We’re still making progress on the kitchen—an update is coming soon (probably closer to update #19 than #561). This week should bring some major milestones: new countertops and a working sink at last. While that’s underway, we’re easing into the holiday season. There’s something extra special about celebrating our first real Christmas in this house. We moved in on December 13th last year, so we technically lived here during last year’s holidays, but we were buried in boxes and Clara was too little to appreciate any of the magic. This year feels different, so I started things off with a simple advent calendar to enjoy with Clara:
And here’s how it looks from Clara’s point of view—soaking up the days when she’s still shorter than me, because I know those days are numbered:
This little project cost just $7.99 because I used mainly things we already had and bought only one item: a scarf hanger from Ikea.
Here’s pretty much what happened in Ikea when the idea struck me:
- I spotted the scarf hanger.
- I thought, “There has to be another fun use for that.”
- I stood there for a few minutes, pondering it.
- I noticed it had 28 openings—close enough to 25.
- That led to the idea of making an advent calendar for Clara.
I decided to use three extra openings as “free spaces” and numbered the remaining slots with tags and ornaments. The plan is to hang an ornament on the tree each day as we work through the calendar—an easy, joyful daily ritual for us to share.
I actually put it together on December 2nd (a bit of procrastination, I admit), but we haven’t set up our tree yet. So we’ve been enjoying the ornaments as the days pass and plan to set the tree up soon. Then we’ll catch up by hanging several ornaments at once and continue day by day after that.
How I made it: I used metal ornament hooks we already had and attached assorted ornaments (adding hooks where needed). Each hook loops over the circle or bar above a slot so the ornament hangs framed inside the round opening beneath it. We included a few quirky ornaments in honor of our other family member, Burger—like the tiny hamburger I snagged on clearance for 50 cents last year:
And a snowflake photo frame with his little mug from a few years ago:
There’s also a disco ball because we love to dance—mostly a reminder to twirl Burger around in celebration when that ornament is hung.
For the number tags I cut 25 tag-shaped pieces from cardstock (using the first as a template), then punched holes so they’d slip over the ornament hooks. I sketched each number lightly in pencil, using a font sample for inspiration, and then traced the final shapes with pen. They’re hand-drawn and imperfect, but they look sweet and personal.
I hung the whole thing on the coat closet door with a removable 3M hook so I wouldn’t have to make a hole in the door.
We’re planning more holiday content in the coming weeks alongside kitchen updates—tree decorating (we’ll do both a tabletop and a full-size tree), outdoor lighting, and other festive projects. I was also invited to join a Secret Santa gift exchange with some fellow bloggers, which means I’ll be making a few little gifts to send to someone anonymously and waiting to see what arrives from another mystery giver. I’m equal parts excited and nervous about coming up with the perfect handmade presents—fingers crossed the advent calendar activities will spark some ideas.
How about you—have you started decorating yet? Are you finished already? Are you using an advent calendar this year or repurposing an item from Ikea in a creative way? Have you ever participated in a Secret Santa and found the perfect gift? I’m hoping I can pull something thoughtful together without totally panicking.