DIY Advent Calendar

by Love & Renovations

This is such a simple project but it was so much fun to make! My family always does an activity advent calendar for the Christmas season, and this year I made one that should hopefully last us year after year. You can see the more information, along with a list of all of the activities we'll be doing throughout the month, on the full blog post.

I started off with this old frame from Ikea. There used to be a mirror inside (I believe it came with a dresser), but I pulled the mirror out to leave the frame. If you don't have a large frame lying around, check your local Goodwill or thrift store for something pretty and large.

I took some red ribbon and used hot glue to attach strips of it to the back of the frame.

Then, I took some small kraft paper envelopes and small cards (both bought at Hobby Lobby) for my activities. With the envelopes, I used some graphite transfer paper to trace the numbers - you can read the full post for more details on how I printed out and traced the numbers. Once I had them traced with the graphite paper, I used a Sharpie to outline and fill in the numbers on each card.

Then, I took the cards and wrote our activities on them, and popped them in the envelopes! I used glitter-covered clothespins to attach them to the ribbon, and that's it!

I used a single nail to hang up the calendar, and each day we pull of an envelope and do the activity inside. It's a really fun way to celebrate the holiday, and our toddler is having a blast with it! You can read more details (and see some more photos of the calendar in action) on my blog.