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26 Nov 2013

DIY: A Starry Advent Calendar

Friends, this advent calendar took me a little longer to complete than I had hoped, but boy am I so thrilled with it! :)  It probably took a little longer because I was waiting for us to finish another project that would be used along with the calendar - a wooden dowel tree.  You get to see both projects today, but I'm just going to show you how I made the advent calendar part (the tree how to will be in another post). :)

The advent calendar is pretty simple overall:  embroidered felt star pouches on a wooden dowel.  The dowel was a leftover piece from the tree above.  I ended up running short on time for this project so Mummu stepped in again and helped me embroider 22 of the 24 stars.  I'm so spoiled (thanks Mummu!).  

Because I wanted to use the calendar for both of my boys, I decided to attach small packages for each of the boys to the felt stars rather than use the pouches.  I may use the pouches as well for the days that we decide to do an activity as opposed to a small treat or gift.  I also will only attach the treat/gift/activity one at a time/each day since I know my boys would not be able to leave the packages alone.  Here's the tree sans decoration.

I set up the tree and calendar in the corner of their room for the pictures.  The calendar on the door has worked okay so far as it easily slips off one of the handles if you need to get into the closet.  The tree itself is a little squished in the corner with the boys beds also on that side so I think it will end up moving to the other side of the closet in front of the bookshelf.

Here are a few pictures of the boys decorating the tree.  Little Pilot was beyond cute when I asked him to put the stars on the tree.  He was so serious and initially started putting all the stars on the same branch.  I told him to spread them out allover the tree and he, very diligently, put one on each branch.  He is so excited about Christmas already.  Co-pilot on the other hand preferred to play with my lens cap and went straight for the packages that were still hanging from the first star.  He loves to watch his older brother and I think as we start doing this everyday, he'll get the hang of it. :)


The how to for the tree will be in another post and I think we may add some other decorations to the tree as we really get into decorating.  Today I'll briefly outline how I made the star pouches.

Felt Star Advent Calendar

Materials:
Craft felt, embroidery floss, yarn, thread

How to:
1.  cut 48 stars out of felt
2.  Embroider half of the stars with the numbers 1 to 24 (a stem stitch was used in this project).  The numbers could also painted on with fabric paint.
3.  Attach a piece of yarn (for the loop) to the wrong side of the tip of both an embroidered star and a plain star by stitching back and forth with a zigzag stitch (the yarn could also be glued on with fabric/hot glue).
4.  Top stitch around the edges of the stars leaving the top peak of the star unstitched/open to create a pouch.
5. Screw eye hooks into either end of a wooden dowel (the one pictured is 2 feet long).  Slip the felt stars onto the dowel and attach a string to either end.  Make sure to use a knot/bow that is easy to untie at one end.  



Small packages were attached to the stars in order to use the advent calendar for two children.



That's our new advent calendar and wooden dowel tree.  I will be back with a tutorial on how to make the tree soon!

33 comments:

  1. i love this idea! i am digging all of your black stars!

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    1. I was thinking of going with grey stars, but the grey at the fabric store wasn't the right grey. I'm happy with how the charcoal colour looks against the natural wood.

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  2. darling! i'm sure your beautiful handiwork will be treasured for many years to come. such a thoughtful design. thanks for sharing!

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    1. I am so thankful that my mom helped me finish the embroidering or I probably wouldn't have made it before December 1st! :)

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  3. ooh, love it! I didn't have an idea of the scale until I got to the pics with the boys in it....it's bigger than I expected!

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    1. The tree is about 4 ft tall which I think works well for a Christmas tree for the boys.

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  4. It's lovely! :D I'm sure the boys will absolutely love it! :D They already seem to have fun with the stars. I decided on my advent calendar as well.You'll see it soon in the blog.

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    1. Oh, I can't wait to see yours! Little Pilot loved decorating it and is so excited about Christmas decorations in general this year which is new from last year.

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  5. This is adorable! Such sweet pictures of the boys too! Hope they enjoy their daily advent treats!

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    1. Thanks Amber. The boys, especially Little Pilot, were VERY into the tree decorating. :)

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  6. beautiful photos! Visiting for the first time via poppytalk. I would love to find out how you made the tree. Hoping to make a similar one this Christmas :)

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by today! I will probably post the how to for the tree next week.

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  7. It's adorable. I LOVE that dowel tree...such a great idea.

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    1. Both my husband and I were really excited about how the tree turned out and it was pretty easy to make as well!

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  8. Amazing. Just amazing. Everything you make. Can you tell that I'm a fan? Haha!

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  9. Thanks so much Amy!

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  10. Interactive advent calendars are wonderful for kids. I think this one is delightful in that it is both interactive and cute enough that you want it sitting around during the holidays

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  11. Love it! I'm so digging all your black Christmas decor! Such a fun and stylish little advent tree!

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  12. I love the look of the black stars. And the tree is so simple and perfect for this.

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  13. oooh! i like this!
    do you know what i like about your version of the dowel tree? that it's the perfect size for your boys! ♥ super cute!

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  14. Great project !!

    I would love you to come and share @ Craft, Create & Inspire linky party !!!

    Look forward to seeing you there :)

    http://lemonpaperdesigns.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/craft-create-inspire-linky-party-8.html

    Claire x

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  15. This is just ADORABLE! I love it, and it caught my eye at the Tatertots & Jello party--I had to stop by!

    I would love it if you stopped by our Facebook page, and said "hello!"
    https://www.facebook.com/OurMiniFamily

    Your fan,
    ~Cathy Mini
    ourminifamily.com

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  16. Just love it! A perfect addition to your black and white holiday decor theme ...

    Pinning too!

    :) Linda

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    Replies
    1. I'm really enjoying the black and white Christmas decor this year. Thanks so much for the pin!

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  17. Sharing this with our twitter followers! Such a creative idea with a beautiful design! Pinning too! :)

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    1. Thanks so much for the social media share!

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  18. Hey Anu! It's Deonna from the Child at Heart blog! I love this post and would love for you to link up to the Merriest Blog Hop and share your creations! Your mantle is everywhere online! Yay! This is such a fun idea. I might have to copy this someday :)
    http://www.thechildatheartblog.com/2013/11/the-merriest-blog-hop-week-2.html

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the invite. I will be sure to stop by. :)

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  19. Hi! Just stopping by to let you know that I featured this project for this week's Merriest Blog Hop. You can check it out here: http://www.aromaofhim.com/2013/12/the-merriest-blog-hop-3-countdown-to.html

    Hope we'll see more of your projects this week! Thanks for linking up :-)

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete

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