Holiday (Anything But a Card) Blog Hop

Welcome to our Holiday (Anything But a Card) Blog Hop where we are featuring holiday-themed projects that are NOT a card. On this hop there are approximately 6 Consultants sharing holiday-themed projects created with Close To My Heart products. We do everything we can to keep this hop easy: keep clicking on the link to the next blog (typically near the bottom of the post) to visit the next blogger. Our blog hop is a circle so visiting the next blog will take you back to where you started.

You should have arrived here from ***Katy Taylor's An Inside to My Heart...one scrap at a time***. If you get lost along the way, Melinda Everitt keeps a list of participants on her blog at If You Bling It.

I have been wanting to create a countdown calendar for some time. This hop was the perfect excuse to finally create one.

I started with the frame with a metal insert. Then I looked in the wood section for something to use for my "countdown numbers" and then I looked for magnets. I make sure that they would attach to the background before leaving the store (it would have been just my luck that I miscalculated). I cut twelve circles from 'Tis the Season papers using the 1¼" Stitched Circle Thin Cut. I attached the circles to the wood using Mod Podge; I placed a thin layer, let it dry a little, then added the circle, smoothing bubbles, let it dry a little more then added a layer of Mod Podge to seal it. Before it got too dry, I added the numbers (I cut the numbers from Silver Foil Paper), but I did not apply Mod Podge again because I was afraid it would dull the numbers (I did have to use a bamboo skewer to push down the numbers a few times as they absorbed moisture from the Mod Podge).

It is hard to see in the photo above, but I cut the words from both New England Ivy and Candy Apple and layered them to create a shadow effect.

I was not thinking very well – too little sleep – and became nervous that the numbers would be difficult to pick up to change the "date" so I added loops of Shimmer Trim behind each wood shape. I think they are a nice touch, but if you do something similar, be sure not to pinch the top of the loop too much because the Shimmer Trim will crack like paper that is not scored. When attaching the Shimmer Trim to the back of the wood, in addition to using the adhesive on the back of the trim, I added a Glue Dot to the glittered area to give it a little extra hold. I then used a Glue Dot to hold the magnet.

One of the nice things about this project is storage is built in. All of the numbers fit on the back of the wall hanging.

Before you visit ***Melissa Robinson's My Heartfelt Sentiments***, the supplies I used to create my project are listed below.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:

• paper: 'Tis the Season (X7239B)
• 12" X 12" cardstock: New England Ivy (X5959), Candy Apple (X5992)
• specialty paper: Silver Foil Paper (Z3366)
• adhesives: Glue Dots® Ultra-thin Dots (1772)
• tools: Thin Cuts—Stitched Circles (Z4181)
• embellishments: Silver Shimmer Trim (Z1799), Black Shimmer Trim (Z1809), Red Shimmer Trim (Z1848), Candy Apple Striped Ribbon (Z4230)
• Cricut® Artbooking Digital Collection/no cartridge (Z3503)
  • Merry Christmas ― #M58114 ― page 75 ― <Christms>
  • alphabet ― welded "days" and "until"
• Cricut® Season of Joy Digital Collection (Z3296)
  • numbers from Advent Calendar boxes ― ungrouped and deleted everything but the numbers
  • this is my Design Space file with a second option "Countdown to Christmas xx days"
• Cricut® Explore Air™ 2 (available at Level 3 of Hostess Rewards; see page 3 of Holiday Expressions)
• Cricut® Cuttlebug™ (available at Level 1 of Hostess Rewards; see page 2 of Holiday Expressions)
• Supplies not from Close To My Heart: Cricut® Design Space; Fab Lab Crafts Wall Décor (8.11" x 8.07"); Darcie Craftwood Circle (1½" diameter); Darice Round Magnets (0.625"); Mod Podge Waterbase Sealer, Glue and Finish, Matte Finish; foam brush

If you do not have a CTMH Independent Consultant, you may purchase all of the supplies I used on my Consultant website. Before you leave I would be delighted if you left me a comment letting me know what you think of my Countdown Calendar. Thanks for hopping with us! So you do not have to scroll back up, the next stop on the hop is ***Melissa Robinson's My Heartfelt Sentiments***.