{how sweet life is}

Our First DIY Advent Calendar

I was so inspired by beautiful holiday ideas I’ve been collecting on my Pinterest Holiday Board that I decided to create our own Advent Calendar.  I figured using small boxes for each day would be the easiest idea, and I could always reuse the boxes if I wasn’t happy with it.  I ordered small favor boxes from Paper Source and had enough ribbon lying around my craft area to use to tie numbered tages onto each one.  I coordinated the ribbons and boxes, and designed my own tags to use to match the same color theme.

All in all, it was a great idea, but one that took way to long to execute.  Here’s the rundown, for those of you interested in making one of your own:

Supplies needed:

• Twenty-five boxes
• Number gift tags 1 – 25
• Hole puncher
• Lots of ribbon
• Twine or ribbon
• Candy and goodies to fill boxes with

The whole project took about four hours, among three of us!  {Thanks Mom and Vic!}  We had to build the boxes, fill the boxes, cut out the number tags, measure and cut ribbon, and then figure out which tag and ribbon went on each box before filling them, so that the finished design would have enough variety. Putting the boxes up on the wall was a challenge in itself, and the only thing we could think of was to use tape to reinforce it.  We all knew it wouldn’t stay up for long, but our options were limited since we have three little ones running around all day.  I rushed to photograph it all before it collapsed, and while we were in bed for the night, I heard random boxes falling onto the sideboard. Well, even though it fell apart, the girls LOVED the concept!  We had them open two boxes in the morning and they were super excited to get presents and find chocolate in their boxes.  We need to find another way to store the boxes now, but it’s nice to know that in the end it is all worth it.  We’re going to try stringing them on our tree as ornaments next.  Wish me luck! {happy holidays} xo ~the sweetest mami~ ps Get your free printable number tags here: Numbered Tags for Advent