Confession: I am SO not a crafter. Really, it's shameful to admit given that I've worked for HGTV for over 10 years, but I never craft. I love reading about crafting. I can spend hours flipping through magazines and pouring over blog posts, all the while devouring the instructions and telling myself, "I could totally make that! This year is the year!" It's just that until now, it's never actually been the year.
But there's something going on with me this holiday season. Maybe it's because it's my first year in my new home and I finally have a space dedicated to arts and crafts. Or maybe it's my gorgeous almost-four-year old daughter, who is wild about crafting and really appreciates even the smallest homemade efforts. This year I was determined to make something for her. And so I did, and it is the simplest, non-crafter craft you'll ever see.
DIY Advent calendars are nothing new. There are many inspiring examples of gorgeous and creative designs out there, like this one and this one. I wanted my own version to suit my home's style and also involve minimal craft-skills, so I kept it super simple. I think it ended up making a big impact none-the-less, and dare I say it? I'm proud.
Here are the ridiculously simple steps to follow for all the other non-crafters out there (there must be a few?). Next year you can impress your own family without so much as lifting a needle and thread (which, by the way, I don't even own).
The top portion of this photo shows my "craft cupboard". Notice it contains only the materials required for this specific craft. More evidence of my non-craftiness.
Materials:
24 Plain Paper Gift Bags (colour of your choice, I used white because I'm boring)
Crafters Paint (I used metallic gold and silver purchased at a dollar store)
Paint Brushes (I used the same one for both paint colours, methodology described below because it's funny)
Plain Wooden Clothespins
Mini Wooden Clothespins
Metallic Gift Wrapping Cord
Mantle Hooks (pictured below)
24 Small Trinkets of Your Choosing (mine are a mix of small toys, tree ornaments, craft supplies, hair accessories and of course a few sweet treats)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Step 1: Paint the numbers on the bags. Sounds easy enough right? Not for the non-crafter! I actually had to "practice" painting numbers on my daughter's easel for quite a while before I was happy with my freehand skills. I wanted the numbers to have a painterly feel so I avoided using a stencil, but that would be a great option too.
I stole the egg carton idea from my husband, I'm way too craft-daft to come up with that on my own. He's an artist, he knows these things.
I painted all the silver numbers first, washed the brush, then painted all the gold numbers. I had to lay them out checkerboard style so that I didn't mess up the sequence. Seriously.
Step 2: Braid the metallic craft cord. This was the hardest part of the entire project. I used three different colours, silver, gold and blue. I wanted the cord to have a bit of sparkle (you could use twine, which would also be lovely). I tried to get my kid to help by holding the end of the braid while I worked on it, but she got bored after about 45 seconds. Don't blame her, it was boring. And the cords got tangled up a lot. Ended up tying one end to the fruit bowl on the kitchen island and finishing the braid while sipping a glass of wine (recommended).
The sparkle is pretty, right?
Step 3: Shop for gifts, fill bags, clip bags shut using small wooden clothespins. I excelled at this step and it was by far my favourite. I'll admit to spending more money than I should have on this but it's entirely feasible to do this very cheaply or even for free with a little imagination (ie/ use tree ornaments that you already own and just have your little one hang one on the tree each day).
Step 4: Attach mantle clips to your mantle and string up the cord. I used three clips so that the entire thing would be swagged in the center allowing for 12 gifts on each side. This appeals to my desire for symmetry, but you could also do one long loop. Hint: the cord stretches a lot when you add weight to it, I had to pull it very taut so that there was just the right amount of give once the gift bags were added.
Mantle clips like these can be found at any big box store than sells holiday decorations, but get them early, they do sell out.
Step 5: String the gift bags on the cord in sequence. Clip each bag onto the cord with large wooden clothespins. This holds the bags in place so they don't all sag to the center. Initially I wasn't going to actually string the cord through the handles of the bags and just clip them on using the pins. This would make it easier to open each gift. But that didn't look right to me and as mentioned, I'm all about the aesthetic. Instead, my daughter just unclips the mini pins, reaches inside and pulls out her treat, and I get to keep all 24 bags in place for the entire month. Win-win.
That's all there is to it! The entire family is enjoying this new homemade holiday tradition. It's adding some much needed joy each day to a notoriously stressful month. And it may even have turned me into a lifelong crafter. Stay tuned.
Do you have a crafty holiday tradition? We'd love to hear about it in the comments.
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