Category: Crafts
Homemade Advent Calendar
Christmas is approaching and I’m already thinking of some wonderful ideas to fill Imogen’s homemade advent calendar. This year I’ll be making a personalised advent calendar with a little treat for each day. And there won’t be any chocolate in sight (aside from the sugar content, Imogen doesn’t like chocolate).
I’ve bought some small striped paper candy bags that will be numbered 1 to 24. These will be strung up in the style of bunting and inside each bag will be a little surprise to count down the days to Christmas.
I found a set of gorgeous free printable numbers on the blog NoBiggie which is all about crafting, cooking and thrifting. These would look great used on the advent calendar.
Image of free printable number courtesy of NoBiggie.
Some ideas to include in an alternative advent calendar are recycled mini cards (cut outs of old cards we have) with a special message inside tied to some ribbon so they can be hung on the Christmas tree as decorations and printed colouring pictures (there are plenty for free on the internet that you can print out). Other little treats could include a bouncy ball, crayons, a mini tub of Play Doh, hairclips, a cookie cutter, marbles, a Christmas decoration for the tree and a selection of dried fruit (which is sweet but without the refined sugar).
I will also be making some healthy flapjacks to include in some of the advent calendar treat bags as a natural, yummy and chewy surprise.
Getting into the Christmas Spirit
The Christmas spirit was welcomed at the beginning of October this year as our local John Lewis displayed a selection of their lovely Christmas trees and decorations.
Imogen ringing the Christmas bells. We both love this Christmas Decoration and it really does sound as if Father Christmas is on his way!
A delicate Christmas tree covered in snow with a selection of Christmas decorations.
To get into the Christmas spirit at home I made some pomanders using oranges and cloves. I love the smell of orange mixed with clove, there’s a warmth to it and a gentle spice. We had a bowl of oranges and a jar of cloves in the cupboard so all that was needed was a few minutes of pushing the cloves into the orange.
The smell is divine. I’ve placed them in our lounge so we can all enjoy the fragrance. And when our Christmas tree goes up at the beginning of December I’ll tie a ribbon around them and add them to the tree as fragrant decorations.
How are you getting into the Christmas spirit this year?
Painting Fun
I’m having great fun introducing my baby to painting. It’s just amazing to see how much enjoyment she has creating abstract art with the freedom of using paint and paintbrushes which make an exciting change from her usual crayons and pencils.
When Imogen discovered she could use Mummy’s paintbrush as well as her own, there was no going back. The joy of painting with a paintbrush in each hand simply means more painting fun.
We used John Lewis Chubby Brushes with John Lewis Finger Paints. I’ve found the John Lewis Chubby Brushes are perfect for little hands and the John Lewis Finger Paints wipe clean easily and washed out of Imogen’s clothes.
Read about our experiences of Baby Art using crayons and pencils.
