Only TWO weeks until Advent begins! Are you ready?
Last Advent, I wanted to make my own custom Advent Calendar.
The problem was that I decided to recycle yogurt containers to create the little pockets inside the box….but it took me well into Advent to collect the 20 that I wanted to use!
I never ended up posting my final Advent Calendar…and this will be the first Advent that we use it!
It ended up being kind of an ambitious project…and took me back to Architecture school, with my Xacto knife and cardboard model making. I decided to add some variety (and to save space and yogurt containers!), I would make some of the compartments drawers instead of doors, using dollar store matchboxes for my hardware.
A paper chain link from the Advent & Lent Quest Cathletics Craft Kit!
can fit in one of these little drawers, or you could add your own Advent messages or challenges.
I added the shelves as added structure for the box. I cut the doors and drawer holes carefully with my craft knife. The matchboxes friction-fit into the holes, but are reinforced with glue around the seam, on the inside of the cardboard box. The yogurt containers were easily glue-gunned in place and make nice clean plastic pockets.
I decorated the door panels with Catholic Artworks Advent Clipart (they’ve got a sale on right now!) tying the Jesse Tree into our Advent Calendar. See other Homemade Advent Calendars from the Equipping Catholic Families post from last year!
The Advent Calendars mark the 4 Sundays of Advent.
I will likely attach brads as little doorknobs to close the 2 compartments of the box. I can store some of my Advent supplies in the box, during the rest of the year! Oh, and I need to add little brads to the drawers so that they slide in and out! I’ll also add the numbers for the Countdown to Christmas!
I’m excited to fill the little compartments for this Advent. I think I will include one link for each day from the NEW Advent & Lent Quest Cathletics Craft Kit! We may choose the Year of Faith links to challenge ourselves to learn key Catechism, each day of Advent.
I can never resist little Nativity pieces! These Nativity figures easily fit in the yogurt container compartments. I plan to add my new Happy Saint Tokens too, perhaps with the matching Season with the Saints paper chain links from the Advent & Lent Quest Cathletics Craft Kit
so that we really get to know these saints!
Too ambitious?
This is a great idea! We are doing Advent calendars for the first time this year (albeit chocolate and LEGO) and the girls are LOVING it. We’ve also done Jesse trees, but doing an Advent calendar like this would be a really cool way to talk about the season as well. Thanks for sharing!
We have so much Lego around here….I wonder if we could make our own Lego calendar with this one…continuing the theme with nativity pieces. Thanks for the idea!
WOW!
wow! This is a great project!! I like it, but I don’t know if I could do it!! I just posted about it at Familia Católica!!
You are incredible Monica! Your talent goes beyond craftiness ~ you’re an architect with vision!
Great idea! I wondered what I could do with all my yogurt containers. 🙂
Wow Monica this is so nice! A great way to use yogurt cups (we always have a lot of them around here). I like that they can hold a bit larger surprises than some advent calendars. Nativity pieces are a nice idea!
That’s so neat, Monica! Thanks for sharing it! God Bless!