Quick and Easy Advent Calendar Christmas Countdown

Some of you might remember this 2015 Advent/Christmas countdown calendar I created with one of my vintage frames-turned-DIY-chalkboards. I had so much fun making it that I challenged myself to come up with another way to do it again this Christmas. I'm happy to report that I succeeded!

One day a few weeks ago I came across this in one of the Christmas aisles at Target.

I've always been a sucker for their many different holiday garlands and this time was no exception. Their little Advent Calendar Garland Kit seemed like just the right fit for what I was looking for in an Advent Calendar: inexpensive, easy to make and best of all, reusable. It was on sale and I paid less than $5.00 for it. Yay.

These are the the individual thick card stock number rounds from 1-25. They're quite cute, aren't they? They've been decorated a few different ways, from a snowman to a cardinal to snowflakes and red plaid. I love the gold detailing as well. They may not be vintage but I believe they have an olde world vintage-y vibe about them. You really could make them yourself if you were so inclined. As for me, I'm fine with buying them this time of year when there's so much other stuff to do!

The kit also comes with its own mini-clothespins and twine for hanging. I literally duck taped the twine onto the back of the frame.

I knew I wanted to write something cheerful and appropriate on the board, so I went with "Joy to the World."

Joy

to the

World

Sometimes I like to make my own stencils before I tackle a chalkboard project, but I thought this font was simple enough that I could freehand it. You might recognize the curlicues at the top of the board as the same ones used for my Fall Chalkboard Art Tutorial Including Seven Free Fonts .

I'm such a freak about fonts that it always takes me forever to pick one for a project. This time I decided on a font called Beautiful Day. I was able to download it as a freebie from a website that sends out free fonts once a week, but I don't think you can get it for free anymore. You can always sign up on their website to receive weekly freebies from TheHungryJPEG.com.

Here's a full foyer shot, including the spruce garland I draped all the way down the bannister. I added a few vintage green glass balls and a DIY red plaid bow to it for some color. I also strung the whole length of it with white lights which you can't see in the picture.  It looks so pretty at night.

Here's my trusty vintage plaid Skotch cooler again, filled with greens from the yard and some vintage colored bulb lights. I still can't get enough of my green buffalo check DIY Christmas pillow. I ended up using the large thrifted GAP wool scarf as a filler in the basket beneath the cooler for some added plaid action. This year I can't get me enough of that plaid!

The colored lights are really fun to use for decorating. I just wish they didn't get so darn hot. That's why these babies are for decorating purposes only!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my Quick and Easy Advent Calendar Christmas Countdown. Thanks for spending time with me today!

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