t take a lot of time either!

I found pretty much all of the materials I needed at Michaels. Some of them I even had in stock already – bonus!
Here’s my supply list (I provided some online links to similar products in case you want it all,  but don’t feel like going out shopping):

• Small brown kraft paper envelope bags – find similar to mine here. You can also use regular brown paper lunch bags depending on how many goodies you want to put inside or how much space you have. I wanted something smaller.
• Oval chalkboard labels – find similar ones here. You can also use other shapes if you wish!
• Twine – find some here.
• Chalk – order online here.
• Clothespins – find similar here. I used gold because of the backdrop for my calendar being white. You can find many colours at Michaels too, though!

The first thing I did, was to put all of the chalkboard labels onto the envelopes (24 or 25, depending on if you like to have one for Christmas day). Then simply write numbers on each label with your chalk (you can use chalkboard markers if you have them, too).

You can put pretty much anything you want inside of the envelopes. I alternated little chocolate treats and almond roca (a favourite of my husband’s), and I also included notes with a bible verse pertaining to Christ’s birth/the Christmas story on it.
I think sometimes during the holidays we can get so caught up in the busyness of it all. I know that’s true for me. I can be so focused on my blog, buying gifts for everyone, and most of all, decorating, that the reason for the season can get pushed to the back burner in my mind. I thought it would be good to have something to open each day during the month of December that grounds me and my husband back to why we celebrate.

Once you have your envelopes all made up, take your twine to string up the envelopes. I chose to use an antique door I had as a backdrop. You could also just simply hang it on your wall using those command hooks (like these), perhaps above a buffet table. Maybe you have an old window that would be big enough to use, or even some poster board that can then be put up on the wall. This is the part where you can really make this project your own and use what you have available.
After you have that sorted, using the clothespins, attach the envelopes to the twine, and then you have your advent calendar! Super easy.

You can either be done at this point, or add on some ribbon, silver bells, and greenery to the ends of your envelope rows. That’s all up to you! I was planning to potentially add some bells, but once I had my flocked garland above the door I thought that adding anything else would be too busy.

This is set up in a bit of a darker corner in our apartment, so the photos aren’t amazing, but I did my best given the circumstances!

There’s a little sneak peak of our Christmas bedroom, too!

This was such a fun little project for me to put together. I can’t wait until December arrives so that we can open up our envelope each day and read a Bible verse, while enjoying a little treat.
I hope you enjoyed my post on this DIY advent calendar! I would also love to hear if you decide to make one for yourself, and how you create it to be unique to you and your household.

With Christmas right within our reach, I pray that during the hustle and bustle of all the shopping, holiday parties, decorating and baking, you are able to take time to reflect on the reason for the season, and to enjoy peaceful moments with those you love.
As always, thanks for stopping by!