Fun and Easy Countdown to Christmas Crafty Ideas

Welcome to December and the first day for counting down to Christmas.  Maybe you countdown 24, 25 or 12 days to Christmas, whatever your family tradition, it is so fun to create crafty countdown projects with the family or make it a special surprise for everyone.  The Advent Calendar was first used in Germany in the 19th century.  This tradition quickly spread around the world and the activities surrounding this countdown tradition are more active than ever.  

Counting down to Christmas is not only a fun activity for the kids and family, it also makes us stop and remember each day.  This year, Canvas Corp introduced The Jolly Christmas Collection, holiday papers with counting down in mind. Filled with fun holiday sayings,  numbers 1-31 and 31 family activities to do, these fun papers will inspire you to create your own countdown to Christmas.  

Your advent calendar can be filled with family activities, little treats, inspirational sayings, etc.  Creating one for your family makes for a special surprise each day as Christmas nears.  

Here are a few countdown calendar ideas that we hope will inspire you to start a family tradition and make one of your own.

1 – Countdown Canvas Bags – Stamp a little canvas tote (canvas drawstring totes or treat bags are great options) for each day of your countdown with the day and month.  Add touches of Ticking for an added handmade look.  These totes can be placed in the tree, hung across the mantel or make a little wooden tree to hang them.  These bags can be fill with little treats, toys or little notes.

2 – Countdown Library Drawer – Create 1- 25 Mini White Bags by adding numbers from the Jolly Christmas Countdown paper.

Design 25 ATC-size cards to fit inside each of the bags, from red, lime green or other coordinating paper, and add holiday family activities from the same countdown paper.  These slip right into the mini bags, ready to be unveiled each day.  You can create 31 for each day in December or 12 for the 12 days of Christmas too.  The 7gypsies Mini Librarie Drawer is the perfect place to store your little bags.

The holiday frame was repurposed by painting it with Tattered Angels Decor & DIY Paint Ruby, Viridian and Kelly Green. Add a clip to hold the day of the countdown.

3 – Create a holiday countdown book like this 12-day countdown Dana created using Canvas Corp Small Kraft Bags, 7gypsies Days of Christmas Cards and 7gypsies Book Covers.  Adorn the front of the book with a Canvas Corp Red Flower and a Nice Tag from the Naughty or Nice Tags.

Adorn 12 bags to create the 12 days of Christmas.  If you don’t have the cards, stamp or write the numbers on the bags or onto cardstock.

4 – Mixed Media Countdown – a little paint, glitter, stretched canvas and paper come together to create this whimsical countdown calendar for the holiday season.  The prints look amazing as they create a simple tree with painted gifts scattered across the bottom.

The packages were created by painting All Wrapped Up Reverse with Tattered Angels Simply Sheer Classy Green and Chianti Glimmer Glaze.  Just brush on to create this sheer watercolor look and a bit of Glaze for a touch of shine.  Let them dry and then cut out your favorite pieces.  

Create two pockets with Canvas Corp Diamond Shapes by cutting off the tip and folding it over to make a cuff.  These pockets make it easy to move the day tags from one pocket to the other as the days get closer to Christmas.  The tags were created with the Jolly Christmas Countdown Paper.   Add the numbers and activities to strips of matching paper, punch a hole and add Red Waxed Cotton Cord to create your Countdown tags.

Decoupage the entire piece with Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam – Chandelier.  This paint is packed with chunky glitter that dries into the paint and adds tons of glimmer and glitter to your projects.  You can paint onto any surface or use it like we show here to create a topcoat for paper and fabrics.

5 – ‘Get Your Holiday On’ Countdown Book – Christine shows us how to make a fun countdown book.  The same Jolly Christmas Collection transforms this handmade book into a great little book to read with the kids each day leading up to the holiday.

You can use a pre-made book or create one of your own with just the right amount of pages.  If you are making your own, cut pieces of chipboard to 8″x4″ tall and score the board 2″ from the left side.  This allows the book to open easily.  You can put the book together with rings, ribbon or even an elastic.

Adorn each page with fun painted icons, sayings and the calendar numbers.  

You can put more than one day on a page or make a page per day.

6- Stitch together paper ornaments and stuff them with a little Polyfil to create this 3-D banner.  Use oversized cookie cutters or holiday die cuts to cut each shape.  The Canvas Corp Farmhouse Christmas Collection has a wide range of prints that work amazing together to create this eclectic, simple advent banner.  To see all the details jump over to a previous blog post.

We hope one of these inspires you to create your own countdown calendar, banner, frame or canvas or search the web where you will find many more great ideas on Pinterest, Instagram and Google for creating your own Countdown Calendar or Advent Calendar.

Happy Creating!!!

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