By
Gina Ciancio
Help build excitement and pass the days to Christmas with this advent calendar idea.
Using a simple hook and string weave inside a timber box frame, this advent calendar is stylish in its minimalist design that can be repurposed throughout the year to display family photos or inspiration in a home office.
1. Cut the timber to size – 2 lengths at 75cm and 2 lengths at 120cm – and miter the edges on a 45 degree angle. Use super glue in each corner to hold the frame together and clamp in place or use strong tape until the glue has dried.
2. Once dry, paint the timber frame in Ultracover paint and then two coats of Greyology 1.
3. Mark out and screw the eyehooks on the inside lengths (we placed these 5cm apart, using 22 hooks per length). Paint the hooks black (optional) or leave gold for a bit of festive bling.
4. Using the black paint, stencil and fine tip paint brush, carefully paint the numbers onto the face of the manila envelopes (tip: the less paint on your brush, the easier you’ll find this step).
5. Weave the string inside your frame. You’ll need a little bit of patience if you want to do this using just one length of twine and prevent it from knotting. Take it slowly and assist the twine through one section at a time. Alternatively you could cheat a little and use several lengths of twine (just be sure to neatly hide the joining knots behind a hook).
6. Optional step: to add a bit of extra festive cheer, consider adding some Christmas shapes or images. We made a potato stamp and used Blood Diamond red paint to stamp abstract stars onto several of the packets. You could create any festive shape/s you like and use any pop of colour to suit your theme.
6. Fill your envelopes with treats, these could be small gifts or traditional chocolates, and peg them onto your string frame. Regular timber pegs look great or try these craft pegs for something a little different.
As you remove envelopes in the lead up to Christmas, you could fill the empty space on your advent calendar with your favourite Christmas cards or photos of your family during the festive season. And once the holiday season is over, consider moving this piece into your home office to use as a mood board or organisation board, or keep it in your living room to display photos.
Gina shares more Christmas DIY ideas over on the Style Curator blog.
