Thursday 10 November 2011

TP Roll Advent Calendar...of sorts...

Last Christmas, I was a blog stalker.
Yes, it's true. I had just discovered the world of DIY/Home Decor blogs, thanks to my friend sending me a link to Thrifty Decor Chick. She thought I might be interested in checking it out.
 Little did she know what it would spark in me! I quickly went all the way back to the very first post and read my way through to the current post. Then I clicked on her links and found even more fantastic blogs...Centsational Girl...The Lettered Cottage...you know, all the really big blogs out there.
I devoured them all - front to back...or back to front? Anyhow, I started noticing that several of them came up with cute ideas for Advent calendars.
Right then and there, I decided I needed to come up with something for my own children this year.
I hadn't really come up with a concrete idea of what I wanted to do...until...I saw this owl cutie from Clean & Scentsible. Right away I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

And thus, the toilet paper roll Advent Calendar was born....

So start collecting your TP rolls now!
I may or may not have sent out an SOC (Save Our Christmas) to some of our family members to start saving their rolls for me too....maybe.

This is such an easy project...it'll be fun...I promise!


Collect 24 empty TP rolls.
I caught myself eyeing how much toilet paper was left on the roll in the church washrooms this morning.
There was way too much left, don't worry.


Find some cute wrapping or scrapbook paper that matches your decor or theme.
I'm going with a red & white theme in my kitchen this year, so this Dollar Store clearance paper fit in nicely. Cut a piece of paper the length of the roll and wide enough to wrap around.


Flatten out the roll.

Glue the paper down on one side.
I use hot glue because I am impatient.


Wrap it tightly around, overlap the edges slightly and glue down.


Then gently push in the ends so that they slightly overlap, and glue together.


I bought a couple bags of treats on clearance right after Halloween, knowing that I would need small pieces of candy to fill these packages.


And even though my kids are still very young, I want them to become familiar early on with the Christmas story and the reason we celebrate Christmas, so I wrote out one or two verses for each package, making up the complete story over the 24 days.


I rolled the slip of paper up and included it with the candy.


Press down the other end to create a cute little package!
I wrapped some jute twine around it lengthwise to keep it shut and add even more cuteness.


Then I looped another piece of twine through the jute wrapped around the package, and tied a knot so that it could be hung on a little tree.



I wasn't able to find any number stickers that I liked, so I went to the scrapbooking store and asked them to cut out the numbers 1 to 24 for me with their Cricut. They were fantastic at helping me out.
I glued the numbers on with more hot glue...cause I'm impatient and my kids had probably woken up from their naps by now.


And there you have it! It doesn't get much easier than that!


I have a three foot white Christmas tree that I have set up in our kitchen (yes, that's right...I already have some trees up...don't hate me!), and I have hung the packages on there. I can hardly wait until my little kiddies get to open up their little prizes!


I wrapped some of the packages with brown tissue paper and a wide red ribbon, just to mix things up a bit.


These could just as easily be hung on a twig tree or even from a large piece of fabric if you wanted to keep with a more traditional advent calendar look. Your imagination is your only limitation!


Now will someone go hang something in that bare spot up there...please?!

-----------------------------------------------------------























Feathered Nest Friday









Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special


Photobucket

Weekend Bloggy Reading
Making



Visit thecsiproject.com

To see the other great parties I'm linking to, click HERE!

68 comments:

  1. Precious! Everything about these is just gorgeous. What a fun thing for your kids!

    ReplyDelete
  2. So cute! What a great idea! I'm stealing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! I love this!! LOVE LOVE LOVE this! I think I might "pin" you - that sounds a lot more kinky than it's supposed to. *wink*

    ReplyDelete
  4. Look at how adorable these are!! I love it! Thanks for linking up to Latest and Greatest Friday! I'm FB this too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. this is brilliant! fabulous photos too--just lovely.

    come visit anytime.

    michele

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is such a beautiful, clever, eco friendly and unique idea. I absolutely love it and going to do the same!
    Thank you so much for sharing it.
    Cecilia

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a cute idea! I love it!!!
    I'd love for you to share this at a Christmas Craft Tutorial that I have going on at Project Queen.
    www.projectqueen.org

    I'm already a follower and enjoy your blog.
    Mandy

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is the cutest thing! What a great idea. Probably the best use of a white tree I've ever seen!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my goodness! You're a genius!! Thanks for sharing. I love this idea. Thanks for linking up to our first Shine on Fridays! You definitely inspired me:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a clever idea! I love that it uses things that you already have at home!

    Blessings

    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  11. Too adorable! I hope you like what I came up with for my wee one when I reveal tomorrow. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a genuis and its soo cute as well. pinned it to my Xmas board "to Do" List! thanks a roll,,,loll!

