Getting Ready For Christmas!

In the beginning...

   I have already started my Christmas cards ! So proud of that. I have never started this early. I am not finished but at least I have started.
   However, I am finished with a big project for Christmas. Russ and I wanted to do an advent calendar for our granddaughter, Evy. ( Isabel is too young yet to use one.) I found the perfect one from Kaiser Craft online at Scrapbook.com.
   I have put a lot of time and thought into just how I wanted it to look.  I did go on Pinterest for ideas ,too.
   I knew I wanted to use three basic colors: gold, red, and green. I used my gold ink pad to ink the edges of the little boxes. After I spray painted the box, I used my gold ink pad to highlight the edges of the big box.

THE BACK

  I knew I wanted to use the Twelve Days of Christmas collection from Graphic 45 on the back. It is a beautiful collection of papers. This one is really perfect with the red.  I really did not think it needed anything else 'cause it is so gorgeous on its own.
   So now I focused on the 24 little boxes. Again keeping in mind the gold, red,and green colors, I perused all my Christmas paper collections. I used a template to make sure the boxes looked the same shape on the front. I also figured out that a speech balloon punch on the side made the perfect cut for the notch at the top of the little box. YIPPEE!

Not finished yet, but getting closer!

      The next part was more difficult. I loved the background paper 'cause it looked like falling snow. And making the snowdrifts were easy. But just what did I want the theme to be???   
    Since it is an advent calendar I decided to make it about the birth of Christ. I wanted a subtle scene with a starry kind of night. I found the light, trees and sled with tree at Michael's. I thought the scale was right. I did have to add height to the light by gluing pieces of black chipboard together. I loved the gold fern like piece behind the trees, too.
  The deer are a Memory Box die cut that seemed to fit the scene. I knew I had to add more to the sky. I gold embossed a star which is hard to see, so I used gold glitter to enhance it.

Close up!

  I was working on covering the boxes all around when I noticed that I had two number 6's. I hadn't really noticed it before. I fixed it easily enough but all my pictures now have two number 6's. Oh well, as long as I fixed it before giving to Evy. 

  

I love how the boxes look like jewel boxes when I covered them around all the sides. I also added more gold ink to the bottom of each one. That Graphic 45 paper is so gorgeous, you just can't go wrong. 

  The top of the calendar was fun to do, too. I used a large red ribbon and added glitter with the fern like fronds that I had. The pine cone and berries were also some I had in my stash. The angel I bought at JoAnn's. It only cost $.99.  I put glue over it and added gold fine glitter on both sides.

  Before and after using crystal effects for gluing the pieces on, I glued the snow onto the base. I added snow where needed to areas that looked a little bare. 

Evy and her dad. 

  I can not wait to give to Evy. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did making it for her. I think I will make a box to store it in so that she can use it year after year.
  Now onto buying items that will fit in the box. More fun....