A shop-bought advent calendar does the job for about a week, then the chocolate runs out and the doors feel thin. A handmade one is different. You choose what goes inside, you make it to fit the wall or mantel you actually have, and if you build it from wood or felt, it comes back out of the box next December. These 18 DIY advent calendar ideas cover the whole range, from an envelope garland you can finish in an evening to a painted wooden chest that becomes a family heirloom. Every idea links to the creator’s own tutorial, so you can see the full steps before you start. If the kids want more Christmas making once the calendar is up, these simple Christmas crafts for kids use many of the same supplies.
What you need before you start
Most of these calendars share a small base kit: 24 containers, a way to number them from 1 to 24, something to fill them with, and a way to hang or display the finished piece. Paper calendars need kraft bags or envelopes, twine, mini clothespins, a marker or number stickers, and tape or glue. Felt and fabric ones need felt or cotton, a needle and thread or a sewing machine, and a dowel to hang them from. Wooden ones need paint, brushes, and strong glue for knobs. Buy the fillers first and check they fit your containers.
How to pick the right calendar
Start with time, not looks. If you have one evening, pick envelopes, paper bags, or a muffin tin. If you have a weekend, matchboxes, toilet roll tubes, and the shoe organiser are all doable. If you want something to last for years, felt and wood are worth the extra evenings. Then think about who opens it. Toddlers need soft felt or sturdy paper bags with nothing small enough to swallow. Older kids can handle tiny drawers and jars, and grown-ups tend to like the wooden and fabric ones. Finally, measure the wall first, as a 24-pocket hanging is bigger than most people expect.
1. Paper bag wall garland
Small craft paper bags, a marker, and a row of clothespins are all this one takes. Monika Hibbs numbers each bag by hand, fills it with a small treat or trinket, and hangs the bags in rows on the wall, each clothespin stuck in place with a picture hanging strip. The bags are a decent size, so they hold more than flat sweets.
Idea and tutorial: Monika Hibbs.
2. Sewn paper-bag shape pouches
This one turns old shop paper bags into the calendar itself. Pillar Box Blue draws round Christmas cookie cutters on the bags, cuts out matching pairs of shapes, and sews them together on a machine, leaving a gap to slip a treat inside. No sewing machine is no problem, as glue does the same job. Each shape gets a stencilled number, and the finished pouches hang from twine with small craft pegs.
Idea and tutorial: Pillar Box Blue.
3. Matchbox drawer chest
Twenty-four little drawers, each one a paper matchbox, glued into a chest. Dee at Artsy Dee builds the drawers from a printable template, glues them into rows, and finishes each one with a round number seal. The tutorial also includes a paper cone template and a sheet of number seals. The drawers only hold small things, which suits notes, stickers, and tiny sweets.
Idea and tutorial: Dee at Artsy Dee.
4. Folded wool felt pockets
Half a yard of wool felt becomes 24 pockets here, with no cutting of individual pockets at all. Fiddlehead Artisan Supply folds the felt back and forth in three-inch pleats, presses each fold, and topstitches the rows so the pockets stack neatly. The finished piece is sewn onto a felt backing, and the wool felt gives it a weight and softness that cotton cannot match.
Idea and tutorial: Fiddlehead Artisan Supply.
5. Embroidered felt pocket calendar
Purl Soho’s version is the heirloom of the list. Three-inch felt pockets in seven bright colours each carry a small embroidered number square, sewn on with a straight stitch, and the pockets are then laid out six to a panel on thick ecru felt. It is a slow project, and the embroidery takes the time, but the result is a calendar a family can use for decades.
Idea and tutorial: Purl Soho.
6. Felt Christmas tree wall hanging
A green felt tree sewn onto a background panel, with small felt pockets stitched across it and buttons sewn on as ornaments. Skip to My Lou cuts five pockets from each of five felt colours, each about three and a half inches square, and sews them to the background with the tops left open. The tutorial is written as a Jesse Tree, but the same tree works with treats, notes, or small toys.
Idea and tutorial: Skip to My Lou.
