Make Your Own Magnetic Advent Calendar

Header-imageThe 1st of December and the start of Advent (and of the course the countdown to Christmas) is just around the corner.

Advent is a time of expectance, excitement and preparation ahead of the celebrations of the Nativity of Jesus in the Christian calendar. It is also a time when excited children open a door on their Advent calendars every day, usually to retrieve small chocolates, gifts or uncover traditional Nativity images.

After Christmas, millions of exhausted Advent calendars are simply discarded. This year, why not invest the time in creating your own Advent calendar out of small tins, matchboxes or even a cake tray. Here we will show you how to create a magical, reusable Advent calendar for the whole family to enjoy. Unfortunately, chocolates are not included…

By making your own magnetic Advent calendar, you can create any design you wish on the items you choose to store your 24 treats, making it completely unique. You can include any treats or gifts you wish (it doesn’t have to be chocolate) and you can arrange them in any way you like. One of the best ideas we were given by one of our customers was to include a Christmas activity for each day such as watch a Christmas film, or bake some Christmas treats. Hopefully the following ideas will give you all the inspiration you need.

 

Equipment needed to make cake tray Advent calendarHow to make a cake tray Advent calendar

What you need:

  • Cake tray or muffin tray with 24 holes (not aluminium as magnets won’t stick to it). We got ours from Amazon for just £6.99.
  • Two A4 flexible self-adhesive magnetic sheets for creating your windows.
  • A further A4 flexible self-adhesive magnetic sheet for the reverse if you wish to magnetically attach your calendar to a metal surface such as your fridge door.
  • Sharp scissors.
  • Your choice of treats, gifts or activities – one for each day.

 

 

Step one

Take your cake tray and measure the distance from the centre of the space in between two holes, to half way between the next adjacent hole.

Measurements being taken from a cake tray
Step two

Create your 24 circular windows, one for each day, to the dimensions taken from your tray on paper or card. You can download our designs to use and save time if you wish.

Download Advent calendar designs
Step three

Stick your designs to the self-adhesive magnetic sheets.

Sticking printed designs onto self-adhesive magnetic sheet
Step four

Cut out your circular designs and stick them to your tray covering each hole.

Cutting out circular Advent calendar windows
Step five

Collect your treats together and hide one behind each window.

Chocolate hidden behing magnetic Advent calendar window
Step six

Apply an A4 self-adhesive magnetic sheet to the back of the tray and fix the completed calendar to a steel surface such as your fridge.

Sticking self-adhesive magnetic sheet to back of cake tray
Step seven

Each day uncover one treat and enjoy!

Cake tray Advent calendar stuck to fridge

How to make a favour tin Advent Calendar

What you need:

Step one

Measure the diameter of the lid on your tins and draw out 24 circles to this diameter on your paper or card. You can use our template if you have the same size favour tins.

Measuring the lid of a favour tin with a ruler
Step two

Cut out your designs and stick one on to each lid.

Sticking circular design to favour tin lid
Step three

Peel off one self-adhesive magnetic dot at a time and stick it onto the bottom of a tin. Repeat this for every tin and leave them all to one side while the lids and magnets dry.

Sticking self-adhesive magnet on to favour tin
Step four

Collect your treats together and hide one in each tin.

Chocolates inside favour tins
Step five

Arrange them on your fridge or other steel surface and open one each day to enjoy.

Favour tin Advent calendar stuck to fridge

 

calendars-combined2

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