I don't decorate on the cheap. This baby cost me a thousand dollars.
- Felt $6
- 24 dinky plastic ornaments $8
- 25 gold star buttons $10
- Extra spool of hunter green thread because I suck at decorative machine stitching $2
- Vet bill for emergency surgery to remove stick pin from kitty's large intestine $955
That was almost three years ago to the day. And now, for the rest of my days, every Christmas I get to relive the fantastic time in my life that kitty batted at my sewing pins holding down those silly snowflake dots, freed one and swallowed it in the blink of an eye. Disgusted with the cat (and myself), I put away the calendar that year and finished it up the next year, in time for advent. According to my husband, if the cat ever swallows a pin again, it's tough luck. Kinda makes sewing a rare event in these parts nowadays....I have to lock up the cat each time and account for each and every pin. Talk about pressure!
I made this calendar as a knock-off of one I saw in a Lillian Vernon catalog. I tried to order one online, but they called me the next day to say there was a mistake and that they were sold out and would not be receiving anymore. I was so ticked off about it that I scoffed at the challenge and declared I could make one myself. And mine would look even better. That was before I nearly killed the cat. Or the next year when I realized just how hard it was to try and sew a decorative stitch and make a number at the same time. I hate those stupid-looking calendar numbers. I have half a mind to search the web for some embroidery patch or something and yank those nasty pockets off of there. Oh well.... another day. Here are some close-ups. Not that I want you to get a closer look at my amature handiwork.
The ornament calendar reminds me of the one we used when I was growing up - which is probably why I wanted it in the first place. My mom had made a felt one as well, but used snaps instead of buttons. The 'ornaments' were cut out of felt as well, and you could just snap the ornament on each day. The yet-to-be-used ornaments were kept in a butter tub on top of the fridge. Ah, memories. :)
Alas, one Advent calendar is not enough in these parts. Each kiddo gets a turn hanging up an ornament, but waiting four days for your turn to come around again seems to last an eternity. So, there needs to be something for each kid to do each day. I found this wooden 'house' the year before last, at an end-of-season markdown at Kohl's. The wooden compartments are tiny though, and are only just big enough to hold a couple of pieces of candy or some quarters or dollar coins. When you have to stuff four of an item in there, it gets complicated.
There is the box idea (put a little giftie in a little gauzy gift bag - the kind you get at weddings for a favor - and make up 24 of them for each kid). You can also hang a long, red Christmas ribbon with a bow at the top, and then hot glue 24 candies (like mini candy bars) in a long line, and attach a little bell ornament at the top. There is even a poem that goes with it...
December 1st to Christmas
is the longest time of year.
Seems as though Old Santa
just never will appear!
How many days ‘til Christmas?
It’s hard to keep the count.
So this little candy ribbon
will tell you the exact amount.
Undo a candy every night
when the sandman casts his spell.
And Christmas Eve will be here
by the time you reach the bell!
I got the idea and the poem from the family that I nannied for years ago. The grandma (Nana) would make the ribbons for the kids each year and they would arrive by mail around Thanksgiving time. I took the idea and made the ribbons for my nephews for a few years, but it got to be too much. I haven't made them here for about three years. Not since baby Owen kept pulling off all of the candies. I will probably revive it next year.
I kept thinking though that I wanted to do an activity-oriented type calendar. The kids would open a little card, and printed inside would be the special holiday activity for the day (watch a movie, make cookies, make an ornament, etc...) Then, because I was pretty sick last week and had nothing better to do than get caught up on the bazillion blogs that I follow, lo and behold I saw a post from Tsh on Simple Mom about how she made an Advent calender using cards that you could attach a daily activity to. Just what I was looking for - and I had to have it - even if it was the first of the month already. Which I guess means I had to make it - pronto. So sick or not, I went out and hunted down the necessary supplies and made it over two successive evenings. Here is my finished product..
I spent about $25 total in materials. I decided I wanted a background on mine, and I had some really great fabric left over from a quilt that I wanted to use. I just used duct tape to attach some thin batting and the fabric to the back panel of the frame. I really wanted the bookmark cards that she (Tsh) used, but neither Hobby Lobby or Michael's carried them. Tsh mentioned that she found them at Jo-ann's - we don't have a Jo-ann's....yet. We had one, but they were small and their selection sucked. They are reopening in a much bigger location very soon though. Otherwise, I would have to drive to the next town, which I was not doing. Not when the creative bug hits late in the evening. It was a mad scramble to get to Hobby Lobby before closing time as it was. And even then, I ended up at Michael's. So I used some plain, rectangular bookmarks.
Now, I am not a scrapbooker. There is some really amazing stuff out there, but it is too expensive of a hobby for me. So I am not really aware of the full array of products, but would you believe, in all the plethora of materials available, the ONLY calendar numbers available (that I could see on my mad dash through Hobby Lobby and Michael's) are the exact same thing that Tsh (Simple Mom) used? I was wanting something a little more green/white/red, but this was the only thing out there. These calendar numbers were part of a collection housed within a Christmas-themed scrapbook paper book. I found it on one of the last displays that I looked at - just as I was losing all hope of being able to create something like this - because there seems to be this thing about me and calendar numbers. I didn't want to settle like I did with my felt tree calendar. I whooped for joy. Literally. And even better - it was marked at 40% off.
I have yet to finish the list of activities that will be hidden inside the cards, but I have held true to doing an activity a day, so far.
Dec 1 - Watch the movie The Santa Clause
Dec 2 - Play in the snow and drink hot cocoa
Dec 3 - Set up the Santa collection (we actually finished the next day)
Dec 4 - Watch The Polar Express and have popcorn (in honor of Jordan getting braces today)
Dec 5 - Work on special Christmas-themed puzzles and worksheets
and so forth... I think I will play it by ear this go-round. The goal is to keep it fun, low-expectation, and best-of-all, FREE...
Happy countdown!
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