advents for kei

kei asked about advent calendar ideas, so i found a few that i thought were awesome! check out these from whip up - i especially love the string of stockings (#10), the string of envelopes (#24), the sewn pockets one (#16), but my absolute favorite is the 'snowing presents' advent calendar (#4) - LOVE it! maybe for next year? we'll just have to see. i've also seen advent calendars that use favor boxes or jars - just add your numbers and daily surprises! the jar advent was especially clever, i thought, since you could vary the size of the jar to accommodate the day's treat - small for a slip of paper, or large for the ingredients of a recipe or craft project. i made this one this year, using plastic bead jars and magnets:

not bad, eh? oh, and don't forget the ol' standby: the advent paper chain! hope this sparks your ideas!