DIY Advent Calendar

For this DIY advent calendar you will need:

• A tool board (here a perforated hardboard panel, easier to paint, 60 x 90 cm)

• 24 hooks to fit your wall panel

• 24 sheets of paper and something to decorate them with: paint, felt-tip pens, etc.

• a glue stick

• a pair of scissors

• small clips or paper clips

• 6 screws 50cm, 6 washers, 6 fixings for the board

STEP 1: PAINT TIME

Paint the panel

Simply apply two coats of paint (using the colour of your choice) with a roller.

Locate the desired position for the panel and mark the locations of the fixings: at the 4 corners and in the middle of the longest length.

Drill holes to fit the correct fixings to your wall.

Fix by inserting the dividers between the wall and the panel and adding a washer between the screw head and the panel.

Design a template for each door; an example of the template used for this article can be seen above. You can use paper, card, cardboard – whatever takes your fancy! Then glue the back and sides of the door so it creates an envelope to put the surprises in.

You can draw, create winter motifs or paint: it’s up to you! For the envelope of the door, you can add little treats to them – or alternatively, you could write jokes, riddles, or even start a treasure hunt to find the surprise somewhere around the house.

Insert the hooks on your panel and fix the doors with a clip. You can either arrange them in a regular pattern or arrange them randomly as in our black model.