Friday 30 November 2012

Little Mittens Advent Calendar

When your child has a dairy allergy, finding an advent calendar can be a right merry pain in the butt.

It's a tad humiliating in the shops when small child is clinging to your legs begging and pleading for the Hello Kitty one with chocolate shapes, but hopefully the one I've made will go some way to pacifying her.

Alternative Advent Calendar Handmade mini mittens

I'm pretty proud that I've managed to abandon my neat-freakery here, and produce a more relaxed (some might say disorganised) advent calendar.  I wanted the numbers to be jumbled like they are on the shop-bought cardboard ones, and also for it to look like lots of little yuletide folk had come in from the cold and abandoned their mittens.

It was made using an old red wool skirt, which I hot washed, traced mitten shape templates onto and then stitched front and back together.  I trimmed each with some white fun fur I had in my stash, and bought some little felt numbers from ebay.


Inside each mitten is a tiny Christmas book (from a junk shop!), and I'm popping in little hand written notes with treats for us to do together.

I have things like:

Have hot chocolate and marshmallows after school

Movie and Popcorn night

Paint Ruby's toenails (this will be her favourite I'm sure)

Bake cakes together

Play a board game

etc.

Can you help me think of any more?

Check out last year's matchbox advent calendar if you want more ideas.

Joining in with the Recycled Christmas link up.


24 comments:

  1. Make xmas paperchains ?
    This is brilliant and far,far more lovely than a shop bought one.

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    1. Thank you Fiona!

      Paperchains is an excellent idea, I'm popping that one in!

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  2. A treasure hunt, you could put the first clue in and then the 'treasure' could be a small gift or treat or a craft to do together. I think your advent calendar is beautiful, by the way!

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    1. Ahh thank you!! Love the idea of a treasure hunt x

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  3. For Dec 24th you could have 'read the night before Christmas infront of the fire together' - my family did that when kids were small and it became a magical tradition every year. Doing crazy Christmas dancing to the Nutcracker Suite (ballerina or toy soldier!) was also a Christmas favourite.

    Love your advent calendar, so special!

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    1. Oh I would LOVE to start a Christmas Eve tradition. OH usually works a normal day then though. I'd love to go to a carol concert together or something. x

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  4. Bedtime story by torchlight with you both under the covers! Make paper snowflakes together! Secret present wrapping session! Decorate the tree!
    sorry, getting carried away...

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  5. Aww I love this, this is such a cute idea x

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    1. Thanks Carolin, she's super excited about tomorrow!!

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  6. It's lovely. I am rather new at this advent calendar thing (as the Spaniard as I am) but I will be reading everyone's replies to get ideas!

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    1. Well you guys gave us pinatas, so it's only fair we give something back! x

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  7. My mind is blank but this is super cute. Well done :)

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  8. Go on a trip to see all the mad people who decorate the outside of their house. Trip to see Santa, and toasting marshmallows on the fire...nom!

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  9. It's a great advent calendar, and I am feeling really guilty, only ever buying a chocolate one now!

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  10. Love it love it love it love it love it!

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  11. Oooh I LOVE your advent calendar!! It is totally adorable!!

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  12. oh wow, that is such a lovely idea! Amazing. x

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  13. These are very cute. Would be great to give out to my girls class mates as a prezzie (choccy inside) instead of a boring old Christmas card ... next year maybe :)

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  14. This is so lovely what a great idea, i keep meaning to make one that we can bring out every year x

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  15. Cut up last year's Christmas cards to make gift tags for this year's presents !

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  16. Oh wow, I love that - it's SO cute! The Borax snowflakes that I did with my daughter were a big hit (found via Pinterest - full link on my blog) and sort of magical too - growing crystals! My recycled Advent calendar is not at all as cute as yours but I like it anyway (see here: http://www.conqueringcrafts.com/2012/12/and-were-off.html )

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  17. This is just brilliant Liz, I love it! Saw something similar in John Lewis but yours is much nicer :)

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