DIY Advent Calendar: A Holiday Countdown to Remember
When you were younger did you have an advent calendar? Not the kind where you lifted up a flap on a piece of cardboard but the kind where you got a special present… a treat to look forward to every morning. This Advent Calendar is sure to be a hit with the little people in your life simple because the buckets just beg for great little treats to be place in them.
This Advent Calendar was inspired by a great design Pottery Barn came up with this year and then no longer has available (even more motivation to make your own!). Here’s how you can make your own at a fraction of the Pottery Barn price:
Items you’ll need:
1. 25 favor sized buckets. These were three for $1 at Dollar Tree. Some Dollar Tree stores don’t have them in stock. You can also find them at Oriental Trading Company HERE. Remove the handles to hang.
2. Plywood. The board used for this project was 18″ x 24″. A slightly larger piece would give you more room to space out your buckets.
3. Trim boards to surround the plywood. You can purchase anything that you like with a flat back (that will make it easier to make the miter cuts).
4. A miter saw.
4. Flat head push pins.
5. Tags and string for the numbers. You can also make stickers and attach them to the buckets more how Pottery Barn did.
6. Spray paint, paint for the background, stain for the trim and gold wax for the trim.
How to Build the Advent Calendar
Your first step is to get the buckets ready to spray paint. Remove the handles from them. To begin with, these buckets were originally white. However, they were transformed by applying a few coats of Rustoleum’s Oil-Rubbed Bronze spray paint. As a result, they now have a rich, elegant finish that adds a touch of sophistication to the overall look.
After this your will cut the plywood to the size you want, paint the plywood and then make the corresponding frame by making four miter cuts at a 45 degree angle. The boards were then screwed into the plywood with short screws from the back of the plywood. After securing your boards stain them (these trim boards were stained with Minwax’s Jacobean). After allowing the stain to dry for about 24 hours (so it wasn’t sticky) I gave it the gold sheen with Country Chic Paint’s Gold Wax.
As an added bonus, you can use the Advent Calendar to place something you are grateful for in each of the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
Now the fun part… decorating around it and filling it! Do you use an Advent Calendar? If so, what do you fill it with?
