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The Craft Train

Crafty ideas for kids and parents

You are here: Home / Crafts and Activities / Holiday Crafts / DIY Advent tree calendar

DIY Advent tree calendar

November 25, 2013 By Kate 2 Comments

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Make a fun DIY advent tree calendar the kids will adore! 

Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making my own advent calendar so this year I decided to give it a go. This advent calendar was very cheap to make, since it was just from re-purposed stuff we already had around the home. I have to admit it took longer than I thought, but then gift wrapping often does and it was a good reminder not to leave all my Christmas gift wrapping until the night before.


How to make a DIY Advent Calendar Tree

For the tree we used the lolly tree I made for Miss K’s Enchanted Forest Fairy Party, and we gave it a makeover. The tree was essentially just a bunch of sticks stuck into an old milo tin with plaster of Paris. The girls gave me lots of help painting it white.

Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

It’s certainly not a perfect job with lots of bare patches of brown stick showing through but we love it anyway.

We took a super idea from My Little Bookcase and wrapped up all our Christmas books to put under the tree. We’ll unwrap one a day and read them through December. I stopped by our local second hand shops and found a few more to bulk up the collection, including this 1962 edition of the Nativity Story, A Star Shone. It’s really very beautiful with gorgeous old illustrations and I picked it up for only 50¢ – bargain! We still don’t have 24 books but some are chapter books so they’ll take longer to read anyway and my bet is we’ll still be unwrapping and reading these once Christmas is over.

Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

I wrapped the books up with kraft paper layered with kids art and they really look quite pretty.

Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

While I did the wrapping the girls beaded pipe cleaners with plastic beads and bells for extra decorations. That wasn’t on the plan, but they do add a special touch to the tree and kept the girls occupied for a long time so we’re all happy. 

Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

The advent packages are cardboard tubes cut up into sections and stuffed with surprises. I went on a scavenger hunt around the home and pulled out some little toys from the girls toybox (cheapskate!), plus buttons, bottle lids, bells etc. I ran out of “surprises” and ended up adding chocolates as well, but that’s OK at Christmas time. I wrapped the packages up in some tie dyed paper towel, using up the last of the stash we had kept form our tie-dyeing session last month. Previously we used it for halloween window decals as well as paper towel Christmas crackers.

Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

Ta-da! What do you think? Here I’ve photographed it on the dining table but that’s just because it’s hard to get a good shot of it in front of the window where it sits, adding lots of Christmas cheer to our living area. We love how pretty it turned out and I think it adds a real handmade touch to our home. So much better than chocolates in a cardboard box!

Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

More Advent Calendar craft ideas:

• Make a paper bag advent calendar for a quick and easy option
• Try this arty advent calendar idea for something the kids can help with
• For filling your calendar you could try adding these fascinating Christmas facts

There are loads more ideas on our Christmas Crafts board on Pinterest. 

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Advent tree calendar made from tie-dyed paper towel and painted branches. We also put a Christmas book advent calendar underneath

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Easy Ornament Christmas Cards

Comments

  1. 1

    Brandy says

    November 18, 2018 at 4:33 am

    I love this idea and I think it looks REALLY great! Please do give your little helpers (your kids) my positive feedback on their help with this project, “I think they did a FABULOUS job. It looks FANTASTIC!”

    *If you are a big fan of Mod Podge like I am, then a craft like this is perfect for using Mod Podge to make little wooden picture ornaments of the kids to hang on your craft tree. This makes one of the GREATEST Christmas gifts for them to give to their grandparents (and/or great aunts, etc.)

    Reply
    • 2

      Kate says

      November 18, 2018 at 6:47 am

      Thanks Brandy, I’ll pass that on. THat sound like a sweet idea with the mod podge and wooden ornaments

      Reply

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