I made this project 4 years ago, so I unfortunately do not have step-by-step pictures detailing the process. It is a pretty simple craft though, and probably one of my all-time favorites.
Materials
- A variety of paper, I used wrapping paper, sheet music, newspaper, and some cut up paper bags that had interesting designs on them
- Scissors
- Glue
- Ribbon
- Marker
- Card-stock
- Mini-clothespins
- Envelope template
1. Trace your envelope template onto your card-stock and cut out. This is what you will use to trace the template onto the rest of your pieces of paper. It is just easier to use because it’s a little thicker.
This is what my template looked like. The rectangle is the size your finished envelop will be, so you can tweak it to whichever size you like.
2. Trace your envelope onto 24 pieces of paper (I think I had 5 or 6 different ones that I alternated in a random pattern) and cut out. Fold each one into a little envelope. Fold the bottom up, and then glue both side-flaps down. Easy as that.
3. Write numbers one through 24 on your envelopes. Some of mine are pretty dark, so I also pasted a small white square on each one so the numbers were very visible. You can do whichever works best for you.
4. Cut a piece of ribbon to your desired length (I would estimate that mine is 4-5ft long). I also added little bows on either end (I usually use tacks to hang it each year, the bows help hide the tacks).
5. Use mini-clothespins to attach your envelopes to your ribbon. I used clothespins because it is easy to take my envelopes off the line when I want to put something in them. You can find them at craft stores and paint them however you like (red and green is fun, so is just using gold and silver glitter). I actually found mine at the dollar store.
6. Enjoy! I write a little message that says something like “14 days until Santa, look in the kitchen for a special treat”. We usually alternate years filling the advent envelopes and we have a great time finding little trinkets and writing cute little notes and hints.
