This calendar was one of my happy accidents, where I started out making one thing and ended up with something I never could have dreamed up if I was trying. I originally intended to make a Christmas card using the "
Days Until" stamp and
die sets, and I got it in my head that I wanted to use corrugated cardboard on it somewhere. But, by the time I finished doctoring up the cardboard, I had smooshed it flat and got so frustrated I almost threw it away, when I realized the flattened cardboard looked a little like a shutter, and it might hold numbered squares the same way people display their Christmas cards on a real shutter. And, sure enough, it worked!
The "doctoring" I did was to add red, green, and gold Inka Gold to the flutes. To get the nice metallic Inka Gold sheen, it has to be burnished with a paper towel or cloth, which, of course, flattened it.
Once the cardboard is flattened, the rest of the project is pretty straightforward. I distressed the edges of a piece of peppermint patterned cardstock with gold Inka Gold and black acrylic paint, then adhered that, and the cardboard piece to strips of black cardstock, leaving small black borders around each. A 1/8" black border around the peppermint piece is sufficient to be able to glue the flourished pieces to the top and bottom of the project. Those pretty flourishes are also part of the
Days Until stamp and
die sets, as is the "Days Until" text.
For the numbered date squares, I just stamped 24 squares onto a piece of cardstock, then stamped the numbers into the squares. A square die, exactly the right size for these squares is part of the
Days Until Sweet Cuts die set. Debbie thought of absolutely everything when she created this fun set!
I added a chipboard easel stand to the back of this piece so it could stand, but I had to trim a little off the bottom of the stand to allow it to lean back more so the squares wouldn't fall out. (If I made this project again, rather than using corrugated cardboard, I would probably just fan fold a strip of kraft cardstock instead, which would create a deeper channel to put the squares in, so they would stay in better.)
To have a place to store the numbered squares as they are removed, I made a tiny cardstock box, glued a metal washer to the inside center bottom and added an earth magnet to the side of a chipboard easel stand so the box could be attached, but removed easily every day to add another square.
Most advent calendars I have seen have a whimsical look to them. I love that this one is more elegant. It fits right in with the rest of my Christmas decor!
Now, you seriously need to visit the rest of the Paper Sweeties Design Team for inspiration for everything from cards to home decor! There's even another countdown calendar, too! They have really gone all out for this release!
Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your weekend, and get your ready to shop in the
Paper Sweeties Boutique first thing tomorrow! I predict this release is going to sell out fast!
~Hugs,
Supplies Used:
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