How to Make a Wooden Advent Calendar with Mini Burlap Sacks
DIY wooden advent calendar. Here are the detailed instructions so that you too can make this rustic Christmas advent calendar.
Have you seen pictures of those cute rustic wooden advent calendars floating around the internet? I started noticing them last year, but ran out of time to make one; I wasn’t about to shell out $200+ on one either!
This year I was determined to make one to enjoy this year and for many more years to come. This was a simple project that didn’t take must time (about a day). Besides, my daughters love when I make them things and they will be thrilled getting 25 tiny treasures!
Now that’s what I call double duty: décor and festive fun wrapped in-to one!
Wooden Advent Calendar Customization
What I loved about making this project is that it can be customized in many ways that can be unique and special to you and your décor style.
Ways to Customize:
- Lettering. Are you going to hand letter with a paint marker/chalk, use a Cricuit machine, or buy a stencil and paint on letters? For this project, you will see me using a cricut machine and stencil material. I prefer the painted look, but I lack a steady hand with *pretty* writing. Therefore, for this project I will need to make a custom stencil (the diy stencil was a flop 10/10 don;t reccommend). Or you can buy premade stencils, like this one.
- Wording. What do you want your Advent Calendar to say?
- “Merry Christmas”
- “Count Down to Christmas”
- “Christmas Joy”
- “25 Days of Joy”
- Paint or Stain. Are you more of a paint kind of person or do you love the stained look of wood? I am a fan of both! For this project you will see black chalkboard paint used on the large backboard portion and a dark stain on the frame. You could also paint the back white, red, green, or any other color you like. A lighter or darker stain on the back board would look beautiful too! If thinking about staining be sure to buy a board that is stainable, if choosing to paint, you could use MDF which lowers the project cost.
- Color Scheme.
- Traditional Christmas scheme: red, white, green, gold/silver
- Christmas Blues: white, stained wood, light blue, silver, navy
- Girly twist: Pink, silver, gold, white backboard, stained frame
- Whatever you want!
- Decorations. Hand painted, stenciled, vinyl decal, or real ribbon and décor. Style this to your heart’s content.
- Hang or Stand. Will this be hung on the wall with D-rings, or propped on the wall resting on a beautifully decorated mantel?
- Containers. What kind of containers will you use for the 25 days of Christmas treats? Mini burlap sacks are inexpensive and hide what’s inside. While Mini galvanized buckets with festive ribbon have also caught my eye (more expensive).
Planning and Considerations.
When planning to make this product, order all supplies and pay attention to the exact side of the mini containers you order. For example, the mini burlap sacks I used, they are listed as 3″ x 4″. However, after review the actual dimensions are 3.15″ x 3.94″. While not significant, the difference in measurements will affect the overall layout placement planning. Besides, I like things to be centered gosh darn it!
Also, consider how large of a space you want for lettering and other decorations to be placed. This is all dimension that will need to be added to your backboard.
For reference and visualization, sketch out exactly what you are envisioning. Pencil and paper allow for you to draw in what you want and where. Here you can plan spacing, and how much distance you want between containers and around the boarder.
Let’s Get Going.
Within this post I will give complete instruction on how to make this festive wood advent calendar with mini burlap sacks. Below is a complete list of tools and materials needed. Set aside about a day for prep, painting, dry time, and assembly.
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Supplies Needed for Wooden Advent Calendar.
- Painters tape
- Adhesive vinyl
- Word Svg or make your own
- 220 grit sand paper
- Stain
- Stencil material
- Mini burlap sacks or other small containers (I adore the look of mini galvanized buckets too!)
- Small hooks
- Nail gun or hammer and small nails.
- Black chalk board paint\Painters tape
- Cricut Machine
- Assorted paint brushes
- Wood glue
- Primer
- Sealant of choice
- Assorted color acrylic paints
- Craft wood board or MDF
- 20″ x 33″ x .5″
Cost:
I had a lot of odds and ends on hand from previous holiday crafts (wahoo). I had to buy a board ($20), black chalkboard paint ($2.50), mini burlap sacks ($7.00), small hooks ($9.00), and stencil making material (i am not linking because I was not impressed with this) ($8.00). My total : $46.50
If you didn’t have any supplies on-hand, this could be made for about $70-100. Cost will vary greatly based on supplied used and what you already have.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Cut and Sand Boards
Begin by cutting your backer board to the dimensions of your choosing. For reference the backerboard I needed would have the dimensions of 20″ x 33″ x .5″. This will accommodate all of the lettering and mini burlap sacks.
Using a table saw, cut the back board to size or have the lumbar store make the cuts (usually for free).
