Countdown to Christmas – DIY Advent Calendar #FreePrintable

Hello everyone! I am so excited to be starting a Countdown to Christmas craft series that will feature a new Christmas craft on the 25th of each month leading up to Christmas!

With only FIVE months until Christmas my first craft to share with you is a Christmas countdown or advent calendar. It is super easy to make, and super easy for kids to use. This version doesn’t give the kids a treat each day, but it is still a bright and colorful count down calendar!

The items you will need are:

• A scrap piece of cardboard cut to 11.5 x 11.5 (I used a piece of a box)
• patterned 12 x 12 scrapbook paper
• adhesive
• ribbon
• packing or duck tape
• small clothes pins
• medium envelope
• paper cutter
• corner rounder (optional)

Step 1:

I started by attaching the medium size envelope to the back of my cardboard. As you can see, at this point my cardboard isn’t cut square, so I would actually suggest having it cut to size first! I had originally planned on making the calendar bigger, but ran into a problem when trying to cover the front, so mid-project I changed the size. 🙂

Step2:

Cover the front of the cardboard with your patterned paper, making sure to wrap the paper around the edges and onto the back.

Step 3:

Add decorative ribbon to the front about an inch from both the bottom and the top of the covered cardboard. You want it tight, but also loose enough for the clothes pin to be able to attach to it on the top piece. For the “…days until Christmas” sign, I attached it permanently to the calendar using my adhesive.

Step 4:

I used 8 x 11.5 white card stock to print out my dates onto, and used the font Elise. I used a paper cutter to cut down the date sheets (I was able to print 2 dates per sheet.) I also used a corner rounder to round out my edges.

Use the below links to download you numbers and words for your DIY Advent Calendar!  (For Personal Use Only Please).  If you have any questions or issues – just let me know in the comments!

Advent Numbers

Advent Words

Step 5:

Use the ribbon to also make a hook to hang up your advent/count down calendar from. I attached the ribbon to the back using my duck tape to make sure it wasn’t going to fall off! Store all the date sheets in the envelope on the back of the calendar!

Hope you enjoyed this simple craft! My son loves being able to change the days out each day come December! Look for the next Countdown to Christmas craft on September 25th!

• Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
• Latest Posts (view them )..

Samantha

Samantha, is a featured craft contributor and product reviewer on Our Knight Life. She is married with 2 little boys. Jacob is 4.5 and Eli will be 1 in October! Crafting has been a hobbie for the past 9 years, but her Cricut and Cameo machines turned it into a passion. Samantha loves to make cards for all occasions, party invitations, matching decor, home decor items and the list goes on. Happy Crafting!

Latest posts by Samantha (Posts)

• Octonauts To the Gup-X DVD #Giveaway - March 14, 2014
• Boba 4G Baby Carrier Review - February 27, 2014
• Valentine’s Day Castle Card Box - February 12, 2014
• Erin Condren Life Planner Review & Giveaway! - January 21, 2014