HEIDI SWAPP & DCWV FARMHOUSE CHRISTMAS I DIY ADVENT CALENDAR

hello friends!

today i am wanting to share a fun, simple DIY advent calendar that you can make using some beautiful christmas releases out now!

first up is the heidi swapp city sidewalks collection.

you can see the beautiful release here!

for my project i chose to use the gorgeous festive red glittered 'merry wall word' alongside this super beautiful DCWV farmhouse christmas 12x12 paper pad!  i love this paper pad for SO many reasons!  it is double sided, super thick quality card stock and is FULL of the most beautiful classic patterns that are just perfect for the holiday season.  it complements the heidi swapp wall word brilliantly!

this year i wanted to create my own advent calendar.  and one that i can use every year and fill with my own treats and/or activities. so i used the paper from this pad to create mini sized openable boxes that i can fill year after year with something small (either a treat or note).

to create my boxes i chose to use my silhouette machine and this box cut file (adjusted to my desired size) and made 24 boxes out of various patterns from the paper pad.  however you can use any die cutting machine to create a simple box template which is all this one is.

once they were cut out, i secured the edges with adhesive. i recommend a hot glue gun as i find this works best.

watch my video tutorial below to see how easy it can be to create a custom advent calendar using these cute tiny boxes!

CREATE YOUR OWN HEIDI SWAPP FARMHOUSE CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN CALENDAR:

Supplies:

* Heidi Swapp City Sidewalks Merry Wall Word

* DCWV Farmhouse Christmas 12x12 Paper Pad

* Die Cut Machine or Die Cut Tool to create the box template

* Hot Glue Gun

* Desired Frame (i used a wood frame with a canvas backing)

* Circle Punch & Number Stamps/Stickers

once complete i used a circle punch and a set of number stamps to mark each of my boxes.  

i just love how festive this project turned out and i can re-use it every year!
i hope you have just as much fun as i did creating your own for your home.

'tis the season!

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LIGHTBOX I BRYNN'S FIRST CHRISTMAS

december 2017.
it is my baby girl's first christmas.
i still have to pinch myself that this little sweetheart is in our lives.
that we get to watch her grow and love her forever.
this christmas she will be 6 months!
i truly cannot believe how fast it has gone by.

there is truly no more perfect time than now to take a few moments and get that camera out!
first christmas pictures are an absolute must.  i cannot wait to fill up her storyline album with these images!

i whipped out my lightbox along with some fun festive sayings and alphas.  truly the lightbox is the best photo prop ever.  and i think brynn was pretty amazed herself.  she could not keep her hands off of it!

as wonderful as it is that she is now very mobile (rolling around and pushing herself around non stop) it did make it a little tricky to get her to sit still for the pictures.  it was quite an adventure but nonetheless i am kind of obsessed with these photos. they capture her little spirit perfectly.

Lightboxes are such a fun and easy way to capture special and memorable moments within your photographs.  I love how easy they are to use and you can customize them to say whatever you want!

 

christmas truly is such a magical time of the year.

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HEIDI IN THE HOME I CHRISTMAS DECOR

i absolutely love decorating for christmas.

and especially when i have heidi swapp holiday goodness in the house...even better!

i used some of my favourites to create a festive holiday mantle display and i adore how it came together.  

i will be really sad when it is time to take it down!

whenever i display decor, i always choose one "statement" piece and then create around that.  this year, it was my red letterboard.

the red letterboard itself is PERFECT for the holiday season and what made it come together so beautifully was the christmas letterboard kit.  the "i'm dreaming of a white christmas" is all part of a letterboard kit so all i had to do was open the box and place it onto my letterboard. so simple and quick...and looks amazing.

this year for me is all about bottle brush trees. they are THE cutest and look so festive amongst my other decor pieces!

i used the beautiful new heidi swapp paper cottages to create a gorgeous christmas village.  i love that these pieces are paper because they are so extremely light so they do not weigh a ton atop my shelves.  i also love that because they are white they are completely customizable!  i used white chunky glitter atop the roof tops which makes them look like they are snow covered.  

the sparkle is stunning.  the little vellum doors and windows are SO cute and at night they make the most beautiful glow when placing an electronic tea light inside.

to complete my display i added in some other decor elements i collected.  a cute sign, red berries, greenery and burlap made it come together perfectly.  

my lightboxes are always another huge decor favourite of mine.  i truly adore how they can be used ALL year literally for ANYTHING.  

i decided to just accessorize my wall shelves with some of my favourite lightbox sizes and inserts...along with some printable wall art and marquee love from years past.

i truly am savouring these days and this time of year, aren't you?  the month is flying past and i am just trying to cherish each and every day of it....amidst the busy and chaos because there always has to be a bit of that!

wishing you all the most beautiful holiday. 

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