    Veronica
    Tassles Twigs and Tastebuds

    ReplyDelete
  13. I absolutely LOVE that you are so ready for Christmas. I just wrote a post this week titled "It's Never Too Early For Christmas"! And it's true:) What a great way to tie in the Christmas Story for your children and so stinkin' cute too! Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love this. It's SO pretty and classy and functional! Great project, thanks so much for linking up!! XO

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love it!! I'm trying to figure out what to do with my son! Great tutorial!
    The Artsygirl Connection and I would love for you to link this up to our A Special Christmas Soiree party that starts with an advent on Nov 20th!
    Hope to see you there!
    vintagegwen.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a fabulous way to countdown to Christmas! Hey, I'd be thrilled if you came and linked this up to the Head to Head Showdown going on right now at www.icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com

    ~Jen

    ReplyDelete
  17. AH-dorable! I knew there was a reason to save those rolls...I started to and then couldn't think of a cute craft that wasn't geared for preschoolers! Now you have given me the perfect craft...handed to me on a silver platter!lol

    Thanks!

    Hugs,
    Natalie

    Stop by my blog and check out my new mudroom if you get a chance!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Very cute and clever - love it!
    I’d love for you to come link this up at my Simply Christmas Inspiration party at http://shabbyartboutique.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. What an excellent idea, I don't have any kids to make an advent calendar for but these boxes would be perfect for little gifts for grown ups(jewellery etc.) I will be thanking you when it comes to wrapping presents this christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great idea! We'll make our tree this year an Advent Tree. Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is such an amazing idea for advent! I thought it was genious and then when I saw your tree I just fell in love! It is just so beautiful!

    We are hosting a Home for the Holidays party and I know that our readers would fall in love with this, too!

    http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com/2011/11/home-for-holidays-link-party_08.html

    ReplyDelete
  22. I will have to start saving my TP rolls now. This is such a cute idea and what a great way to teach our kids about the real meaning behind Christmas. I would love it if you could link this up to our linky party going on right now.

    http://junkintheirtrunk.blogspot.com/2011/11/link-it-up-wednesday_08.html

    ReplyDelete
  23. I shared your calendar on Pinterest. Linked it back to you. It is such a cute idea. Thanks for the inspiration.... =)

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is fantastic!! I love advent calendars and this is a great way to actually use TP rolls for something!!
    Thanks so much for sharing!!
    ~Lisa
    Lisa's Craft Blog

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fantastic idea! I think I'd use something like that to make cute gift boxes for smaller presents. Definitely one to remember with the festive season coming up. Thanks for the tutorial! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. This is a great idea! Thank you for posting it.

    Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a fantastic idea. I've been collecting TP rolls just because I see so many creative uses (and my husband is looking up the number for "Hoarders" ). Thanks for the detailed tutorial and sharing at this week's BFF Open House!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love this idea! I have a whole bag full of TP rolls just waiting for a project!

    I'd love for you to link up and share:
    http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/2011/11/pinteresing-linky-party-week-thirteen.html

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi! Stopping by from Lolly Jane. I love these!! What a great advent idea! Im going to start collecting rolls now.. hehe. Also, I would love for you to share this on my friday link party. Its new so if you could link up that would be awesome! :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. I love love love this advent calendar! I knew I was saving all those rolls for a good use! Thanks for sharing the cuteness :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. So loving this idea and wish I hadn't spent hours sewing 25 bags for our calendar last year. These are the perfect little gift wrappers.

    ReplyDelete
  32. That is an adorable idea and a great use for old toilet paper rolls! And here I just tossed all mine in the recycle bin. Well, there will be more soon. LOL. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog this morning :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Oh!! This is such a great idea!! Love it!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. I absolutely positively LOVE this! Such a cute idea and so much fun. My kiddos would get a kick out of this! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Inspiration Friday!
    Vanessa

    ReplyDelete
  35. Sweet, sweet idea, Evie! Thanks so much for sharing it. I'm here because "At the Picket Fence" posted your link on their FB page!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Nice!! I definitely think this is one of my favorite advents of the season! Would love it you would stop by and share this at my linky party :) http://everything-underthemoon.blogspot.com/2011/11/bedazzle-me-monday-8.html

    Also, PRETTY PLEASE check out Random Acts of Kindness Week going on right now!! Would love to see you be a part of it! http://everything-underthemoon.blogspot.com/2011/11/kindness-and-thanksgiving.html

    ReplyDelete
  37. What a brilliant idea. Thank you for linking up to More the Merrier Mondays.
    Jamie
    http://diyhshp.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. This is adorable...the photos are great. I'm still deciding how I will make mine this year. The little packages are all so cute!!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Cute idea. I just realized that I need to get started on my advent calendar. Christmas is coming whether I'm ready or not.

