As a kid growing up, I always thought that advent calendars were a genius idea. Okay I’ll be honest, I just liked the candy!
Now that I’m a mother, it is definitely a tradition that I want to create with my daughter. Advent calendars come in so many different forms and can be made out of almost anything. Here are some simple instructions on how you can make a quirky, fun advent calendar of your own.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 yard of felt
1/4 yard of contrasting felt for pockets
1 yard of thick interfacing
pom poms
gold scrap leather
numbered stickers (make sure they are very sticky!)
scissors
hot glue gun
sewing machine (optional)
First, cut out all of the pieces. I cut two of the large triangle pieces and the interfacing 38″ x 38″ x 34″ and the smaller 25 pockets 4″x 4″ x 3″. Cut out a star from the gold leather.
After everything is cut, sew each small triangle pocket onto the large triangle. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can hot glue each pocket on. Once it’s sewn, place the interfacing on top of the second large triangle and then place the finished triangle (with pockets) on top of that. Stitch or glue the three pieces together.
The interfacing ensures that the advent calendar hangs flat but if you are using a thicker material for your calendar then it isn’t necessary.
After it’s all together, use a hot glue gun to stick on the pom poms and the star. Finally, stick the numbers on each pocket and hang!
Make sure that you fill each pocket with fun treats that your kids can open on each day of December. Since I’m not a huge fan of giving my daughter candy every day (hello sugar rush!), I like to add small knick-knack items such as stickers, key chains, and small figurines of her favorite characters.