Countdown to Christmas! Basically Bare and Bella Blvd SWAP!

Hello everyone!  Audrey here with a little holiday inspiration for you! I just love the bright, happy, festive colors of the Bella Blvd "Christmas Wishes" collection.  The whimsical designs are perfect for kid projects, so I decided to make our Countdown to Christmas calendar with the Bella products and some of my Basically bare bits, too!

  I began by making 24 little envelopes.  I started with strips of paper 2.75" x 4.75".  Score 1/4" on each long side, and then score on the short side at 2.25".  Use the scored flaps on the 2.25" side of the envelope as tabs for gluing, and trim off the excess tabs.  If desired, use a circle punch to punch a little opening at the end of the 2.25" side to make it easier to grab the contents inside the envelope.

 

 I used the Basically Bare Banner pieces and covered them with paper.  I sanded the edges and outlined with a black pen.  The numbers I cut with my Cricut and then added some black Stickles.  Each envelope got either a banner piece, or a sticker or cut shape from the "Christmas Wishes" collection.

    I hung all the envelopes with tiny clothespins on a wire frame that I bought online.

 

 For the last day, I just added a cut out of Santa, because we are going to be busy that day!  :)

 

 Lastly, for my title, I cut two large strips of paper in red and glued the ends together.  I cut the ends into banner shapes, then repeated with yellow paper that was a bit smaller.  I added my title stickers, a cut out tree, and outline the letters with a black pen.

  


 In each envelope, I put a little note with a certain activity to do, or someplace to go, or something to watch.  I have listed some of the ideas below!   You can download them in a Word document in table format by clicking HERE. Or feel free to copy and paste them into a word document to create your own!  

Make some hot chocolate.	Drive around and look at all the Christmas lights.	Write a letter to Santa Claus.	Make a Christmas Card and send it in the mail to someone special.	Buy a Christmas present for someone today.
Go visit Santa Claus.	Color a Christmas picture.	Bake some Christmas cookies.	Put on some Santa hats and take some pictures.	Make a video of yourselves singing Christmas songs.
Do a Christmas craft.	Make some paper snowflakes and hang them around the house.	Watch a Christmas movie.	Read a Christmas book.	Have a birthday party for Jesus.
Everyone wear new Christmas pajamas to bed!	Donate to a charity or food drive, or help a needy family.	Make the refrigerator into a snowman!	Play a Christmas game.	Wrap some Christmas presents.
Decorate a gingerbread house.	Make a list of 10 things you are thankful for.	Make reindeer food.	Make some bird food ornaments for the birds.	Build a winter wonderland for the choo choo train under the tree!

Thank you so the Bella team for sponsoring us this month!!

My Birthday Boy! (a bit late...)

He was ONE on July 19th, and yet I am just getting around to posting a layout about his day!  We have had such a crazy summer, and it just snuck up on me!  We had been traveling just the day before, and on his birthday he was not himself (later we found out he had an ear infection, poor guy).

I was able to get him during a few happy moments during the day, complete with his drool covered shirt and all!

I wove together some of the patterned papers to make a focal point for my photo.

I cut the large #1 from some patterned paper and then stitched a circle on the background to frame it.

I got this collection from the My Scraps & More store...FATASTIC prices and sales and THE BEST shipping around!