Celebration Calendars....not just for Advent anymore

We all remember the chocolate-filled advent calendars we got on

 December 1 when we were kids, don't we?

The excitement of 25 days of opening the tiny doors and

chowing down on low-grade chocolate. The joy!

Well, fast forward to 2015 and the age of Pinterest and now we have 25 days of Beer calendars, and 25 days of Wine calendars. Isn't it great to be an adult? 

I had an idea a couple of years ago and it all started with my sister.

My sister is a winter baby, born on December 28 and for years I have heard that she feels 'ripped off' at her birthday because it is so soon after Christmas. 

In the Spring of 2013 I decided to make her a birthday celebration calendar - 25 days plus 3 extra wrapped presents. One for each day of December leading up to her actual birthday.

It sounds ambitious but hear me out - each box was filled with a little gift that I picked up in local stores or while away on trips. A pair of earrings from a market on Cape Cod; handwritten notes from my kids & my husband & I about why she is so awesome;  a bag of Mystic Tea from Mystic, Connecticut; chocolate truffles from Papa Chocolate; lip balm, hand lotion, a scented candle; a necklace all the way down to kitschy gifts from the dollar store. 

I have to say it was a lot of fun to look for tiny gifts that would fit into a 2"x 2" box

 and it was even more fun surprising her with it!

She loved it!

So the idea of the Celebration Calendar was born!

I found the mass produced advent calendars available to buy a little restrictive because of the box sizes and only having 25 boxes. This is where having a creative carpenter for a dad really comes in handy. Any size wood box for any number of boxes. It's awesome and so much fun!

My most recent custom box was made for my very good friend and Halloween queen, Nicole Wright.

She wanted a 31 day calendar for Halloween because who wouldn't want 31 days of spooky & creepy fun every day of October?!?

So with graph paper, pencil and Eileen Hull's XL ScoreBoard Box & Cubes dies I was ready to start designing a 31 day Halloween Calendar.

 I can't wait to see what Nicole does with the blank canvas ~~~ I know its going to be amazing!

I have to give a huge thanks to my Dad for his time & patience. I am always so amazed that he can take my ideas and bring to life in 3D!

Check out his Facebook page to see his custom made furniture & home decor...

Shuttleworth's Carpentry & Custom Furniture

Thanks for checking out my blog today!

~~~stay crafty~~~

julia