Amazing Advent Calendar With Free Template

Welcome to a totally awesome scrappy hybrid extravaganza!

I've been working feverishly on this advent calendar.  I wanted to get it all finished in time enough for you to make one, too.  I digi scrapped all 25 boxes using Vero-The French Touch's kit, 12 Days Of Christmas.  You can see it at the Digital Scrapbooking Studio.  12 days might be a lot more doable for some of you with limited time.  This project is mega, mega easy and highly recommended for both beginners and intermediate crafters.  It's slightly time consuming.  Especially, if you're doing 25 boxes. You could whip out 12 boxes in under an hour.  If you get some help with cutting and gluing, you'll be finished in no time!  Scroll through to the bottom to read all of our helpful tips and grab that free template.

I saw an awesome project on Pinterest which was my inspiration for this crafty endeavour.  Also on Pinterest, I found a free box template which I used as an example for my own template design that you'll be able to use digitally or traditionally.

Keep scrolling to the bottom to get the link.

I'm new to template design and have used the power of observation to figure out how to make a lot of the templates you'll find here.  Take this one, above.  It's mostly just squares, but then there are lips for the box.  I simply took a hexagon shape, rotated it and cropped the part I needed to make the lip.  That's it!  When you ditch the background and save it as a png, tif or psd, you can use it digitally and clip in any paper and print.  This makes it much faster than tracing it on to your paper and then cutting.

I created a new page at just under 2.5 inches squared and designed a tiny layout to go on the front of each box.  All 25 are different.  I then took the  image, rotated it to the left, once and fitted it perfectly in the box template.

Here's a nice close up of the box and you can see that a lot of different things will fit in there.

Print out the boxes on your choice of weight paper.  If you choose lighter gifts, you'll only need regular paper.  However, if you plan on using it again next year, you may want to go for something more rigid.  I experimented with several different weights and liked one somewhere in the middle.  Not too, heavy.  If you don't get the fold just right, on thick paper, it's a bit harder to adjust, but by all means no big deal.

These are the only supplies you'll need:  print outs, scissors and glue

Simply cut along the outside of your template.  Follow all of the lines closely.  The cutting around the lip are most important.  Look closely at the scissors.  Line up that top edge of your lip and angle the scissors to the corner, bottom left of the picture box (in this instance).  That will give you the best fit.

The lines on the lips are not as important as getting that angle just right.

Cut out all of your boxes.  You'll be a pro after a few.  It takes around 1 minute and a half to cut each one.  I strongly recommend doing a test run on some blank paper.

Do a prefold for each box.  You don't have to press hard.  It's better pressing just gently along the lines and you'll box will nearly automatically put itself in the shape of your box.  Making hard creases is not recommended.  You'll lose the flexibility of your fold and perhaps make marks that will show up in your project.  It took me just under 2 minutes to fold and glue a box.  This project certainly isn't the fastest, but it is easy.

I folded the large squares down the middle, then went across the top and then the bottom.

This Scotch glue stick was perfect for this box.  It dried rather quickly, so I had to be fast.  It held together perfectly.  I thought about using double sided tape, but it won't allow room for that perfect fit.  If the lid is not closing to your liking, keep playing with the fold and making deeper creases or apply a tiny glue dot to the middle, bottom and press gently with the front of the box.  I did it on a few, too.

I had to play awhile until I got the tree shape I was looking for.

I used an old shoe box for the foundation.  I wrapped it in it's two separate parts so that I could also store a present in there or reuse it again.  Place some elements or ornaments around your project if you like.  Amazingly, the cat has not yet discovered these.  I thought for sure this would be all over the floor in the morning.  Hehehe...

Once you put your items in the box, they will stack a lot neater than they are here.  I put a bit of a foundation in the centre with a rigid flower vase and a wrapped wrapping paper roll to give more rigidity and balance to the calendar as well as have a place to put my ribbon.

That is one serious blog and a fantastic advent calendar idea for you.  Use our template or find your own.  Go digital or be bold and get some glue and glitter on your finger tips and scrap it up traditionally.  You can go all out extravagant or keep it frugal by using scraps and keeping your embellishments to a minimum.  Either way you only need scissors, paper and glue for this one!

Here are a couple of our hottest hybrid projects you may be interested in.

Thanks so much for giving us your precious time.  We hope you do it, again!