Matchbox Advent Calendar

Ready for an easy Christmas project? How about an advent calendar that you could actually finish before December 1st?!

sorry for the washed out pictures...i didn't get a chance to edit them before posting and i have a craptastic camera. The colors are so much more vivid in real life!

It's made from a spray painted cookie sheet and matchboxes covered with scrapbook paper. Each day, a box is opened to reveal a treat or a piece of paper with an activity written on it. The matchboxes have magnets on the back so that they stick to the cookie sheet.

I purchased the cookie sheet and matchboxes (10 for $1) from The Dollar Tree. The paper is a Christmas stack from DCWV called "Handmade Christmas." I wrapped each box with paper, attached a small piece of sheet magnet to the back, printed out numbers and then punched them out with a circle punch. Then my hubby drilled holes in the top handle and I tied it with a big bow and left a loop to hang it with. The ribbon is from Costco.

I was in charge of doing this project for a group of 18 women (Super Saturday for those of you who know what that is). If you are looking for a group craft project, I would recommend this one. It worked out really well. The approximate cost per person was $6.50. I painted the cookie sheets, cut the paper into strips and punched out the number circles beforehand. The women only had to wrap their boxes, glue everything together and tie their bow.

Some ideas of things to put in the boxes: mini candy bars (those little Mr. Goodbar and Crunch bars would fit perfectly), sing a Christmas song, read a Christmas story, read a scripture, or other holiday activities like building a snowman, making a Gingerbread house, or having a snowball fight. You can customize it to what types of things your family likes to do, how old your children are, and how much time you will have on certain days throughout the month.

I can't tell you how excited I am to start opening these boxes and getting into the Christmas spirit!

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