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I still have not gotten to working on the calendar.  I am hoping to get alot of it done this weekend.  I hope I am not scrambling each day to make an ornament to put on the tree each day of December.  I have 1 made and 1 in the process of being made.  As I make them I will post a picture of each one and tell you want I used to make it.  Wish me luck.  Also is you have made yours already please share with everyone.  You may spark an idea for someone. 

Hoping to have sometime to work on the calendar tonight.  I want to have it finished by the end of my Thanksgiving break but I am not sure if that is going to be possible or not.  We usually put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving but Matt has to work so we will not go to the tree until the weekend which was when I was going to work on the calendar so I guess I need to move something around.

The first piece I did was the tree because I thought it would be the easiest to do. I cut the green felt in half, sprayed the board lightly with adhesive and put Elmer’s glue all around the edges of the tree and laid the tree on the felt. After the felt was dry and I cut the excess off leaving about 1/4 inch around. I then took about 1/2 yard of beaded string and every so often I put a little glue with a toothpick to tack it down. I had some Christmas buttons I had picked up on clearance a couple of years back and I glued them to the top 6 “branches” of the tree.

First Ornament

The first ornament is a reindeer. I cut 2 oblong pieces out of the brown felt. On one of the pieces I used embroidery thread to make a nose. I made the antlers out of the pipe cleaner. I used one long piece and two smaller pieces. The 2 smaller pieces I just wrapped around each end of the longer piece making the antlers. I then slid the antlers in between the two pieces of felt. Then stuffed with a little poly-fill and stitched around using embroidery floss, sewing the antlers in place as I went around. I glued on two of the eyes above the nose. I put a piece of velcro on the back to stick it to the tree.

I bought the supplies for the advent calendar and it cost me $21, I really did not think that was too bad. The supplies that I bought consisted of:

1 pack multi-color pipe cleaners

10 squares of different colored felt

1 package of green felt used for table toppers so it is one solid piece

1 package wiggle eyes (the smallest size)

1 package pom poms black (the smallest size)

I had also picked up a package of white but I guess Lani dropped them out of the buggy because they did not make it home.

1 20X30 white board (it is like poster board except it is about 1/4 inch thick so it has some stability to it

I had my daughter’s boyfriend draw me a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree on the board and I cut it out with a utility knife.

I also have random ribbon, foam board, glue, embroidery thread, buttons, fabrics and stuffing. I will let you know exactly what I use for each piece but just because I did not buy it does not mean I will not use it. Look through your sewing stuff and get creative. This is something hopefully you and your family will enjoy for a long time. Make it yours, give it your own touch and have fun.

Keep checking back because as I complete something I will post the directions, materials and picture. I hope you will join me on this project.

I am looking for a pattern for an Advent Calender.  If you have one you would like to share or know where I can find one please let me know.  Until I hear from anyone I will continue to search the internet looking for something, anything to help me out.

One of the things our family does at Christmas time instead of a Christmas card is a Christmas letter. We write what has happened to us through out the year so the whole family can catch up on what is going on in each others lives. It is really nice because we do not get to talk to all of our family all of the time so it is nice to get the high points of their year in a letter. You can talk about how the kids are going in school, if your bought a new car or house, if someone graduated or started a new job. It is really exciting to get the letters. Everyone gathers around while it is read so everyone is involved. We print them on pretty Christmas paper, so it is a very cheap way to spread joy at the holiday season.