7. Toilet roll pail calendar
Save the cardboard tubes for a few weeks and this calendar costs almost nothing. Angie Holden wraps 24 toilet paper and paper towel rolls in scrapbook paper with a coat of Mod Podge, adds printed numbers, and fills each one with sweets. The ends fold in like a pillow box, so nothing falls out, and the finished rolls drop into a metal pail ready for the 1st of December. The whole project cost her 99 cents in paper plus the sweets inside.
Idea and tutorial: Angie Holden at The Country Chic Cottage.
8. Cardboard tube treat boxes on a tree board
Southern Revivals turns the same cardboard tubes into neat little treat boxes and hangs them from a Christmas tree made of painted wood scraps. Each tube gets a strip of printed tape down the centre, slits cut at the top and bottom, and the flaps folded in to form a box. Baker’s twine ties each one shut, and small metal rim tags stamped with numbers finish them off. The boxes are big enough for small toys as well as sweets.
Idea and tutorial: Southern Revivals.
9. Toilet roll Christmas village
Twelve toilet rolls, cut in half, become 24 tiny houses. Cushelle’s tutorial paints the tube pieces red and white, cuts circles from a flattened tissue box to close one end of each tube, and adds paper cone roofs with a string threaded through the tip for hanging. The houses are numbered, filled with small treats, and drawn on with windows, doors, and hearts. It takes about two hours, and children can do most of it.
Idea and tutorial: Cushelle.
10. Painted wooden drawer calendar
Kitchen Counter Chronicle starts with a plain wooden advent calendar with 24 drawers and paints it into something personal. After a first coat of white paint to even out the wood, the drawer fronts are painted in bright colours. The drawer pulls are handmade from air-dry clay, rolled into small balls, left to dry for a day, and painted to match before being glued on.
Idea and tutorial: Kitchen Counter Chronicle.
11. Painted wooden organiser calendar
Hey Let’s Make Stuff turns a wooden organiser box with 24 drawers into an advent calendar, and the deep drawers are the point. They hold far more than the flat drawers on most shop-bought calendars, so this one suits small toys and proper treats. The box is painted in six bright craft paint colours, the knobs are painted or stained separately so the drawer fronts stay clean, and the numbers go on with Cricut-cut vinyl or the little wooden numbers that come with the box.
Idea and tutorial: Hey Let’s Make Stuff.
12. Minimal envelope calendar on a dowel
For a hallway or a small flat, this is the calendar that takes up the least space. The Merrythought hangs small envelopes from a half-inch dowel on lengths of string cut to different lengths, so the envelopes fall in a loose cascade down the wall. Each one holds a printable activity card, and eucalyptus and a dried orange garland dress the dowel. Number the envelopes with stamps or stickers, and hang the dowel while you work so you can see the spacing.
Idea and tutorial: The Merrythought.
13. Envelope calendar dressed as presents
Amanda Formaro’s version starts with 25 plain white envelopes and turns each one into a tiny wrapped present. Coloured paper is cut into inch-and-a-half squares, thin white strips are glued across them in a criss-cross, and the little presents go on the front of each envelope. Inside each one is a secret message, an activity, or a treat for a child to find. Hang them from string, clip them on with miniature clothespins, or stick them to a door with wall putty. Numbers from 1 to 25 take the calendar right through to Christmas Day.
Idea and tutorial: Amanda Formaro at Crafts by Amanda.
14. Magnetic muffin tin calendar
A 24-cup mini muffin tin is already an advent calendar if you look at it the right way. Mom Endeavors cuts paper into squares of about two and a quarter inches, sticks a small magnet on the back of each one, and adds a number, so the squares snap over the cups and lift off each morning. This version skips sweets and fills each cup with a folded activity slip instead, so December becomes 24 small things to do together rather than 24 small things to eat.
Idea and tutorial: Mom Endeavors.
15. Over-the-door shoe organiser calendar
A 24-pocket shoe organiser hung over a door is a calendar with no building at all. Elizabeth Joan Designs stencils gold numbers onto the front of each pocket with a sponge brush and reusable stencils, then glues strips of red wool round the edges as a border. The pockets are deep enough for real gifts, which is rare for a calendar this cheap, and it hangs on a bedroom door where children can reach it themselves.
