This fun advent calendar is built entirely out of paper, and the result is bold and beautiful! Keep reading for all of our tips to make your own!
If you’ve followed the PLG for awhile, you know that advent calendars are kind of our thing. We’ve made them with everything from clothespins to wood blocks–we even made one with a shoe organizer! You don’t need a lot of crazy supplies to make a beautiful advent–you can even make a stunning, one-of-a-kind calendar from paper!
This advent was so fun to put together with my daughter. We chose a gorgeous color scheme from our ASTROBRIGHTS paper stash, and worked together to cut, fold, build, and admire this cutie! Your kids will love the feeling of creating something 3D and functional with just paper!
How to Make an Advent Calendar ouf of Paper?
First, you have to get the right kind of paper for your project. Since we are making an advent that folds and builds the paper into a 3D structure, we opted for cardstock. And because we want the best quality and the most vibrant colors, we used ASTROBRIGHTS® Papers Spectrum Assortment. This paper pack has THE brightest colors, and is able to withstand all of the bending, folding, layering, and glueing that we threw at it! Plus, if you want to get really colorful for the holidays, there are 25 colors in this pack (3 sheets of each shade) so you can make an advent that uses one of each!
To make our advent calendar we used a cutting machine. However, the shapes used for this project are simple enough to cut by hand, too! Just download the cut file linked below and use the shapes as stencils. The file also has a YouTube video that is a lifesaver when it’s time to assemble the pieces. The process isn’t complex, but there are a lot of pieces to keep track of and the tutorial makes it simple.
What do you fill a small advent calendar with?
Filling a small advent calendar can be a fun challenge! You could write activities/ideas on small pieces of paper for each day or you can split up the pieces of a larger gift into smaller parts and divide them into different days (like beads one day, string another, charms another–all items to make jewelry with at the end!) You could also make the advent a scavenger hunt–putting clues in the advent and sending kiddos on a hunt for their treats.
Watch us make this project on Instagram, right here!
Supplies Needed to Make a Drawer Advent Calendar
ASTROBRIGHTS® Papers Spectrum Assortment Pack
Drawer Advent Calendar Digitial Cut File
Cutting Machine (we use a Silhouette Cameo)
Scissors
Glue (we used both hot glue and tacky glue)
Brads
Number stickers (if desired)
Stickers, glitter, markers etc., for embellishing (if desired)
How to Make a Drawer Advent Calendar
- Download the cut file and load it into your cutting machine software. If you are cutting by hand, print off the pieces to make stencils.
- Begin by cutting the 24 drawer pieces, 24 drawer frame pieces, and the two large square pieces.
- Once each of the pieces are cut, we recommend watching the video tutorial on assembling each piece. This video shows how to fold each piece and where to secure the folds with glue.
- Once you have built all 24 drawers and drawer frames you can embellish the exteriors of the drawers. We did this by cutting paper into a variety of shapes like trees, hearts, and scallops and glueing them on the drawer fronts. However, you could also use stickers, markers, glitter, and more!
- Once the drawers are embellished, secure a brad in the center of each drawer for ease of opening the advent.
- Following the video instructions, glue together four of the 3-drawer pieces on the bottom layer of the advent in a square shape with the drawers facing outward. Then, glue one of the cut square papers on top. Repeat this process with the top layer of drawer pieces and attach to the bottom layer by placing it on top and securing it with glue. Then, glue the remaining square paper to the top.
- Now that your advent is assembled, it’s time to decorate! We began by covering any of the exposed sides of the drawers with paper. Then, we cut designs (like festive sayings and shapes) and layered them over the paper using glue.
- Add numbers from 1-24 on the drawers. We used stickers for ours but you could draw them, or cut from paper and attach with glue.
- Let dry completely and fill with treats!
Isn’t it so bright and magical? My daughter can hardly wait until December 1. What are you doing for your advent this year?
Happy Making!
OX. Liz and Sam
