Anything But a Card Anything Goes . . . Advent Calendar

Glad Tidings Advent Calendar

Advent Calendars are to be used in December, and this was a project I intended to create last fall!  Since I wanted it finished BEFORE December First it was the logical choice to create a Manger Scene Advent Calendar for the “Anything Goes” for Anything But A Card Challenge blog. 

Christmas is my favorite holiday, and celebrating Christ’s birth and all that means is a big part of our family Christmas.   Each drawer will contain a little surprise and a Bible verse that focuses on the Reason for the Season, Jesus!  

I must admit I have been VERY busy and finishing this wonderful project was my first goal; writing detailed how-to-steps may come at a later time.  For now a summary will suffice. 

The Advent Calendar is from Kaiser Craft and the assembly instructions are here.  A jaunt through the blog sphere yielded a few additional tips as well. 

My favorite inks are Tsukineko and are used throughout the project.   Memento Luxe Nautical Blue stained the entire MDF calendar and the inside of the drawers; used the first pad up and started a new one!  Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa was used to ink the wood grain embossed kraft paper.  Teresa Collins makes a new 8.5 x 12 embossing folder that made quick work of a embossing enough card stock for the barn.   The Manger image is from Stampendous and is stamped in Encore! Ultimate Metallic Satin Rose with the Christ Child highlighted with an ink blusher from the back with Memento Luxe Dandelion and Memento Dual Marker Dandelion in the halo on the front.    The palm tree image is an unmounted American Art Stamp and is stamped from the back of the image in Encore! Ultimate Metallic Honeydew.  The Imagine Crafts blue craft mat was handy to reverse the image so there are two versions of the palm tree.  The sand image is Posh Impressions and is stamped in Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa.  These images were embossed with clear embossing powder on vellum.   The starry sky is created with images from Sonlight, PSX, Neato Stuff, and Studio G and are stamped in Brilliance Galaxy Gold and embossed with Stamp-n Stuff Sahara Pearls.  The practice run for the scene ended up being perfect to decorate the fronts of the drawers and continue the scene.  The numbers were inked with Versa Magic Cloud White and double heat embossed with Sahara Pearls.  Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles has an oval that was used to die cut Vertigo from Imagine Crafts.  The Glad Tidings image is from Denami Design and is stamped in Memento Luxe Nautical Blue, this is where I discovered the first ink pad was well used!

I am thankful for the sanding block loaned by my husband that allowed me to prepare and assemble the MDF portion more quickly!  Alene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue made easy work of assembling the drawers and adding the numbers to the front.  Tombox Extreme Permanent Adhesive and Xyron Permanent adhesive were both used in covering the drawers with pearl card stock. 

Here are a few details:

 

A 3/4 circle punch was handy to punch perfect finger holes to match the opening in the drawers.

Metallic thread suspends the Glad Tidings image stamped on die cut Vertigo.    The Star over the Manager is from Sonlight Impressions.  

I hope that you enjoy the project, I had fun making it!  I just wish I had a little more time to share more details!  Living life some times prevents  extended time spent in the craft cave. 

Come play with us over at Anything But a Card and create something wonderful for this challenge of Anything Goes!