29 DIY Advent Calendars

December first is here! Time to whip out that advent calendar and start the official countdown. Here are 29 DIY advent calendars that will absolutely inspire you to make your own. Best part? These countdown calendars are made out of things you likely have on hand right now. Things like envelopes, match boxes, brown paper grocery bags, bottle caps, muffin tins, and even toilet paper rolls!

29 DIY Advent Calendars

1. All you need for this sweet and simple advent calendar is brown bags from the grocery store. I love that the brown bags could easily be spruced up to fit your holiday decor. See the complete brown bag Christmas countdown tutorial at Whatever Dee Dee Wants.

2. All you need for this simple advent calendar is washi tape and paper! Best of all it takes less than 30 minutes to put together. See all fo the washi tape advent calendar details on C.R.A.F.T.

3. Who knew brown bags that are typically used for sack punches could look so chic as an advent calendar for Christmas? The entire advent calendar project including building the giant chalkboard cost less than $50. See all of the details as Most Lovely Things.

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4. How adorable are these hand sewn felt envelopes? See the complete tutorial at Jenny Allsorts.

5. I love that these colorful envelopes add the perfect amount of whimsy. You can make the envelopes yourself or even hand decorate simple store bought white envelopes. Photograph via ziggiau.

6. How beautiful is this simple loom with tree branches and hanging gifts all tied with bakers twine? I love it! See lots more details at lapinblu.

7. This is the cutest and simplest DIY advent calendar I’ve seen yet! All you need are wooden nutcrackers, a little paint, and 24 Chrsitmas books! See the complete tutorial and where to buy nutcrackers on Cloudy Day Gray.

8. I’m a sucker for a good up-cycle project, and this newspaper turned adorable envelope advent fits the bill. (Image from Flickr)

9. This adorable Christmas tree advent calendar is entirely made out of felt. I also love that is was made by mother and daughter. See more details at Stitch Craft Creations.

11. A modern Christmas update on the ol’ paper chain. I love it! See the complete tutorial at Make and Takes.

12. Who knew tp rolls could be so cute? Use spent toilet paper tubes to craft up this creative advent calendar complete with a chimney! See the full tutorial on Morning Creativity.

DIY advent calendar

13. Lapinblu made another version of her loom advent with a simple branch. Check out the details at Lapinblu.

14. I love that Jenn turned a store bought kit into an advent calendar she could use again and again! See all of the details at Clean and Scentsible.

15. Here’s another way to turn embroidery hoops into colorful holiday decor that doubles as a Christmas countdown! Check out the tutorial at The Crafty Crow.

16. Burlap Activity Countdown

17. Candy Box Advent

18. Cookie Sheet

19. Matchbox Advent

20. Matchbox Advent

21. Toilet Paper Tube Advent

22. Clothespins and Mini Bags

23. Poster Board House

24. Buckets

25. Card Holder

26. Garland Toilet Paper Tube Advent

27. Advent Tree

28. Santa’s Beard

29. Paper Beard

Did you do an advent calendar as a child? Did you make them each year or use the same one? My grandma made us one that we used year after year when we were kids. It was similar to #9 above, but quilted. I’d love to hear what you do or make for an advent calendar…

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Comments

Macey at Olivia Renn says
November 23, 2010 at 9:42 am
I love all these ideas! Check out the one I made it's a little different than the one's you featured
http://oliviarenn.blogspot.com/2010/11/pottery-barn-inspired-branch-advent.html
Thanks for sharing!
Laura Keller says
November 23, 2010 at 8:10 pm
I've seen so many great new advent calendar ideas this season! I love how most of these involve some form of paper craft but are all completely unique! I think my favorite is the Hobby Craft Cute Envelopes though – I love the plaid deer cut out. Great finds!
McClure Family says
November 23, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Awesome job!!
I linked to you here: http://mcclurefamilyspace.blogspot.com/2010/11/advent-calender-ideas.html
Beckie says
November 7, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Thanks love for including mine!
Emma Briggs says
November 9, 2012 at 3:55 am
That is a lovely idea…. I am sure your kids will have so much fun… especially the Paper Bag Boxes.
Natasha says
November 11, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Love your round up. I also have an advent calendar i made last year from toilet rolls, check it out on my blog @ http://www.serenityyou.com , you’ll find it under the christmas label
- Jamie Dorobek says
  November 13, 2012 at 10:49 am
  Thanks for sharing 🙂 Checking it out now!
Mary says
November 11, 2012 at 2:47 pm
You might want to check your spelling of the word “calendar” in your title. 😉
- Jamie Dorobek says
  November 11, 2012 at 3:06 pm
  OH geez… thank you for telling me! I fixed it 🙂 How do I miss that stuff? Want to be my editor 🙂
  - Mary says
    November 11, 2012 at 9:37 pm
    You’re welcome. I wouldn’t make a good editor though…I never catch my own mistakes, lol. 🙂
    - Mary says
      November 11, 2012 at 9:39 pm
      Your Advent calendars are so cute, by the way!
Karen says
November 11, 2012 at 11:23 pm
What a great round up! Thank you for posting these ideas. I’ve been trying to decide what kind of advent calendar to use now that I’ve got a little one. These ideas are so cute it may be just as hard to decide now as before!
Randi - Dukes and Duchesses says
November 22, 2012 at 11:49 am
We use the same calendar every year and sometimes add another one as well. Ours is a homemade match box calendar but we use it as the 24 Days of Service … every day our kids have a task they do that serves others. You can see it here: http://www.dukesandduchesses.com/2011/11/24-days-of-service-advent-calendar.html
Brenda says
November 10, 2015 at 11:49 am
All of these are so adorable!
Sadly, I can never seem to stick to an advent calendar since I moved out of my parents place :/ .
They make a great double for a decoration as well as a fun activity though!
Thanks for the post!

29 DIY Advent Calendars