Graphic 45 Advent Calendar Tutorial and some news!

Today on the Graphic 45 blog, we are sharing some fun Christmas tutorials! I know we haven't hit Thanksgiving yet, but it's always good to get some ideas going as the holidays go by way too fast. Fellow DT member Miranda has made a beautiful home decor piece using the 12 Days of Christmas line, and I made this fun advent calendar! If you'd like to make one for yourself, read below for step-by-step photo instructions!

You can use the "back" of the box for a couple 4" x 6" photos or one large one.

Supplies

12” x 12” Altered Art Matchbook Box

12” x 12” 12 Days of Christmas 12 Days of Christmas (2)

12” x 12” 12 Days of Christmas 12 Christmas Rose

12” x 12” 12 Days of Christmas 12 Pear Tree

12” x 12” 12 Days of Christmas 12 My True Love

12 Days of Christmas Banners

12 Days of Christmas Stickers

12 Days of Christmas Alphabet stickers

Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Iced Spruce

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Feet

May Arts – 1 yard olive silk ribbon, (2) 16” ivory ribbon

Scor-Tape

Instructions

Note: Ink all paper and banners with Iced Spruce Distress Ink (or other green ink) before decorating or adhering.

PREPARING THE LID

Step 1. Take the lid off of your matchbook box; set the tray aside. Note: Your papers are 12” x 12”, but the box itself is almost 12.5” x 12.5”. Because of this, the edges of your box will show. Ink all the edges of the front, top, bottom, and back of your lid about .25” - .5” deep with Iced Spruce Distress Ink or other green ink of your choice. 

Step 2. Locate one of your 12 Days of Christmas paper, plaid side up. Adhere to the back of your lid. 

Step 3. Locate your other 12 Days of Christmas paper, plaid side up. Cut (4) 1.75” x 12” strips and (2) 1.5” x 12” strips. Save your 2” x 12” scrap for another project!

Step 4. Adhere (2) 1.75” wide pieces to the top and bottom of your lid. Adhere the other (2) 1.75” wide pieces to the left and right sides of the front of your lid. You will adhere the 1.5” wide pieces to the top and bottom front of your lid. Set lid aside.

Step 5. Locate My True Love paper, red side up. Cut a 4” x 12” piece and set aside for step 9. Then cut (4) 2” x 12” pieces. Take your 2” x 12” pieces and cut into 2” x 4” pieces. Flip half of them over so that you have (6) 2” x 4” pieces with the red side and (6) 2” x 4” pieces with the Christmas carol side. Set aside for step 10.

Step 6. Locate Pear Tree paper, green side up. Cut a 4” x 12” piece and set aside for step 8. Then cut (4) 2” x 12” pieces. Take your 2” x 12” pieces and cut into 2” x 4” pieces. Flip half of them over so that you have (6) 2” x 4” pieces with the green side and (6) 2” x 4” pieces with the white side. Set aside for step 10. 

Step 7. Take your Christmas Rose paper, rose side up, and cut a 4” x 12” piece from the right. Set this piece aside for step 14. With your remaining paper, cut (4) 2” x 12” strips and flip over to reveal red side. 

DECORATING YOUR TRAY

Step 8. Locate your tray. Take your 2” x 12” Christmas Rose strips and adhere to the inside sides of your tray. Adhere your Swans A Swimming paper, green side up, to your tray. Locate 4” x 12” Pear Tree paper from step 6. Cut this in half so you have (2) 2” x 12” pieces. Adhere these to the outside left and right sides of your tray.  

Step 9. Take the 4” x 12” My True Love scrap from step 5 and cut in half so you have (2) 4” x 6”. Adhere these to your tray, about 2.5” from the top of your tray. Take stickers from your 12 Days of Christmas Alphabet Stickers to spell the words CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN and adhere with foam dots beneath your photo mats. Place your tray inside the lid.

CREATING CHRISTMAS DAYS 1 – 25

Step 10. Locate all your little 2” x 4” pieces. First, discard (1) 2” x 4” piece per design so that you have (5) 2” x 4” pieces in red, Christmas carol, green, and white. Take a 5/8” circle punch and punch a half circle on the top of each piece. Then, fold in half and adhere sides to create little pockets. You will have 20 total pockets.

Step 11. From your 12 Days of Christmas banners, locate the (4) big banners in the photo and as many of the smaller circle banners and keys as you can. For the 25^th day of Christmas, you will use one of the stickers from the 12 Days of Christmas Stickers set! 

Step 12. Flip your box over so that the back of the box is face up. This will be your Christmas Countdown/Advent Calendar side. Place all your little pockets and flags onto the box as shown. For the lower right corner, use the “Dec 25^th” sticker from the 12 Days of Christmas Stickers. Apply circle banners, little keys, and stickers to all of the days, in numerical order from 1 – 25. Note: for day 18, I used the capital letter “I” as a number one.  

DECORATING THE REST OF YOUR COUNTDOWN BOX

Step 13. Take your 4” x 12” Christmas Rose paper and fussy cut one bunch of roses. Adhere to the bottom of the front of your lid. If you have Tim Holtz Idea-ology feet, apply some gold paint to them and adhere to the bottom of your box.  

Step 14. Take your olive ribbon and tie a bow. Adhere to the top of your box. Take your ivory ribbon and tie two bows; adhere one bow onto each side of your green ribbon.

Thanks so much for looking! I must apologize; I am behind on visiting all your blogs. My work schedule has been so busy lately, and on top of that, my husband and I got a PUPPY!! Talk about having your hands full! 

His name is Archie and he is a Parson Russell Terrier. He is just 4 months old! One of the many special things about him is his birthday; it's also our wedding anniversary! Thanks again for looking and I can't wait to break away soon to catch up on all your beautiful projects!