Tutorial Tuesday: Advent Calendar

The countdown to Christmas has started!

Have you all seen the advent calendars
that use a (mini) muffin tin?
Last year my kids and I made this one from a kit
that we bought on etsy:

This year we decided to make one for Grandma,
so we made this from scrapbook paper
mounted on cardstock:

We used some ribbon, stickers, buttons,
and little things that I found last year
in the Dollar Spot at Target.

At first I thought I'd be thrifty
and use one of the thin magnets
that come on the front of the phonebook.
It wasn't strong enough.
So I ended up buying a magnet roll
that was self-adhesive
from the kids' craft section at Walmart.
It worked perfectly
with just a small square in each corner.


Want a detailed tutorial
on how to make these?

Try this one from Somewhat Simple
on how to make an advent like this:

Super cute!

I also really love this one from Blue Cricket Design:

And this one is perfect if you don't have a lot of room!

Need ideas for your advent?
Here's some activities from our ours:
Put up Christmas decorations
Read a Christmas story
Go for a drive to look at the Christmas lights
Send out Christmas cards
Write letters to Santa
Cut out snowflakes
Make gingerbread houses
Listen to Christmas music on the radio
Sing a Christmas song
Take treats to the neighbors
Go Christmas caroling
Play a boardgame
Go for a walk and enjoy the lights in the neighborhood
Have some hot chocolate
Bake Christmas cookies
Watch a Christmas movie together
Read about the birth of Christ in the Bible


*We also have several days with treats
in our advent.
Those mini muffin cups are tiny though,
so things like skittles or m&ms worked best for us.
(Just make sure it's clean before you add the candy.)

Hope you all have fun counting down!