Christmas Project #3 : Advent Boxes

This one came straight out of Martha Stewart Kids and can be seen online here.

I picked up the boxes at our local Ben Franklin. I went with three different sizes for variety - each will hold a special treat. First off was painting two coats on each box - I went with Making Memories Cranberry (of course)(11), Avocado (5), and Paper Bag (8).

After the paint dried I laid them out to get a feel for their placement and picked some numbers to work with. I decided to repeat some of the same elements I used in the December daily album. Circle numbers from www.everyjotandtittle.etsy.com, chipboard from Basic Grey, and foam numbers from American Crafts.

After I had my plan worked out, I painted the chipboard numbers cream and then sealed each of the boxes with Mod Podge before attaching/adhering the numbers.

Now I just need to figure out on which wall I am going to hang these and what goodies will go inside each one...

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92 thoughts

  1. Michele says…
    11/08/2007

    Awesome idea! I love the simple look of it. The kids will love it! :)

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  2. Lisette says…
    11/08/2007

    These are absolutely stunning Ali. I love the boxes. If only you an find something like that here...

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  3. Debra A. says…
    11/08/2007

    Nice job! I can already sense how exciting this will be for kids to do every day. How do you think you'll hang them without putting a bunch of nail holes in the wall?

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  4. Amy Z says…
    11/08/2007

    Holy cow, you were busy today. they look terrific. Martha would be so proud :)
    Are you going to be making a 2008 calender for Cafe Press?

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  5. Deb Wisker says…
    11/08/2007

    Cool, cool, cool! gotta get one done for my house!! Thanks for sharing!!

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  6. marci lambert says…
    11/08/2007

    friggin' cool. will you attach all the boxes to some kind of base?

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  7. ~Michelle says…
    11/08/2007

    I am sooooo low tech... I would staple them to the big bulletin board in my kitchen using a stapler or staple gun! Then paint inside over the staples or put my treat/toy over them to hide them... or even put a sticker over each with a different letter, with the letters all spelling out a special message to be deciphered on the last day. With the message perhaps indicating the hidden location of an extra special gift or treat.... :-)

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  8. ~Michelle says…
    11/08/2007

    hm I just realized I could not get the stapler into the smaller boxes....
    ooooh! time for quilting pins! or flat thumb tacks....!

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  9. Jill says…
    11/08/2007

    Curious as to how you're actually going to attach them to the wall. I love this idea just wasn't sure how to 'use' it. Thanks for all the inspiration!
    **for some reason my blog address keeps saying an error in the url field. Not sure what that is all about. blog.leavingalegacyretreats.com

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  10. ~Michelle says…
    11/08/2007

    btw....sorry if this has been mentioned to you but I can't remember...
    Were you aware the one of the finalists in this season's America's Next Top Model has autism? [mild form] And she gets the absolute best evaluations too! I really think she's going to win!

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  11. Krystyn says…
    11/08/2007

    Very cool - they look great!!

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  12. Peggy says…
    11/08/2007

    Oh, wow, these are really striking. I don't know how tightly the lids fit but I was thinking this would be a fun fridge decoration for the season if you put magnets on the bottoms.
    I also love the idea of spelling out some sort of message in the bottoms so as you remove the lids each day, you are exposing the message.
    Peg

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  13. Erin says…
    11/08/2007

    SOO cute! I did an advent calender last year using a muffin tin....covered a thin magnet with paper to each space, and it turned out so cute! Although, I think my boys just cared about the treats inside....

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  14. Daphne says…
    11/08/2007

    Great outcome of a great idea :-)

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  15. kim in Camas - ScrapToMyLu says…
    11/08/2007

    Brilliant! But, how are you going to hang them?
    I can't remember if I already notified you about being my chosen feature for Today's Creative Blog.
    Head over to see your feature.
    http://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com

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  16. Nicky Anderson says…
    11/08/2007

    So inspiring - you can fill with some amazing items - finger puppets, trains, homemade tiny books, words, pictures and of course, maybe the odd chocolate or two - so exciting!!! I can't wait to get started on one for Brody!!!
    Thanks for sharing!!

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  17. Carole Hepburn says…
    11/08/2007

    LOVE IT ~ LOVE IT LOVE IT ~ I need to make a set of these this weekend at our crop !!! Wahoo , holidays will soon be here ~ happy day to you =)

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  18. Julia says…
    11/08/2007

    SO CUTE!
    Julia

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  19. Sara says…
    11/08/2007

    Love how it turned out, way cool!

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  20. Liz Ness says…
    11/08/2007

    Ooo--great take on the Martha idea! You're making me all psyched about the holidays...hmm...guess I better go start planning (heh-heh).

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  21. Sarah Doyle says…
    11/08/2007

    Ali,
    you have my head spinning! I love advent calendars and I am so excited you found this idea and made you yourself. I love it!!! So glad you shared it with us. I have to get busy finding some boxes. I love the spinner and the clear pageframe book too. Will you let us know HOW you get these on your wall? a little concerned if the putty is okay for walls and if it really holds?? when goodies are inside:) thank you for inspiring me always, Sarah

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  22. suetreiber says…
    11/08/2007

    you come up with the best stuff ...I love both of these projects to death!

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  23. Trude says…
    11/08/2007

    Hooray for Advent! When I was a kid I would looove opening the chocolate advent calendars from Trader Joe's, but now the pieces seem so small! :D

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  24. Paula Barber says…
    11/08/2007

    Thank you for this Ali! I'm working on adding a couple of new traditions for our kids this year. I already have 24 holiday books waiting, one to be read each night. This is just the advent calendar that I was looking for! Mwaaaaaaa.

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  25. maryjo says…
    11/08/2007

    so fippin' cute ali! man u work fast! awesome- can't wait to see where & how u place them. mj

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