Make a Table Top Christmas Tree Advent Calender
Edited by Laurel Waddell, Eng, Lynn, MsBarbs
5 Parts:
Having a small space doesn't mean you can't have a Christmas tree. Small spaces may require you re-think the size or purpose of your tree. Combining a Christmas tree with an advent calender for the table top is both economical and space saving.
Contents
Things You'll Need
- Scissors
- Glue gun and glue sticks
- Three or four standard size needles
- x-acto knife
- Mid sized sheet of foam poster board
- Five sheets of dark green felt
- Three sheets of felt in your choice of colors
- One silver glitter foam sheet
- Several skeins of embroidery floss whose colors match the felt
- Patterns:
- Tree - 11 by 8 inches (27.9 x 20.3 cm)
- Two sizes of circles - 1 1/4 inch (3.2 cm) diameter and 1 1/8 (3 cm) inch diameter
- Two sizes of rectangular ornament shapes - 1 3/4 by 3/4 inches (4.4 x 1.9 cm) and 2 by 1 1/8 inches (5 x 3 cm)
- Two sizes of rounded ornament shapes - 1 3/4 by 1 inches (4.4 x 2.5 cm) and 1 1/2 by 7/8 inches (3.8 x 2.2 cm)
- Star - 1 3/4 by 1 3/4 inches (4.4 x 4.4 cm)
- 24 tiny craft buttons whose colors match the felt and embroidery floss
- Measuring tape
- Straight edge or ruler
- Lined paper
- Velcro (you'll be using the loop side)
Steps to Make a Tabletop Christmas Tree Advent Calender
- 1Pin the tree pattern to a sheet of green felt.
- 2Then repeat steps 1 and 2 three more times so that you have a total of 4 felt trees.Cut around the pattern carefully.
- 3Using the same tree pattern, trace two trees onto the foam poster board and carefully cut them out with an x-acto knife.
- 4Measure 1/8th of an inch (3 mm) and draw a line on each side of the center line. This will make a 1/4th of an inch (6 mm) strip in the center of the tree.Using the straight edge or ruler, draw a line down the center of the foam poster board trees top to bottom.
- 5Measure from the bottom to the top and mark the center of the foam board tree.
- 6Now use the straight edge and the x-acto knife to cut out and remove the 1/4th of an inch (6 mm) strip from the center of the BOTTOM half of one of the foam poster board trees.
- 7Again, using the straight edge and x-acto knife, cut out and remove the 1/4th of an inch (6 mm) strip from the center of the TOP half of the foam poster board tree. The goal is to make a free standing tree by sliding the two poster board halves together.Measure from the top to the bottom, this time, the remaining foam poster board tree.
- 8Carefully line up a foam poster board tree over the felt tree. Using the foam poster board tree as a guide, gently score the felt tree with several strokes in one direction to remove the 1/4th of an inch (6 mm) strip of the center of the felt tree. Be careful not to pull on the felt as you cut. Don't be concerned if it doesn't cut completely through the felt. You can finish cutting along the score marks with your scissors.Lay down a felt tree on a cutting board.
- Repeat this process making sure you have two felt trees with the 1/4 strip cut out on the bottom and two with the strip cut out on the top.
- Repeat this process making sure you have two felt trees with the 1/4 strip cut out on the bottom and two with the strip cut out on the top.
- 9Cut eight 1/2 strips from the remaining piece of green felt.
- 10Be sure not to cover the 1/4th of an inch (6 mm) gap.With the hot glue gun, begin attaching the 1/2 inch felt strips around the outside edge of each of the foam board poster trees.
- 11Be sure to line up the cut-out strips. Each foam board tree will have felt on both sides. Start by lining up the straight (cut-out) line on one side and continue to work your way around the edge. Run the line of glue along the edge of the felt on the board, and press the felt tree into place firmly where you have run the glue line. Once in a while add some glue to the center and press the felt into place.Hot glue the felt trees to the foam board trees.
- 12Gently but firmly slide the two pieces together, by lining up the 1/4 inch (6 mm) cut-outs.
- 13These buttons can be used to hang your numbered ornaments on.Add some buttons or beads to decorate your tree using hot glue.
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How to Make the Ornaments for the Advent Calender:
- 1Using the ornament shaped patterns, cut twenty-four large shapes and twenty-four small shapes to match, from your choices of colored felt.
2
Cut out four stars from the silver glitter foam sheet
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3
Then cut some small slits, on the bottoms and on the tops, of the stars
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4
On lined paper sketch out the numbers 1 through 10
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5
Line up each of the smaller shapes next to a number on the paper and draw a number, 1 through 24, on each shape with a thin Sharpie marker
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6
Using your color choices of floss, stitch over the numbers you have drawn
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7
Hot glue the smaller shapes with your numbers to the larger matching shapes
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8
Cut 24 pieces of full skein (6 strands) floss to 2 1/2 inches (6.35 cm).
9
Cut loop side Velcro into twenty-four 1/4th of an inch (6 mm) pieces.
10
Hot glue both ends of the floss to the back of each ornament creating the "hanging loop" on top.
11
Hot glue a 1/4th of an inch (6 mm) piece of Velcro on the back of each ornament
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You are now finished with your Table Top Christmas Tree Advent Calender. Add each numbered ornament by pressing it onto the felt tree as each day passes, to count down the days to Christmas.
Tips
- Keep your crafting area organized and tidy. Things go more smoothly when you are able to quickly locate the tool or craft item you need.
- When you are using alternating colors of floss, thread each color into its own needle.
- Try to stay as close to the pattern as possible because each piece must fit closely with the foam poster board tree you will be cutting.
- When working with felt, it might help to remember that felt can be pulled a little tight to increase its coverage, or compressed by pushing it into itself to make it smaller.
- Use the back of the x-acto knife blade to press the felt strip into the tight corners.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
