Welcome to the Third Annual Handmade Holidays blog hop!! I was invited to join some wonderful crafters, designers, and makers to come together to create and share a series of thoughtful, handmade gifts for the holidays during this 3 day blog hop. Our goal is to inspire you to create something from the heart this holiday season as well as share how to use products in fun, innovative ways. We intend this hop to serve as a resource to you for this holiday season and for years to come.
Hop along to each blog in the list. Each day, from November 1 through November 3, 2013, we’ll be posting a brand new list of blogs to hop to. Comment on each blog, share your favorite posts over social media, and then use the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of each post to enter to win the Grand Prize, a gift basket filled with crafty swag from the companies on the hop! We’re ready to inspire, share, and create – are you ready to hop?
Here is my Project:
Advent Calendars are an old German tradition and they are used to count down the days till Christmas. In Germany we have a huge variety of Advents Calendars filled with Chocolate treats or little gifts and sometimes also just pictures. It is a a big token of Love when you give someone an Advents Calendar and I have always loved creating my own with little tiny gifts and give it to a dear friend or my hubs. This year I created one for a special friend…and since the task of collecting 25 little gifts is already a bit time consuming – I kept the creating of the Advents Calendar easy, fast and fun . Let’s go :)
Besides the Supplies listed below I also gathered some old book paper – or music sheet paper. I started off with spraying Liquitex Parchment Spray Paint through my StandUp Bass Stencils I designed for
StencilGirl Products onto 25 Kraft Lunch Bags. I also flipped the Stencil once in while to rub off the excess paint and receive a negative stencil print. ATTENTION: Either wear a mask when spraying with Liquitex Spray Paint or do this outside!
I love using these Spray Paints as you can work so quick and there is not much bleeding on the kraft paper since it is Acrylic Paint.
Then I used some Cardboard Stencil Numbers to spray the days from 1-25 on the book paper – I used black here.
This is probably the most time consuming part of creating the Advents Calendar but I love the stenciled look.
Next I spray painted the Prima Leaves a bit so that they would fit the calendar
Then I filled the lunch bags with my gifts, attached the numbers with a stapler and added some lace to the bag. I folded the opening of the bag to the back and then used a Japanese Screw Punch to make a hole through the flap. I love the Japanese Screw Punch – a very sharp tool (use a craft mat!) which makes no noise -perfect when you share your place with other people :)
Then I started attaching the bags on a string to the clothes hanger. The good thing about a clothes hanger is, that it can be hung anywhere – on a closet, on a nail, on a shelf edge – the possibilities are endless for the person who receives this calendar and then …after Christmas…they have another hanger… ;)
Try to add the bags picking up different days – I had sorted them in groups of five and then picked from each group one bag to make sure to mix it up nicely. Also make sure you keep the balance on the hanger – you get the picture ;)
At the end I just added the Wooden Disks which I had drilled wholes into and the sprayed leaves as a little grungy decoration and voila- done :) Of course you can alter this fitting your taste- so if you do not like the grungy look you are very welcome to use for example red & white baker’s twine and add nice red cardboard numbers onto doilies instead of the book paper- and there it is- same concept – different look :) Make someone happy this holiday season with an Advents Calendar – I promise you it is well worth it when you see how much the person loves it !
Here are the supplies and tools I used:
Enter here for the grand prize and comment also on my blog :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now hop on over to the next person on the list:
Jen Goode http://www.100directions.com/
Here is the complete blog hop list for today
Have a wonderful creative day and huge hugs
Nat
Comments (24)
Anna-Karin
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Wow, I am so happy for you!! I can’t wait to see your stamps, I know they will be wonderful. It must have been so hard to keep quiet about!! Big Congrats!!
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susan salyer
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congrats to you well earned I know . have fun and enjoy your special time!
hugs
susan s
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MichaelaBM
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Gratulation!
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Deleted User
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Congrats, Nat…you have stepped with the right foot in US!…hope the best with all those conquers!….sorry i am not retailer…nice day!
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Dara Lynn
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Congratulations Nathalie!! Cannot wait to see the full reveal!
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Denise Spillane
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Congrats, this is great news.you will love CHA
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Sara Naumann
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Congrats, Nat! That’s terrific news! See you at CHA!
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Jean A Marmo
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So exciting! Congrats!
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Sue Clarke
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How nice to see you moving along in the mixed media art work and getting exactly what you deserve Nat! Hugs to you and a jump for joy too.
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Laura Strack
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Congrats, Girl! How awesome, your own stamps! I really love the quality of Stampendous Stamps and I look forward to playing with yours.
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Gela
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Wow! Congrats!
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Carmen Lucero
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So happy for you, Nat!! I look forward to seeing your new stamp line!
Carmen L
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Nurse Ratchet
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Looking forward to February!!! LGL stamps…cannot wait for the sneak peek!! Soooo happy for you!
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chrisd
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What wonderful news!
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Jennifer Palmer
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3 cheers for Nat Hooray Hooray Hooray
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Rob
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Congratulations Nat, it sounds wonderful. Lucky retailers. Like the previous commenter, I’m looking forward to Jumpstart again if you are able to do it.
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Cindy
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Congrats Nat! I am sure your students will love your style as much as we do! Just a minor pout that I am not a retailer therefore not able to take the class! I am crossing my fingers there will be a Jumpstart in 2014!
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Liz
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Many Congratulations! Can’ t wait to see yor stamp designs. Well done.
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Riikka
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Congratulations!
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Amante del Papel
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Congratulations Nath!
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Janj
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Congratulations! Show us your Happy Dance!
OH what fun this will be for you and the students! Do we get any sneak peaks at the stamps??
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Janine
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Congrats Natalie! So well deserved!
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muriel
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Oh, that’s super great! I’m so pleased for you who give so much to others through your art.
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Kathy P
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Congrats, Nat! I am so excited for you—–you are going to rock this event!!!
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