With Christmas approaching and December only a few days away, we've been thinking about alternatives to the chocolate
filled advent calenders widely available in our supermarkets.
I don't know about you, but I hate the taste of the chocolates in the shop bought calendars and whilst I have to confess to
giving my son a very non-imaginative Lego calender this year (and my daughter a Hello Kitty toy filled one...), we did have
a beautiful wall hung version by Maileg last year, filled with little treats and presents. We even included treasure hunt maps for
experiences rather than physical objects, which was a big hit with the kids!
So, whilst there are lots of unique and original versions available to buy in the shops (including our
knitted advent calender),
we thought we'd share a couple of projects for those of you who are feeling a little bit creative and are embracing the home made Christmas theme by the lovely graphic designer Julie Ree and crafter / author Ali Edwards (have a look at her blog here
http://aliedwards.com/)
The first one feature a paper pyramid garland (you can purchase a printable pdf file for these from Julie Ree's Etsy shop)
whilst the second feature boxes stuck to the wall (use our Rie Elise Larsen
boxes and paper
bags, or simply use your recycled
boxes and get the kids involved in the painting!)
Lots of fun and a great way to build up the excitement for Christmas!