Today's DIY Advent Calendar for adults is a little different than your standard Advent calendar with treats inside. Don't get me wrong, there are treats involved but I thought I would try something a bit different and maybe save our waistlines before the holiday season begins. I build this Advent calendar for my partner and I'm really happy with the way it turned out – it's a beautiful home decor piece.
Video Tutorial – includes how to create the box!
I have a step-by-step video tutorial on how I created the actual calendar but it was pretty easy and I was able to utilize two tools that I haven't had the chance to use in a long time – the We R Memory Keepers – Envelope Punch Board ( SBC ) and the We R Memory Keepers – Gift Box Punch Board( SBC ).
Tips and Tricks
Envelopes and Spacers
For my Advent Calendar, I created 24 envelopes. I chose the same width (3 inches) and I created a bunch of envelopes in a variety of lengths so that when I stacked them, they looked like a Christmas tree. In the end, it was a shorter stack than I had hoped, so I added pieces of black felt in between. I think it's easiest to choose patterned paper from the same company so all your colours match.
The Star
I wasn't sure how I was going to make a 3D star so I decided to add a Nested Stars Dies( SBC ) to a 3D box in order to make it stick out.
“Presents”
An Advent Calendar isn't an advent calendar unless it has some sweets so I created a few 3D boxes and added some treats inside. In some of the envelopes, I put in a note that one of the boxes can be opened.
In order to make things go quickly with decorating the envelopes, I took out as many alphabet, number and Christmas stamps and dies as I could find. I ended up using the following:
Nested Stars Dies( SBC )
Altenew Layered Stars Dies( SBC )
Nested Circles Dies( SBC )
Joyful Noel dies – Concord & 9th( C&9 )
Altenew Mega Numbers ( SBC )
Skinny Upper Alpha Dies – The Stamp Market( THS )
Big Date Stamp( SBC )
Big Bold Christmas and Big Bold Holiday Bundle( SBC )
I cut a piece of 6×8 cardstock (the same size as my die cutting plate) and added a 6×8 adhesive sheet( SBC ) to the back of the cardstock to turn my dies into stickers for easy application.
I decorated many envelopes differently and tried to give it a nice variety between stamping, die cuts and embossing. I cut my embellishments out of kraft, gold and black paper. Inside the envelopes are the following:
Advent Envelope Ideas – What to put inside!
Here are some details about what is inside my Advent Calendar and what I wrote on the little notecards, aside from opening treat boxes:
- Gift Certificates to the Cinema
- Spa/Wellness Day Coupon
- Make Your Favourite Meal
- Bake Your Favourite Cookies
- Christmas Cocktail Recipe
- Date Ideas
- Visit a Christmas Market
- A Packet of Hot Chocolate
The best part about the calendar is it can be used as a home decor piece. You can lay it flat or simple have it upright, it's completely up to you!
Supply List – Affiliate Links Used
