I came up with this idea two years ago, and posted it over on my (sadly neglected tutorial blog as part of my series of holiday crafts in 2008. Since then, around this time of year I notice lots of hits to the blog, and this post in particular. So I decided to share it here as well!
The Story
I was going through one of my mother-in-law's old magazines and saw a photo of a banner made from cones. Since I was looking for Christmas ideas a light went off, and I thought: Advent Calendar! This is a great project for using up your stash. I didn't purchase a thing to be able to make this. Which says a lot about the size of my stash!
Supplies
Template (the PDF file is attached to this post) Download cone_template.pdf
24 pieces of patterned paper (I used seasonal and non seasonal)
24 pieces ribbon and/or trim
Assorted flowers, brads, sequins and other embellishments
Numbers 1-24 (I used stickers, but you can also use stamps and rub-ons)
1&1/2" circle punch
Ink
Hole punch
String, twine or ribbon
Instructions
(1) Print out the template and cut out. Use to cut 24 pieces from patterned paper. To do this, place template as shown on the back of patterned paper, trace and cut out
(2) Form cone by rolling cut out shape and gluing together as shown
It may take a few tries to get this right and form a nice pointy cone, so I advise trying this with some scrap paper until you get the hang of it. I also found that it was more difficult to get a nice cone shape with cardstock weight papers. Regular weight papers worked extremely well however! Once you get the hang of it then you just need to make 24 of the suckers! :)
(3) Decorate rim of cone by adding ribbon or trim (I just used my regular adhesive for this, but you can also use fabric or ribbon glue)
Now add a flower, or two, plus a brad or sequin if you like! I added my flowers over the spot where the ribbon ends meet.
Note: I didn't spend a lot of time finding embellishments that matched because I really wanted the project to have a homespun feel. Here's a pic of some of my decorated cones
(4) Punch 24 circles from patterned paper, ink the edges and number them 1 to 24
Then add to front of cones below flower. Once again, not a lot of matching going on
(5) Now put it all together!!! Cut three peices of string or ribbon each 2 yards long. Punch a hole in the back of the cones and tie eight cones onto each piece at regular intervals. I did mine in random order, but you can to do it in sequential order.
Now you can fill with treats and/or activities for the month of December and hang in your home!
A couple more photos
I'd love to see if you make one of these! You can use papers to match whatever your holiday decor would be this year, or just a randoe assemblage like I did.
May the Holiday crafting begin!
Recent Comments