Day three of our two-week Christmas in July series – Create your own farmhouse chic advent calendar for Christmas and let the joyous countdown begin. Advent calendars don’t have to be just for the kids. Make yours in a farmhouse chic style and add bits of ephemera, and chocolate treats as your special surprise each day.
Supplies for a farmhouse chic advent calendar:
- Reclaimed wooden frame (with backing removed), 18″x22″
- Chicken wire, 18″x22″
- Wooden clothespins, 24
- Wooden shapes: appliqué, 3-1/2″x7″; circles: 1/2″, two; 1″, 24; 2-1/2″, three; 3-1/2″, one; rectangles, 2″x3″, three
- Americana Acrylic Paints (DecoArt): Soft Black; Parchment; Country Red; Emperor’s Gold; Shimmering Silver
- Patterned paper scraps
TOOLS
- Rubber stamps: rooster; fleur-de-lis; numbers; small script alphabet
- Black pigment ink pad
- Sanding block
- Wax candle
- Heavy-duty tools: wire snips; staple gun
- Safety gloves
- Hammer
- Furniture tacks
- Aleene’s (iLoveToCreate): Original Tacky Glue; Memory Glue
- Paper trimmer
Instructions for a chic farmhouse advent calendar:
1. Paint frame Parchment. Lightly sand to distress. Paint two 1/2″ circles and 12 clothespins Country Red; 12 clothespins Shimmering Silver; appliqué Emperor’s Gold; remaining wooden pieces Soft Black. When Soft Black pieces are dry, randomly rub surface with wax candle, then paint Parchment. Lightly sand edges to show distressed finish.
2. Stamp 1-24 on 1″ wooden circles. Use large number stamps for 25 on 3-1/2″ circle. Stamp fleur-de-lis and roosters or other image on remainder of parchment pieces. Use alphabet stamps to stamp “joyeux noel” or other sentiment on wooden appliqué.
3. Use paper trimmer to cut patterned paper scraps to same size as clothespins. Use Memory Glue to adhere papers to clothespins. If needed, sand edges of paper even with clothespins.
4. Glue wooden number pieces and some image pieces to clothespins, using photo as guide.
5. Wearing gloves, use heavy-duty wire snips to cut chicken wire to fit frame. Staple wire to back of frame, making sure wire ends do not show at front sides of frame. Glue 1/2″ red circles to left and right ends of appliqué. Use furniture tacks and hammer to place appliqué at top center of frame. Clip numbers and images to wire.
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