Can you believe that Christmas is almost upon us? Starting Thursday the countdown really begins, but don’t panic if you don’t have an advent calendar! This quick and easy craft is easy to do and will help you make wonderful Christmas memories to look back on at anytime of the year.

Supplies You Will Need:

  • 12 in. x 12 in. decorative printed or colored cardstock
  • Adhesive (I used a double sided tape roller, but any will do)
  • Vinyl of your choice (I used Silhouette 12-Inch Glossy Black Vinyl)
  • Thin ribbon, jute etc.
  • Small clothes pins
  • “Christmas Countdown” (ID#102229)
  • “Library Pocket” (ID#42297)

Step One: Open Designs In Silhouette Studio®

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1. For this project I sized my page to CAMEO 12 x 12 in., Cut Mat:  None.

You can adjust the Width and Height in the Design Page Settings.

2. Open “Christmas Countdown” (ID#102229).

3. Center the design on the page.

In the Cut Settings, make sure that you have Vinyl chosen for your material type.

Step Two: Prep And Cut Vinyl

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1. Load your vinyl into the machine.

2. Adjust your blade accordingly (if necessary).

3. In Silhouette Studio®, click “Send to Silhouette.”

4. Weed out the negatives from your vinyl numbers.

5. Apply Transfer Tape and set aside.

Step Three: Create Pocket And Insert Cards In Silhouette Studio®

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1. In the Design Page Settings window, select Cut Mat: 12 x 12 in. CAMEO.

2. Open “Library Pocket” (ID#42297).

3. With the object selected, click Object, Ungroup.

This way you can move the pocket from the insert and cut on different pages.

4. Arrange the Pocket and Insert Card so that they fit on your 12 in. x 12 in. cardstock page.

Here’s how I arranged my pages:

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Step Four: Cut Pockets And Card Inserts From Cardstock

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1. Lay your cardstock on the mat and load into the machine.

Make sure the Cut Settings and blade are set for Cardstock.

2. Click, “Send to Silhouette.”

I repeated this step several times with different patterns/colors of cardstock until I had the variety and amount of envelopes that I needed.

Step Five: Write Activities On Card Inserts

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To celebrate the countdown, you can write fun Christmas activities for you and your family to do.

1. Choose a fun Christmas activity.

2. Write the activity on the card insert.

Now when you open your advent pockets, you’ll have a new Christmas activity for every day!

Here are some creative ideas for your Advent:

  • Outings : Visit Santa for Photos, Cut or Pick a Christmas Tree, Go to a Tree-Lighting Ceremony, Christmas Light Tour, etc.
  • In The Kitchen : Make Christmas Cookies, Decorate a Gingerbread House, Serve a Red & Green themed Meal, etc.
  • Serving Others : Write a letter to the troops overseas, Serve a meal together as a family at a local homeless shelter, Raid the pantry for canned goods to donate to a charity, etc.
  • Craft & Create : Make Christmas Cards, Make Glitter Snow Globes out of baby food jars, Cut paper snowflakes with your Silhouette CAMEO® and string them up, etc.

Step Six: Assemble Pockets

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1. Fold your envelopes along the perforations and grab your favorite adhesive!

2. Run 2 lines of adhesive on the inner flaps and press to close the envelope…it’s that easy!

3. Once all of your envelopes are ready, apply the vinyl numbers and shapes to the envelopes.

4. Insert the blank rectangle pieces into the envelopes and they are ready to hang!

Step Seven: Attach Pockets To Create Advent Calendar

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Using your clothespin, attach your pockets to your decorative ribbon.

2. Hang and begin the countdown to Christmas!

There are SO many options with how you can hang this Advent! You can hang all in one line, several lines, or even create a garland for your Christmas Tree! 🙂

Don’t forget to write on your Countdown surprises!

What ideas do you have for your advent calendars?