Next, sand all boards smooth using 220 grit sand paper and wipe off dust.
Step 2. Paint and/or Stain
Backboard
Paint or stain as desired. For this project, black chalkboard paint was used. In hind sight, any matte black craft paint would give the same effect, without the cost and better coverage. If using raw wood, a coat of primer will allow better adherence of pain. Allowed it to dry (about an hour) before applying a coat of paint. Here, is the chalkboard paint I used. The chalkboard paint seems to have thinner coverage than regular acrylic craft paint, for full coverage 3 coats were applied.
Once completely dry, using a spray sealant made for craft paint/ projects, seal front and back of the board. If stained, use a sealant made especially for that.
Step 3. Paint, Stencil, or Vinyl Lettering
Once the sealant is dry, apply lettering as desired. Here, I made a stencil with my Cricut machine that said “Merry Christmas” in two different fonts. Then, the lettering was done using white acrylic paint and a paint brush. In my opinion, there was more bleeding than I expected as this stencil material was self-adhesive.
If I were to make another one, I would opt for vinyl lettering for a cleaner look (and less time spent).
Another option that is esentially free is hand lettering, if you are blessed with neat penmanship I envy you!
At this point you can add any other painted or decal decorations to the backer board. This is where I added the painted sprigs. If painting lettering and details, spray a sealant over the acrylic paint.
Here is a good time to add vinyl numbers to the burlap sacks. A Cricut machine was used to cut black adhesive vinyl numbers 1.5″ tall.
**I added hooks first, but later realized it would have been easier to do the lettering without the hooks in the way.
Step 4. Attach Hanging Hardware
If you will be hanging this wooden advent calendar (heavy!) on the wall, you will want to attach hanging hardware to the back side of this. Be sure to use appropriate hardware for the weight of the project. D-rings and saw tooth hangers are good choices.
Hanging Tip: Use painters tape to mark on where you think you want something to hang that way you don’t damage or mark-up your wall.
Step 5. Attach Hooks and Mini Burlap Sacks
Measure out exactly where the hooks need to go based on size of containers, spacing desired between containers, and how much of a boarder you would like. To determine even spacing make a grid with painters tape. Then measure and make where the holes need to go.
Once all placement marks are finalized drill pilot holes into the backerboard. Next, attach mini hooks using the included screws and a hand screwdriver.
Lastly, hang mini burlap sacks on the hooks! If you wanted to add more decoration to the frame such as pinecones or ribbon, now would be a good time.
Step 6. Fill Mini Burlap Sacks.
We finally made it to the best part! Filling all of the mini burlap sacks (buckets or other containers) with treats, trinkets, treasures, and anything else your family might enjoy.
Ideas of Treats and Treasures.
Here are a few ideas of small trinkets and treasures to fill the containers with for 25 days:
- Small candy
- Chocolate
- Candy canes
- Toys, or small toys each day that will make up a set (think legos or playmobil)
- Barbie accessories
- Tiny babies
- Hot wheel car
- Action figures
- Lip balm / lip gloss
- Jewlery
- Finger puppets
- Charms
- Stamps
- Stickers
- Hair accessories (bows, clips, scrunchies)
- Temporary Tattoos
- Written messages, affirmations, special notes for each child, titles of books to read together that night, bible versus, etc.
There are many things you could fill the containers with, but those listed are appropriate for smaller children and fit within the small parameters of the containers.
For now, because my girls are so small and wouldn’t understand why one girl is getting something one day and the other isn’t, I am opting to place two of each small trinket / treasure into each sack. Once they get older I will have them take turns (maybe!).
Side Note. I noticed these burlap mini sacks are the *perfect* size for coffee pod singles or mini bottles of liquor. Mom and dad, how fun would it be to drink your way through the month with a different flavored beverage each day!
Step 7. Display
Last but not least, display your beautiful new wooden advent calendar for all to see. Display ideas include: hanging on a wall or propping against a all on a counter, mantel, or shelf. This would look beautiful hanging above the fireplace, in the kitchen, or another high traffic area to get kids excited daily.
I cannot wait to find little treasures and treats to fill all 25 sacks with for my little girls to enjoy every day leading up to Christmas.
Enjoy 25 Small Moments of Joy.
There you have it, a festive DIY wooden advent calendar that will bring 25 moments of joy to your family. While also providing you with something beautiful to look at all throughout December (and maybe part of January too, don’t worry I won’t tell).
What kind of fun Christmas and holiday season traditions do you and your family do? Please share in the comment box below.
For another DIY home décor project that acts as double duty, check out this post: DIY Ruler Growth Chart.