Advent Calendar Round-up

Anticipation...that's the word that best describes Christmas to a child. 

When I was little, I loved looking at the presents under the tree. I would even search for the ones with my name on them, making a mental note on how many gifts I was going to open come Christmas. All the waiting was excruciating! 

That's why Advent Calendars were created: to count down the days in Advent/December that lead up to Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  

Below are some of the cutest ones I've seen:

These are hung on a wall and a surprise is tucked inside each of the pockets. A surprise is unwrapped daily, making the wait to Christmas more bearable.

This one takes a different form. It's a runner for the dining table:

The "gift" is moved from one day to the next to help the family keep count.

While you can put stocking stuffers or little gifts in the pockets, why not use an Advent Calendar to teach kids that Christmas is not just about presents? Use it to encourage sharing (ex. donations to "Toys for Tots"). Or to start unique traditions (ex. learn a Christmas carol, read a book or watch a movie with a Christmas theme, bake cookies, write and mail a card). That way, values and learning are involved, and family memories are created year after year.

This Advent Calendar tells the story of Jesus. Initially, the characters are in the pockets and are then added to the the Nativity scene using Velco-backing. I love this idea because Christmas isn't Christmas without Christ!

Sure enough, Advent Calendars turn the "blah" of waiting into "TADA!"

Does your home have an Advent Calendar? What do you put inside the pockets?

Thankful Thoughts

Hello everyone!

Thanksgiving is this week and I thought we should do a simple craft project. 

I saved this jar because it's rare to see one in a pretty amber shade.

After thoroughly cleaning and drying it, I painted on the word "Thankful" using acrylic paint.

I can use it to decorate my table by filling it with dried stems, fresh flowers, or strips of paper listing all the things I am thankful for...TADA!

I'm personally thankful to all of you for your regular visits to my blog! Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Salt Dough Pendants

Hey guys!

Last year, I made these little pendants out of salt dough:

I added one-word greetings using alphabet stamps and an ink pad.

They found their purpose as embellishments for gifts...TADA!

I made a few more pendants. But instead of using tinted salt dough, I painted them with several coats of acrylic paint.  

The stark black reminds me of a chalkboard, a blank slate, ready to be written on.

Here's how I turned them from blah...

...to TADA!

They are now keychains that I can give as tokens for the coming holidays.

I wrote the names with acrylic paint and a fine brush and let it dry for several minutes. 

I found the ring and chain findings at the craft store. 

I added jump rings to each pendant and attached the findings with the help of some pliers:

I am proud of my handmade and personalized presents, ready to be given away...TADA!

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Earrings Crafted from Paper Bag Handles

Crafty recycling is what I love to do on this blog. We can find materials everywhere and instead of chucking them in the bin, why not find a creative way to use them?

Let's take for example these paper bag handles made from cord:

I removed them from the bag and just by cutting, sewing, and dressing them up, they have new life as earrings:

Experiment with thread, findings, beads and baubles to create different looks as I've detailed in a previous post. What was "blah" is now "TADA!"

I rescued this white cord and here is how I transformed it...

I already had all the materials in my sewing and jewelry-making kit...TADA!

I hope this inspires you to make jewelry out of the most random objects. 

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