    ReplyDelete
  40. How smart is that? Easy and it looks fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing at The Creative Spark. I think this is my favorite project of yours yet!
    Jenn :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. You are amazing. These are amazing. And from loo rolls ... no one will every know ... unless you take their not quite finished loo roll that is!

    ReplyDelete
  42. PERFECT in every way!!!! I love recycle - upcycle and these are SO pretty I would never have guessed they were TP rolls! I just gotta pin this!! Thank you for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  43. These are very cute...Would make great money or gift card holders as well! Thanks for sharing...visiting via The Creative Spark

    ReplyDelete
  44. What a great idea! Those would also make great gift card or money gift holders! Thanks for sharing...visiting from The Creative Spark and now your newest follower!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Okay...this is supe awesome! This post is so informative and I think my subscribers would really enjoy reading this. I would love for you to come share it at Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on Frugally Sustainable today. And, I really hope that you will put Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on your list of carnivals to visit and link to each Wednesday! Here’s the link: http://frugallysustainable.blogspot.com/2011/11/frugal-days-sustainable-ways-1.html

    Warmly,
    Andrea @ Frugally Sustainable
    Here's the link: http://www.frugallysustainable.com

    ReplyDelete
  46. So cute but I don't think I can go thru that much TP in time!

    ReplyDelete
  47. This is such a sweet idea and so fun! I love it and I love the tree made up with these and the touch of red. Thank you for sharing this unique idea.

    HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON!

    ReplyDelete
  48. What a fantastic and easy idea to teach your children! I just might have to copy this idea. I've been searching the blogs for an easy Advent idea!

    Just found your blog and can't wait to read all about you and your crafty ideas!

    Newest follower!

    Megan

    http://1funkywoman.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  49. Wonderful idea, I absolutely L O V E LOVE it.. Totally inspired and will be trying this out ASAP!! WOW.. Thanks for sharing.. Would love it if you could please share this at my Pin'Inspirational party happening today pweeease..Looking forward to reading more of your blog : )) So creative.. TY..Have an amazing Thursday.. ~M - Linky party link is - http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com/2011/11/pininspirational-thursday.html

    ReplyDelete
  50. Doll! So glad that you linked to Pin'Inspiratation today.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Easy to do every one and I started to work on it. I took some of the quotations from bible and real things, Every year I am doing a great things in Christmas and really enjoying on that days.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Hi! I pinned this on Pinterest, posted on fb, tweeted on Twitter and stumbled on Stumble Upon. Thanks for linking up at the Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. I so love this idea! I think I'll do this for my son next year. This year all those small trinkets would just be choking hazards :-)

    ReplyDelete
  54. Hello
    Just wanted to let you know that I have mentioned this post on my blog. If there is anything you would like me to remove please let me know. Cheers
    Jennifer
    eatcraftsow.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  55. So great!!!!
    You have to link this up to the CSI Project this week. The challenge is Advent Calendars. I love it and turns out I am a judge, haha. You are already in :)
    anyway, head on over all week for great tutorials too.
    www.thecsiproject.com
    Happy Thanksgiving
    Dee

    ReplyDelete
  56. So dang cute!! Thanks for linking up with us and hope you join us again this Wednesday! Happy Thanksgiving!

    Marie
    mylilpinkpocket.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  57. I love this idea! So pretty, cute, thrifty, fun, etc. Found you through CSI - thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  58. You've been featured at Hookin Up with HoH!
    Feel free to stop by and grab a button if you'd like.

    Allison @ House of Hepworths!

    ReplyDelete
  59. You are amazing!! I love everything about your advent! So original and adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Ohhh this is so cute and clever! What great inspiration! I am visiting from CSI!!! I linked up to but had to check out what everyone else came up with! I LOVE yours! If you have a chance I would love for you to link up over at my place too..... and have a WONDERFUL holiday!
    Jaime from crafty scrappy happyhttp://jaimelyn11.blogspot.com/2011/11/crafty-scrappy-happy-me-thursday-13.html

    ReplyDelete
  61. So beautiful...love them so much, good luck ! xo
    Lucy

    ReplyDelete
  62. This is great!

    I have a mini white tree for my front room (though not up yet!) and i like the idea of using it for something like this.

    ReplyDelete
  63. The photos are beautiful and the advent is one of the most creative ones Ive ever seen!! Simply gorge!! I do love the red nail polish too...that wasnt lost on me, lady!!
    lovely, following you now!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...