Every year, I enjoy coming up with a new way to package little surprises and activity cards for our advent calendar. My girls wake up delighted at the thought of opening tiny presents and treats as we count down until Christmas morning. I was scrolling through advent ideas on the ol’ Internet last week, and I came across several advent villages. I loved the idea, so I decided to take a stab at creating my own!
Supplies:
-brown kraft paper or card stock
-clear tape
-ruler
-X-Acto knife & scissors
-sticker numbers
-cutting mat (optional)
-tiny toys and treats!
1.) To begin, cut your craft paper to whatever size you desire. I wanted my village to have all different sized buildings, so this number varied for me. Once you have your rectangle cut, fold it into quarters. On the second and fourth columns, use a ruler to mark the center and draw your roof pitch.
2.) Next, use your X-Acto knife to cut small windows in your building. This can be as many or as few as you’d like! Once you’ve cut the windows, tape the edges of the building together to form your box.
3.) Measure the width where your roof will go and cut a strip of paper long enough and wide enough to fit. Fold the strip in half and tape it on.
4.) Now, add your number sticker and repeat…23 more times! Easy peasy!
I adore the glow of the little village on top of our dresser at night, and my girls are eagerly anticipating December 1st! This project only took a few hours (not counting wrapping all the tiny presents times two), and I couldn’t be more thrilled with it.ย The advent village definitely gives our previous wooden advent tree a run for its money. Happy crafting, friends! xo. Katie
Credits//Author and photography: Katie Shelton. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
29 Comments
Oh my goodness, yes please! This is so adorable I don’t even have the words…
Thanks for sharing, Katie!
Oh my goodness this is amazing! It even doubles up as a pretty neat decor around the house. Oh the possibilities too!
http://annescribblesanddoodles.blogspot.com
OMG I love this! This is my very first Christmas on my own and I dont have a whole lot of money (or really any at all) to spend on decorations, this would be absolutely for my home. Thanks for sharing! ๐
This is SO FUN and the simple white lights really pull it all together. You guys are always full of wonderful ideas.
Jess
http://www.citycomfortsdc.com/tis-the-season/
Dear Katie, it’s so cute, I would love to make my own village next year, as my Advent Calendar is already made , it looks like this http://goo.gl/xm8xyI. I will carefuly keep this lovely idea for next Xmas. Wishing you a nice evening.
Home made advent calendars are always the best. This is such a cute way to decorate for the holidays while also counting down to Christmas. ๐ Thanks for sharing, Katie!
http://juliediaries.com
This is absolutely adorable. I love it. Thanks for the inspiration!
http://www.MarinaSays.com
I love it!!! It looks amazing
http://soldenochedecocrochet.blogspot.com.ar
Adorable! I have one for my daughter since years. I once embroidered 24 little bags (still grateful that I finished that project, haha). But these houses are so cute as well!
This is so pretty and minimalist looking. So pretty!
https://www.chloeandisabel.com/boutique/frecklescappuccinos
This is such a cute idea ๐
This is absolutely adorable! It would look lovely on a bedside table ๐
This is a gorgeous idea Katie!!
This looks beautiful! http://www.hannamarielei.com
Looks amazing!
This is adorable. I bought my son a little chocolate advent calendar at Trader Joe’s this year. ๐ Your idea is much cuter.
~Rachel
This is such a cute idea! I may have to try this out. I love anything Christmas!
Unique Geek
This looks adorable! Great idea, it’s a very nice variation on a classic advent calendar!
This is such a cute idea, especially since it combines an advent calendar with some wonderful Christmas decoration!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Looks very nice! Great work!
Xoxo,
Love from http://www.trangscorner.com {a lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and food blog}
Very nice, but rather time-consuming for me:-)
Katie, this is so, so beautiful. I love that the materials to make it are cheap. You bet I’d decorate mine with some glitter or fake snow.
Only one more day before the countdown begins. I know what I’m doing tonight.
http://aweekfromthursday.com
This is such a cute fun project to do with the girls, thanks for sharing!
really beautiful
love all the browns,
Advent calendars are such a fun project and favorite tradition in our house
thanks !!
I love this village! It’s adorable!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I love this idea! My husband and I did an activity filled advent calendar this year and I can’t wait to start tomorrow!
Seriously so cute! Like a trendy little Who-Ville ๐
xo,
G&M
This is adorable! What a great holiday idea!
I love this idea! Thank you for sharing the tutorial! It’s easier than I thought. I guess it’s late for advent calendar DIY now, so I will make a village to decorate my dinning table.
https://igviewer.org/