Advent Bags

Something that has been on my to-do-list for a few years has been to make a permanent advent calendar.  This year, I finally buckled down and made one.  I am pretty happy with the result.  Although it isn't in use yet, I wanted to share because there is still time for you to make your own. 

I started with this inspiration from House and Home.  The idea is to take 24 little bags that you can fill with your own ornaments and open one for each day leading up to Christmas.  Since I have an abundance of white cotton, I knew it would be the perfect project for me.  I also love the flexibility of it.  My little bags can be strung across a mantle, piled into a basket or under the tree.  I filled mine with a mix of ornaments, candy, and dollar store treasures.  This could change each year to treasure hunt clues, puzzle pieces, stories, lists of activities or purely candy.  I can also pull off the number tags and use the bags for other seasons or activities.

This year, I decided on a mix of ornaments, candy, and little gifts.

Construction was simple for these bags.  I used white cotton and decorative ribbon.  For each bag, I used a 12 by 19 inch rectangle.  This rectangle was folded in half, sewn on two sides, and then the edges were finished.  Each bag measures 9 by 11 inches.  For a tie, I sewed a 12 inch length of ribbon to the seam.  For tags, I printed numbers, glued them to scrapbooking paper, "laminated" with packing tape, and hole punched the top.

I'm pretty excited to hang these bags up, and watch my little ones be excited about opening them and counting down to Christmas.  We plan to put up the Christmas tree next weekend. 

My ornaments are just waiting to be hung on the tree.



Happy Thankgiving to my American friends.  Check back in the upcoming days and weeks for more Christmas ideas.