Advent Calendar / Christmas Photo Frame / Shadowbox

Welcome once again to our Christmas in July celebration here at Flamingo Scraps. I LOVE Christmas decor, but sometimes wish I could do more with some pieces. For instance, the Advent Calendar. Once you've gotten through it, all you have is an empty something or other with a 25 empty slots. Not very fun. You want to display some choice Christmas photos, but don't want to hassle with packing up frames. And then you have those adorable little ornaments that you KNOW you won't be able to find in the tree when you take it down, and into the trash they go. Well, with this project, you can have your figgy pudding and eat it to, so to speak.

 Advent Calendar

 

                                                                  Front Photo Frame

Back Photo Frame

We have special connections with Santa, as you can see here ! 

 

                                                                       Before

                                                                 Advent Calender Close-Up

My paper pack for this was the Christmas In July Kit - Traditional and so far I've gotten two projects out of it and have enough for a third one as well. I started out with two Tim Holtz Shadowboxes 8-1/2 x 10 -1/2 I believe  (since I tossed the wrapper before writing it down) and chose the positions for the tiny boxes using two of the many options they give you on the back of the wrapper. These are a special order item, so PLEASE contact Suzanne so she can hook you up ! The numbers were cut from my Cricut. I covered the boxes with a variety of washi tapes, fabric tapes, paints and bling. The adorable elf was a  Cricut creation as well. The chevron bling on the "25th" is Prima SIIC. Check out the great Maya Road Fabric Tapes ESPECIALLY sinceMaya Road is on sale, 40% off, with coupon code maya40.

 Look at the tiny jar of wishbones, also a TH product. We are going to write our letters to Santa, and put one of these in the envelope every year.The Santa sign is a CB sticker from the kit. A small mirror with tiny bling around the edges brightens the red box. A tiny star bouquet using Timeless Miniature Glass Spics Bottles (found in the Embellishment section at FS) is made withMaya Road Trinket Pins in the star design. Remember the medallions / rosettes I made in my first project? Well, here's a small one in the right upper corner.

This is what I did for the shadowbox feature. You can omit this if you want. Especially if you want to ad pegs or brads to the calendar side to pull your boxes out. We did a trial run and my grandson could pull them out without them. Just remember, you won't be able to turn the boxes over for a shadowbox if they have protruding objects because they will fall out of the main box.You could use ribbons glued to the bottom of the individual boxes. Next, I measured the inside of the boxes . I did them in groups by size so that I was making all of the same cuts at one time. I did my sides first, and then the backs. If your paper is a bit taller than the box, I recommend waiting for your adhesive to dry, then lay the box on it's side to trim with an Exacto knife. If it's a bit jagged on the edges, like my first couple were, don't worry. When you use your Tim Holtz paints or Prima Chalks to color the edges it will cover a multitude of sins !
                                                                                       
I made sure that the last box "25" was on the inside as well as the outside. I LOVE the resin cherub in this one ! I used the snowman looking Maya Road Trinket Pins Vintage Pearl for, well, snowmen! I dotted faces on the with TH paint and a toothpick since the heads were small. Gertie, my flamingo, is surrounded by tiny Christmas trees that are actually Maya Road Trinket Pins . I cut the pins down to about 1/8" and inserted them into a hole I punched with my paper piercer with a tiny dab of Zip Dry.I wanted them to be a bit darker so I painted them with a bright Tim Holtz green paint.

 

 

 Since I didn't have any TH hinges, I bought a set of gold hinges, 2" in height, and covered them with Tim Holtz black paint to match the TH clasp,and feet on the bottom, also  special order items. I painted the outside with one of the wonderful  shades of green from the Tim Holtz Paint set. I was going to put on a second coat, but decided I liked the look.

 

                                            Closeup of Tim Holtz clasp and metal feet.
                                                                            

 

These are the inside boxes that contain the small boxes for your calendar / shadowbox. I covered them with paper and added stickers from my paper pack. Remember, they must be flat if you want to use the acrylic covering that comes with it. If you want it dimensional, then you could omit the acrylic sheet. I put the photos on with a removable tape so that I can change them out every year. The center photo shows a rosette / medallion with white flower Maya Road Trinket Pins that have a red jewel added to the center.The leaves are "fussy" cut from a scrap from my paper pack. You could also use the empty box for a shadowbox for a prized item such as a small vase or cup. Let your imagination be your guide ! FYI ! What ever you put onto the back of the box, REMEMBER, the edges of the larger box will cover the sides by about 1/4 of an inch, so be sure you allow for that or your photos, decor could be partially covered.


I hope you liked this as much as I liked making it. Feel free to share your thoughts in our comment section here on the blog, as well as any questions. Share some of YOUR projects with us, using the great products from Flamingo Scraps on our FB page.  Until the next time I peek out from behind the scenes, don't get your pretty pink feathers in a ruffle so Stay Calm,and Scrap On!

Kathleen

 

 

 

 

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