Burlap Bag Christmas Advent Calendar

One of my favorite holiday memories as a child is waking up in the morning, running to my advent calendar, prying open the tiny little doors and seeing what surprise awaited me.  The last door was always the largest which meant one thing, Christmas was only a sleep away!  Today, with two children of my own, I wanted to create an advent calendar that would bring the same excitement to their holiday season mornings that I felt as a child.  With this simple DIY, you too can create a tradition for your family that will last for years and years to come.  Stuff the bags with ornaments to hang on the tree, little pieces of candy, notes, or create homemade coupons for adventures that you will take. The possibilities are endless,  the memories will last forever.  

What you will need:

-24 burlap bags.  These can be purchased online or sewn at home.  Size is of no importance unless you plan on packing the bags with larger objects such as ornaments.  Keep in mind that you will be hanging them and if you plan on doing so above your fireplace or other small area, you may want to keep them on the smaller size.  

-Red and Green fabric paint.  

-Number stencils 0-9

-Two stencil brushes

-Twine or rope to hang your bags from.

-Clothespins to hang your bags with.

Directions:

1. Lay your number stencil on top of your burlap bag.  

2. Using your stencil brush, apply a small amount of paint to the inside of the stencil until you have achieved the desired amount of coverage.  

*Take note that the paint will probably soak through the bag and onto the other side.  If this is bothersome to you,  you may want to put a plastic bag inside to prevent the paint from soaking through.  

3. As you paint your bags, alternate between the red and green paint. 

4. Paint your bags 1-24.

5. Allow your bags at least a few hours to dry before hanging.

6. When hanging your bags,  begin with the number 24, counting backwards. Don't forget to remove each bag after it has been opened to allow your children to see how many days are left until Christmas!   

DIY Chalkboard Seed Markers

To celebrate our newly constructed greenhouse and the planting of hundreds of tiny seeds, I created these super cheap, super easy DIY vegetable/ garden seed markers!  Here is what you will need to do to make your own! 

What you will need:

• jumbo craft sticks -as many as you will want markers. I bought a pack of 75 at Walmart for under $3.00
• black chalk board paint if you want your markers to act as a true chalkboard or black matte acrylic if you just want the chalkboard look (I used chalkboard paint because I happened to have some in the house.  You can use either but the chalkboard paint is more expensive).
• chalk if you use the chalkboard paint and want to be able to reuse the markers.  This option is only for use indoors as the chalk will wash away in the rain.  OR a china marker if you want your text to be permanent (I used a china marker). This option will work well on both the chalkboard paint and the acrylic and will not wash away if subjected to rain and watering.  

Step by Step Directions:

I started by dipping my jumbo craft sticks one at a time into the container of chalkboard paint.  Make sure that you leave approximately two inches at the bottom of the stick bare where the stick will go into the dirt.  

Brush any excess paint of off your sticks.  You will more than likely need to apply a second coat. 

I stuck my sticks into a pot of uncooked rice to help speed along the drying process.  

Once your sticks are dry, which should happen pretty quickly, take you china marker or chalk and start labeling!  

Here are a few of the seeds we have growing in the greenhouse this spring. 

Finished! 

CLICK ON ANY OF THE BELOW ITEMS TO PURCHASE: