DIY Advent Calendar...

Before we welcomed Walt, I had wanted to make Parker a cute, DIY advent calendar.  Many years ago Anthropologie put their gift cards in these tiny little red knit mittens, and I went on the hunt for 25 of them, because that's what I wanted to use for each day, and I couldn't find anything like it out there. Then I walked into one of my favorite home decor stores and I found a garland with these little stockings on them and decided they'd be a great substitute! I bought two garlands and cut off the stockings from them. I actually created this calendar twice, the first time I hung burlap strings on butcher paper (see picture below from my IG story), and hung the little stockings from mini gold clothespins from the burlap strings. It turned out cute, but I felt like it needed a frame or something around it because it looked a little unfinished. 

Then, I went shopping again and found this amazing whitewash wood tree, and recreated the advent calendar on it, and it turned out way cuter!  All I did was use a hot glue gun adhere the clothespins and then hung the stockings - super simple! Then I filled each stocking with mini M&M's and I plan to print a bible verse and stick it in each one, too. I love how this turned out - and there are so many ways to customize it to make it your own. You can literally buy anything you like and hang it from the clothespins, and then you can add stickers for the numbers - I used gold but also tried colored ones from the dollar section at Target. The possibilities are endless! If you decide to make one, tag me on Instagram so I can see! :) 

UPDATE: Here's a link to the advent calendar that I am printing and putting in each day!

View of the advent calendar without any numbers on it. 

Option using colorful numbers.  These stickers were from the dollar spot at Target.

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Click on any of the images below to shop the products used in this calendar.

My original idea below  - butcher paper with burlap string. Bummed I didn't take a picture of it all together, it was cute, too, but I like the wooden tree version a little better.