diy: christmas book advent calendar

i have a serious addiction to advent calendars. christmas is my very favorite holiday and my birthday is christmas eve, so it is a happy season for me. more than that, christmas is a time where everyone is happy and focused on all the good things in life. people seem nicer in general and appreciative of life and loving the people in it. 

this year, i decided to take 24 kids christmas-related books and create an advent calendar to remember. any time i can use to create special memories with the two little men in my life, i will take it! with this advent calendar, i anticipate lots of cuddling on the couch with the littles reading the christmas classics daily. sounds heavenly to me! 

join me in starting this tradition for your family as well!

all you need is:

•24 christmas/winter kids books (i took some classics that i had as a child and also included some i found at target with my kiddos favorite childhood characters (think dora, big bird and even mater). 

•wrapping paper (i used brown, kraft paper)

•tape

•glue stick

•large circle hole punch (you can find one at your local craft store)

•vinyl number stickers (you can find them in the scrapbook section of your local craft store).


directions:

•simply, wrap each book up. 

•then, cut a circle (using the hold punch) of another color of paper. 

•using the glue stick, attach each circle to the wrapped package.

•once dry, attached numbered, vinyl stickers to each book from 1-24.

that is it! 


this would be a fun tradition this would be to start with your own children or grandchildren, don't you think?

enjoy!

friday fun finds: advent/countdown calendars

can you believe that it is already almost december? one of my favorite traditions growing up was the advent calendar---there is something magical about counting down to christmas day. here are some of my favorite advent calendars of the season. if you don't already have one, get one before the 1st so you don't miss a day. enjoy!

snowman advent calendar

handmade felt advent calendar

santa advent calendar

christmas countdown calendar

crafty countdown calendar

all shapes and sizes countdown calendar

lego "star wars" 2011 advent calendar

stocking advent calendar

"christmas post office" advent calendar by playmobil

printable advent calendar mittens

friday fun finds: erin condren

i am pretty much obsessed with erin condren.


with the holidays just around the corner (yikes! already?!) you will want to check out her fabulous assortment of cards. your friends and family will surely be envious of you when they find one of these in their mailbox.

her designs are simple and graphic and although i have been trying to switch over to a digital calendar i still *LOVE* having a paper version to be able to cross things off on and see what i have accomplished.


if you haven't seen her planner and family wall calendar, they are a must! my favorite thing is that they start the year on the month you order it (no more waiting until December for a new calendar) AND you get the ENTIRE year! they also include all sorts of bonuses like stickers, gift tags, etc.. the jumbo calendar is my favorite product. it is personalized and it really keeps my family in sync to have everything written in one central place for the schedule. you can tell that the designer most be a mom because she has plenty of space for including all of the soccer, tap dancing, drama and karate classes. there just might be enough space left to schedule yourself some time at the spa too!


so what are you waiting for? go on.....check them out. you will thank me. i pinkie promise.


note: erin condren did not pay me to write this post nor give us free product.....they don't even know we wrote it. we are just big fans and wanted to share the love. enjoy!