Idea and tutorial: Elizabeth Joan Designs.
16. Painted mason jar star calendar
Bosch DIY builds this one around 24 mason jars and a wooden star. The jars are coated on the inside with colourful acrylic paint. Just pour a little in, close the lid, and swirl it round until the glass is covered, then leave them to dry. The star is cut from two boards, painted white, and fixed to a wooden beam, with a numbered sticker on the bottom of each jar.
Idea and tutorial: Bosch DIY.
17. Nativity felt pocket calendar
McKenzie Sue Makes designed this one for a church activity night, and it shows in the best way: it is simple, cheap, and built for a group. A navy felt backdrop gets three rows of pockets sewn on from strips of felt, each pocket just over two inches wide, which gives exactly 24 pockets. The nativity pieces, 24 of them, are printed onto transfer paper, ironed onto white felt, and cut out, then the numbers are hot-glued onto the pockets.
Idea and tutorial: McKenzie Sue Makes.
18. Fabric envelope-pocket calendar
The Seam Whisperer’s “Christmas Letters” calendar is a sewn wall hanging with envelope-shaped pockets made from Christmas charm packs, those pre-cut five-inch squares of coordinating cotton. The pockets are sewn in rows with a vertical stitch between each flap so they read as separate little envelopes. Pom-pom fringe runs along the bottom, buttons and bows decorate the front, and the numbers go on with iron-on vinyl or a fabric marker.
Idea and tutorial: Seam Whisperer.
Tips for filling and storing your calendar
Fill the whole calendar before the 1st of December. Trying to fill it the night before each day is how a lovely project turns into a chore by the second week. Mix the fillers: a sweet one day, a note the next, a small toy or an activity after that. For children, activity slips work well, things like baking cookies, watching a Christmas film, or making a card for a neighbour. When December ends, wipe the felt, fabric, and wooden ones and pack them away; paper ones can be refilled if the pockets are still sound.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a simple DIY advent calendar?
Pick one container you can make 24 of, such as paper bags, envelopes, or a muffin tin. Number them from 1 to 24, fill each one with something small, and hang them or set them out somewhere you will see them every day.
When should I start making an advent calendar?
Start in mid-November. That leaves time to gather supplies, make the calendar itself, and fill it before the 1st of December, which is when the countdown starts. Paper calendars can be made in an evening, but felt and wooden ones need a few sessions, so give yourself at least two weeks for those.
What can I put in a DIY advent calendar besides chocolate?
Small toys, stickers, hair clips, and erasers work for children, and folded activity notes work for the whole family. Grown-ups like tea bags, lip balm, small candles, and handwritten notes. A mix works best: a treat one day, an activity the next, and a small gift on Sundays.
How many days does an advent calendar have?
Most have 24 doors, running from the 1st to the 24th of December. Some calendars run to 25 days so Christmas Day gets a door too, and a few tutorials on this list use 25 pockets for that reason. Either way, the first door opens on the 1st of December.
What is the easiest advent calendar to make with kids?
Paper bags or envelopes. Children can number the bags, decorate them with stickers, and help fill them, and there is no sewing, cutting of small parts, or hot glue involved. The toilet roll pail calendar is another good one, as wrapping the tubes in paper is easy for small hands.
Can I reuse a DIY advent calendar next year?
Wooden, felt, and fabric calendars are made to be reused, and they get better with age. Paper and cardboard ones can be refilled once or twice if they are stored flat and kept dry, but they will wear out sooner. Whatever the material, empty the calendar in January and store it somewhere dry so it is ready to fill again next November.
Pick one and start this weekend
The best advent calendar is the one that is actually hanging on the wall on the 1st of December, so pick the idea that fits the time you have and start with it. And once the calendar is up, the small things inside it still need wrapping: these handmade Christmas gift tags use the same papers and tools, and the little notes tucked into the pockets can be DIY Christmas cards for kids to make and give. Make the calendar, fill it, and let December do the rest.
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