How to make a beautiful DIY Advent calendar

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A festive attribute is easy to make from paper, fabric, toilet paper rolls, wood, and even cups.

What is Advent Calendar

It is a traditional European calendar that helps you keep track of the days from early December to Christmas. But this is not an ordinary sheet of numbers. Most often, this is a postcard or cardboard house, behind the shutters of which sweets or other small gifts are hidden. In total, there are 24 or 25 windows in the calendar, since Catholic Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. Every day a section opens with the current date.

Among the winter holidays, we celebrate the New Year on a large scale, so it is more logical to make 31 windows in the calendar and delight yourself and your loved ones until the last day of the year. Although, of course, choose the number of sections at your discretion.

You can make a calendar from anything and give it any shape. For example, hanging numbered bags on the wall or a homemade Christmas tree, making a panel with pockets, making a winter composition of houses - it all depends on your taste and imagination. Instead of toys, sweets and other gifts, you can put notes with tasks for the New Year mood inside: decorate a Christmas tree, make a snowman, bake cookies, and so on.

How to make an advent calendar out of paper or cardboard

What do you need:

• brown cardboard;
• ;
• scissors;
• regular ruler;
• thin metal ruler or clerical knife;
• white pencil;
• hole puncher;
• glue;
• present;
• light yarn;
• wide band and clothespins are optional.

How to make an advent calendar

Print house templates onto cardboard. Cut out the details along the contour.

Attach a ruler to the dotted lines and go over them with a metal ruler or knife, without cutting through the cardboard.

Bend the details along the marked lines.

Draw snow and icicles on the back with a white pencil.

Number each house. Punch one hole on both sides.

Lubricate the small bent parts of the workpiece with glue. Fold all sides up and glue the house. The detailed process is shown in the video below.

In this way, make the required number of houses and put gifts inside. Pull the yarn through the holes on the roof and tie it with a bow.

Arrange the houses side by side or attach them to the tape with clothespins and hang them on the wall.

What other options are there

Here's another calendar with paper houses. The template for them can be downloaded.

This video shows you how to make a simple paper bag calendar:

And here is a stunning calendar of paper boots and stars. Craft paper, gift wrapping, and even leftover wallpaper can be used for details.

The most traditional version of the Advent calendar with opening windows can be made from corrugated cardboard:

Here is a beautiful cardboard house with retractable cells:

The calendar looks very cool in the form of a chest:

How to make an advent calendar from bushings

What do you need:

• thin ribbon of two colors;
• scissors;
• thick branch;
• wrapping paper in two different colors;
• toilet paper rolls (by the number of days in the future calendar);
• glue;
• stapler;
• a thick needle, awl, or other stabbing instrument;
• present;
• White paper;
• pencils or markers - optional.

How to make an advent calendar

Cut 3-4 pieces of 50-60 cm long from each tape. Fold them together and tie to the two ends of the branch.

Cut out several rectangles from the wrapping paper, which we will wrap around the sleeves. Half of them should be pasted over with one paper, and the rest with another. Lubricate the first sleeve with glue and glue the edge of the paper to it.

Wrap the paper completely around the core. Fold the edges inward on both sides.

Bend one side of the sleeve and fix with a stapler as shown in the photo.

Bend the other edge perpendicular to the opposite. If you are at a loss, watch the video tutorial below. From the top in the middle, make two holes with a thick needle, awl, or other tool.

In the same way, make cardboard bags from the rest of the sleeves.

Put gifts inside. Cut as many ribbons of different lengths as you have sleeves. Pass them through the holes as shown in the photo. One end of the tape should remain long.

Tie the ribbons in a tight knot. Cut the short end of the tape.

Draw or print number circles on paper to represent the days on your calendar. Cut them out and glue them to each bag.

Tie the bags to a branch at different heights, alternating in color. Try to make each of them visible.

Cut off the excess ends of the ribbons. Hang up your finished calendar.

What other options are there

Similar open pouches can be hung in a row on clothespins:

In this master class, cute boxes were made from bushings:

The Advent calendar looks interesting in the form of a house:

And in the form of a Christmas tree:

Cardboard sleeves can also be turned into colorful candies:

Another original calendar:

How to make an advent calendar out of felt or fabric

What do you need:

• cardboard;
• a simple pencil or pen;
• ruler;
• scissors;
• red, white and brown felt (you can use other colors or felt with a pattern);
• crayon;
• needle;
• light thick threads;
• round adhesive-backed Velcro;
• glue gun;
• light buttons (according to the number of days in the future calendar);
• cardboard and / or ready-made figures;
• thematic decorations - optional;
• wooden stick or branch (slightly wider than the calendar);
• twine or thick thread;
• present.

How to make an advent calendar

On a piece of cardboard, sketch out a piece measuring 18 x 6 cm. Draw a horizontal line 5 cm from the top edge. Step back 7 cm from it and draw another line.

On top, mark on the sides at a distance of 2 cm from the edge. Connect them by tracing a small lid or other round object.

Draw a small arc at the bottom too, as shown in the photo.

Cut off the excess along the outlined arcs. This will be the template for the calendar pockets. Place it on the felt and circle it with chalk.

