DIY Advent Calendar From a Shoe Organizer

Easy
I love a good count down to any holiday, so making an Advent calendar this year was a no-brainier. I found inspiration from Pottery Barn while browsing the holiday section. To me, using a 24 slot over the door foot-gear organizer made the most sense for my budget.
Here is the shoe organizer I started with.
Supplies


– 24 pocket over the door shoe rack – white


– Red wool


– Gold paint


– Spouncer


– Reusable number stencils


– Glue gun and glue sticks


First, I began making my Advent calendar by stenciling numbers in sequential order to the fronts of the 24 pockets on the sneaker holder. I used my spouncer, gold paint, and stencils to make the numerals.
Next, I cut 4 strips of the red wool about 5 inches wide that are for the outline of the calendar. There was no exact science to this, I just eyeballed it. The red wool I used was something I had inherited from my grandmother. This just seemed like such a wonderful project to use this special fabric for. It adds another layer of meaning and a pop of color to the Advent calendar. I used the hot glue gun to attach the fabric strips to the edges of the footwear organizer and trimmed the entire border with a rotatory cutter to give it clean straight edges.
Finally, it was time to hang it up and place all kinds of Christmas goodies for our little ones in the pockets. There are a few toys and candy dispersed throughout the days, but most of the pockets have a festive family activity for us to do.
I am really excited how this project turned out and our boys really love it too!
Elizabeth Joan Designs
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Vicki N Ade Ball Vicki N Ade Ball on Jul 30, 2019

    Could you use felt as a background hot glue the whole shoe pocket onto felt? Xx

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  • Martha Grice Martha Grice on Dec 09, 2014
    What a neat idea. By not gluing on Santa or like-minded decorations you can use this again and again for other count downs. Are you familiar with the old-fashioned flannel stories told in Sunday School classes? By using a flannel background other pieces could be used to tell a story by pressing them to the background and removing as the story progresses. This type of thing could be used for this, just press Santa, fireworks or the Easter Bunny etc. could be handily stored in the pouches for putting away when not in use. Easy to update, keep items fresh looking and impress others with your imagination. Again, a wonderful idea. Thank you for sharing.
  • Joanie Joanie on Sep 23, 2019

    This is the prettiest Count down I've seen so far. Good idea!! Good imagination!!

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