Our Advent Tree

I wanted to create an advent calendar this year so I started searching on Pinterest... and I found this.  I loved everything about it. It was vintage, simple, something that will last for years and budget friendly.

I first needed to find a soda crate. I looked on ebay for a few days and landed an awesome deal. I ended up with two of them for about $20. I picked up the package of ornaments for $5 at Walmart and the foam number stickers for $2 at Michaels.

Before jumping into things, first lay out your ornaments in the spaces.  This step will make sure all your glitter, shiny and dull ornaments are equally spaced apart. Repeat a similar process for the numbers. Make sure all colors are evenly distributed and you have enough of each number (you will need a lot of 1's and 2's).

Time to begin - take it one by one. Peel the backing off the sticker and carefully apply a small amount of hot glue to the back. Place the number in the center of the ornament and set aside. Repeat until they are all done.

The ornaments kept rolling around so Greg broke toothpicks into small pieces and glued them down. This prevented them from rolling to the back and not seeing the number.

Here it is in action. Greg and I take turns putting the ornaments on our mini tree. They are shatterproof so they are in it for the long haul :)

 I love that the advent tree can be used year after year. I can also add to it by placing a small piece of candy behind the ornament. There are so many options! Do you use an advent calendar?

xo, Erin