count-down calendar 2010

I'm so excited to share this year's count-down calendar inspired, once again, by the humble toilet paper tube.  I loved the 2008 version and am quite proud of the 2009 iteration that landed in the recent holiday Woman's Day Special... but this year's advent calendar is my favorite! 24 little houses {with doors that open and shut} are hung from a bouquet of bare winter branches. This idea lends itself to customization of both the house decorating and the display venue. String them on a garland, nestle them in a little evergreen, or tack each one to a bulletin board in tidy rows. Perfect for making it represent your style and home. I still haven't decided how my family will showcase it come December 1st, but for now it's going on the mantle just like this. The branches are anchored in a recycled can filled with the same marble chips we grow our winter bulbs in.

Hidden behind each door will be a time ticket (a family tradition now!) or a slip of paper with a clue to where a tiny treat is hidden in the house... treasure hunting is very popular around here. If you've been saving up tubes, but don't have enough for each day, just make these into sweet little ornaments instead.We collected them all year, so I had more than was needed for a count-down to Christmas. The extras were turned into blank houses for my children to decorate for ornaments and present toppers as we move into December. Here are the instructions for you to create some of your own:

Little Winter Houses

Need:

• 24 toilet tubes (or the number of days you are counting)
• paint and brushes
• scissors
• ruler
• pencil or pen
• painter's tape
• fastener of choice: sewing machine,glue gun or stapler
• Xacto knife 
• standard hole punch
• decorative hole punches (optional)
• rubber stamp numerals and ink pad

Make:

1. Create a pointed roof by marking the center point of an open end of the tube.  Using the  midpoint, measure an equal distance to the folded edge on each side. Snip off ends with scissors and close roof and bottom opening with your fastener of choice. I'm a huge fan of sewing on paper, so this is my favorite step.
2. Decorate your house! I used a strip of painter's tape to quickly and evenly paint white roof tops.
3. I removed the tape when the paint was dry and painted the base or kept it blank. The example I used for this tutorial only has one coat of paint. Later, I decided that two coats was the look I was after. Leaving them natural reminds me of gingerbread houses, so I ended up keeping a third of them like this... and I'm sure I'll be experimenting with that idea in the next few weeks.
4. Using a straight edge and an Xacto knife cut three sides of the door. Gently score the side that will be the "hinge", careful not to cut through to the other side. Open the door and punch a hole for the knob. Punch a hole at the point of the roof for hanging or slipping on a loop of ribbon.

 



Put any finishing touches on your house. I love paper punches for their miraculous powers to transform recycled paper. Here I used the snowflakes and vines from Martha Stewart. Paper bags and envelopes have never looked so good!


When you're done, arrange in the order that pleases you and number them. Rubber stamps make it simple. We hung them randomly from a branch, because searching for the right day is part of the fun!

I'd love to see yours if you give it a try, so be sure to add them to our flickr group.

Happy Making!