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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Advent-erous Ideas to Countdown to Christmas

Seriously, no sooner after the bird was cut and served my darling little Diva asked was Christmas tomorrow.  I told to her no, but it will be here soon.  Mistake.  The next day, the same question and then about 2-3 times a day, we were asked, when was Christmas was going to be here. 

Now, I will be honest, the job that pays me has had me on lock down, and I have not been in the mood to entertain one person for Christmas (gasp) .  However, the constant questioning and curiousity and excitement that my has for the Little Baby Jesus' birthday (OMG - allow me to digress - I just found some candy canes that someone left on my desk - SUGAR FIX) really started to put me in the mood to make the holiday special for her.  So, I decided to start with giving her a visual of how many days it would be until Christmas.  So I created an advent calendar for her and I thought I'd share it with you. 



Now, it's nothing fancy, but I was able to put my Cricut to work for once.  Basically, I took a cork board and covered it with gift wrap, painted the frame, cut mailing envelopes in half, glued the numbers to the front, one of them has a Merry Christmas stamp for the big day, and each envelope is attached with doublesided tape and filled with gumballs - something both of my kids love.

It's not too late for you to put up a calendar of your own.  You can either purchase on at the store or make one really quick and easy.  Here are some ideas for inspiration.

This was on Country Living - I like the idea of matchbooks and you can hide little pepperments or chocolate coins in them - maybe even a folded dollar bill or quarter!


Found this one on the Better Homes and Gardens site and it's sort of like the one that I made but a bit more casual, hanging the envelopes with string.



This was made by Shelley at Fresh & Fun - she even offers a tutorial - this is where I got my original inspiration for the calendar I made.  I decided to use envelopes because I didn't want to buy the favor tins.


This is another BHG ditty.  I liked this idea a lot - but my wallet didn't.  Here individual gifts are placed on a
tiered stand and opened each day.
 

If you're a FOM - Fan of Martha, you might have seen this advent calendar on her show.  It's a cute idea and I almost did it - but there are those metal tins again! 





BHG had this playful calendar and it would be a really cute idea to hand in your kid's room.  Just use scrapbook supplies and  paint an inexpensive or old  baking tray!



Here is a good idea found from Pottery Barn, hang tags on a canvas board and add ornaments - each day a new ornament is added to the Christmas Tree.



Here is a super easy idea.  Basic white coin envelopes attached to a string with clothespins and numbered labels.



Here's a fun idea that your kids could help with - also found on the BHG site.  Cut leaf shapes & stars, assemble to create a decorated Christmas tree and attach peppermint candies!



Here is another adorable idea from Martha.  Cut out stocking shapes and either hang from a decorative ribbon or potted tree.  This would work well for an office area or even an entryway.



I know Thanksgiving was last month, and honestly, I wasn't in the mood to set the table after cooking all that food, but again, I did it for my baby girl.  Here's  a picture of the place setting I whipped up.  It's definitely not fancy, but something quick and simple!


I have plenty more to share with you.  I have a baptism cake, red velvet cupcakes and paper chains & snowflakes that I'm working on.  Lots of fun stuff! 

Monday, December 7, 2009

BRB!


Sorry good people for not posting recently.  I have been in serious BRB mode lately.  The job that pays the bills has me all preoccupied during the day and then the job that pays my heart (being a wife & mom) is at a demanding call for attention at all times.  I do have lots to share with you like our Xmas advent calendar (want to show you that before it's too late), holiday cards, and so many other decorations and projects I'm working on.  I'm really excited to share everything with you - so check back later in the week for some fun holiday updates!

Photo Credits: Post-it Note

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