Advent Calendar Tutorial

It's Day 4 of...

It's still not too late to make an advent calendar and begin counting down the days until Christmas.  Here's the tutorial for mine...

Supplies:

*box of favor tins (My tins came from Hobby Lobby.)

*fabric

*glue dots

*hot glue gun

*scissors

*paper & pencil

*strong magnets

*computer & printer

*number stickers (I used the stickers that came with the tins and printed numbers on them using this template.)

*cardboard container

*manger pieces (These also came from Hobby Lobby.)

*small candies

Directions:

*Gather all of your supplies.

*Use one of the lids from the tins to trace a circle onto a piece of paper.  Cut out the paper circle, and use it as a pattern to cut out 24 fabric circles.

*Lay the fabric circles right side up and place a glue dot in the center of each one.

*Adhere a fabric circle to the inside of each tin lid.

*Place number stickers 1-24 onto the outside of each tin making sure to cover-up where the glue dot is visible.

*Glue a magnet to the back of each tin.

*The package of tins came with 24, so I used a small cardboard container for box number 25.  I decorated it with fabric and lace, attached a sticker to the front, and glued yet another magnet to the back.  Even though it is different than the other tins, it works out perfectly--making box number 25 more special than the rest!

*Each tin houses a couple pieces of candy.  I wanted to make this a really meaningful advent calendar for Lydia Grace, so I also included a bible verse and a small manger figurine or item that goes along with the verse.

*All 25 passages from the bible collectively tell the Christmas story--the birth of Jesus.

*Here is a copy of the bible verses that I used.

The Christmas Story

 *I lined up all of the tins on the refrigerator.  Each day, L.G. and I have opened one together.  It has been a great way to share the story of Christ's birth with her.

The Christmas countdown is on!