Cut out the part. In the same way, make the rest of the blanks from felt of different colors. There should be as many as there are cells in your calendar.

Place the template next to the part and fold the bottom of the fabric in the same place as the line on the template.

Sew the fabric along the sides to form an envelope. The line should be noticeable: it will be more beautiful this way. Make envelopes from the rest of the blanks in the same way.

Glue the halves of the round velcro to the top of each piece and under the pocket. See the video below for details. For security, you can sew Velcro to the felt.

Cut out a large rectangle out of red felt to hold all the pockets. The author of this calendar for 24 cells, the size of the base was 54 × 36 cm.

Mark the lines with chalk, stepping back 7 cm from the top, 3 cm on the sides, and 2 cm from the bottom. Without going beyond the outlined frames, use a glue gun to glue the prepared pockets to the base in several rows. In the video, they were arranged in 6 rows with 4 pockets in each. 31 cells can be arranged, for example, in 8 rows: 4 cells in 7 rows and 3 pockets in the last one.

Glue buttons and numbers to the flaps of the pockets. They can be cut out of paper.

From brown or white felt, cut a rectangular piece to the width of the base. In the example - 36 × 12 cm. If your calendar is wider, fit the blank to fit it.

Sew on the prepared part on top of the base and sew the rest of the edges of the red felt.

If you wish, you can cut out the name of the calendar or a congratulatory inscription from cardboard and stick it over the pockets. Place cardboard snowflakes on the side. You can use store-bought themed decorations instead of homemade ones.

Take a wooden stick or branch and wrap the top edge of the calendar over it. Sew the folded fabric.

Tie a piece of string to the ends of the stick and hang the calendar. Place gifts in the pockets.

What other options are there

Such a calendar looks just wonderful, but it is much easier to do than it seems:

A similar Advent calendar with a different design:

This video shows you how to make individual pockets:

You can move away from traditional sewn options and make a calendar from hanging fabric bags:

How to make an advent calendar out of wood

What do you need:

• wooden slats;
• saw or other sawing tool;
• wood glue;
• wooden clothespins (according to the number of days in the future calendar);
• green spray paint;
• self-adhesive paper or film with a pattern;
• scissors;
• a piece of wood in the shape of a star (you can cut it yourself from thick cardboard);
• PVA glue;
• wide brush;
• sequins;
• burlap or other fabric;
• wide gold ribbon;
• wrapping paper, paper bags, tissue bags, socks, or something else where you put gifts;
• present.

How to make an advent calendar

Saw the slats into six pieces of the following lengths: 30, 38, 45, 50, 55 and 91 cm. You also need two identical 20 cm slats.

Lay the longest strip upright. Place the other five from top to bottom, from small to large, to make a Christmas tree.

Glue all horizontal strips to the vertical one. Attach two identical parts to the bottom of the tree on both sides - this will be a stand.

Glue clothespins vertically to each rail.

Cover the top side of the clothespins for a while and paint the tree green.

Cover the clothespins with self-adhesive paper or plastic. Cut off excess.

Cover the star with glue, sprinkle with glitter and shake off excess. Glue it to the top of a wooden tree.

Place the tree, wrap the stand with sacking and tie it with ribbon.

Hang presents on clothespins. In the master class, they are wrapped in gift paper, but you can use bags, bags or something else.

What other options are there

Mini calendar made of ice cream sticks specially designed for scraps with tasks:

Here's how to make a wall calendar from branches. Instead of paper bags, you can use fabric bags, Christmas socks, small boxes, or simply wrap each gift with wrapping paper.

Calendars do not need to be decorated with a Christmas tree. You can make a kind of wooden hanger for gifts:

How to make a cup advent calendar

What do you need:

• scrapbooking paper of different colors;
• cuttings for scrapbooking - optional;
• scissors;
• glue;
• self-adhesive rhinestones;
• paper cups (by the number of days in the future calendar);
• a thick needle, awl, or other stabbing instrument;
• thick threads;
• fabric (the color of the paper);
• present;
• stationery rubber bands (by the number of days in the future calendar);
• hoop;
• garland with bulbs;
• garland in the color of the paper;
• wide tape.

How to make an advent calendar

First, prepare the decorations for the cups. For the calendar in the example, paper numbers were cut out, as well as circles, trees, balls, branches and other details using special cuttings. If there are none, prepare the parts yourself. You can cut a regular circle for each number. The main thing is to take beautiful "winter" paper. Glue numbers on top and decorate with rhinestones.

Glue the pieces to the sides of the cups.

Use a needle or awl to make a hole in the middle of the bottom. Pull the thread through it and tie it in a strong knot from the inside. Make sure it does not fall out. For reliability, you can fix the thread with glue.

Cut round pieces out of the fabric. The diameter should be larger than the width of the cups. Place a gift in each glass, cover with a cloth on top and secure with an elastic band.

Wrap the garlands around the hoop. Tie a ribbon in one place so that the hoop can be hung from it.

Attach cups at different heights to the hoop so that they are inside.

What other options are there

Here is an Advent calendar in the form of a holiday tree:

You can make boxes out of glasses, number them and just place them side by side: