Create a new holiday tradition this year with an advent tree

I have been waiting to share this project with you for a while. I know that Halloween is this week but I just can't wait any longer to start posting holiday ideas using our fabulous holidays packaging products. 

For all of those customers who shop in our Toronto store and have already purchased the materials to make one of these advent tree after seeing it on display ... this one is for you!

We have sold these trees in our wedding section for years but I have always thought that they would make a modern looking display for the the holidays. I used a white tree but they come in two sizes and there are some colour options so do whatever suits your holiday decor.

 I tied mini red and white boxes and bags to the bendable branches of the tree with the help of some red and white baker's twine. Our chalkboard sticker labels are perfect for numbering the tiny packages and I used chalkboard markers so that the numbers would not rub off easily. 

The tree base is white but I painted it with chalkboard paint for a fun detail. I added white sizzle wrap to the base of the tree to cover the white stones.  

I used four different packaging containers on my tree. These products all come in different colours so if you are not really into red check out the other colour options for these products. You can also recreate this advent tree using only one kind of packaging, for example all mini take out boxes, if you prefer a simpler look.

These are the supplies and tools that I used to create the packaging products for the tree: mini take out boxes, mini boxes, pillow boxes, mini paper bags, chalkboard stickers, chalk marker, baker's twine, scissors and hole punch.

Our rectangular chalkboard stickers are not the right size for the mini packaging for this project but they are very easy to cut into squares as you can see from my picture above. Hold onto those small pieces because I'm sure that they will come in handy in another project! 

Tip: it is easier to write the numbers on the chalkboard stickers with chalk markers BEFORE you add them to the finished packages. 

The mini take out box is perfect if you want to fill it with some mini candy bars or small toys. To make the mini take out box into ornaments to hang you will need to tie a piece of baker's twine to the wire handle. I tied a knot and then created a loop for hanging with the ends of the twine. If you cut the twine long enough you can tie a bow at the top. Add a chalkboard label to the side of the box as shown above.

I love pillow boxes and these ones are a great size for small candy bars or treats. I wrapped baker's twine around the pillow boxes a few times and then tied a knot at the top before creating a loop for hanging. I didn't tie a bow on top of my loop on this package because I didn't want all of the packages to have the same detail ... you could add a bow if you want! Add the chalkboard label over top of the twine on the side of the box as shown above.

I designed these packages with the idea that this advent tree could be reused for years to come. So with that in mind I decided to punch a hole in the top of the mini box so that I could hang the box and the lid could easily be opened and closed. You will need to punch the hole in the middle of the box top so that it hangs straight ... I used my crafting hole punch with a long reach. Create a loop for hanging with a long piece of baker's twine using a bulky knot that is larger than the hole in the box. Insert the loop of the baker's twine through the back of the hole and pull until you reach the knot. Insert a small toy or treat and close the lid on the box. Add the chalkboard label to the side of the box as shown above. 

I adore these mini paper bags ... they come in so many great colours and although the other packing products have red and white stripes I think that the chevron pattern co-ordinates works here. These bags don't hold a lot but my idea on these were to add little love notes inside telling your child to look some where special for a surprise. Maybe a new book tucked away in their bedroom closet. Or maybe it's a message telling them that you are going to watch a holiday show with them on tv tonight. To hang the paper bags I punched two holes near the top of the bag. I created a loop with the baker's twine and tied a knot leaving two long ends to attach to the bag. Important note: you will have to add the note or treat into the bag before you go onto the next step. Pull one end of the baker's twine through each hole starting at the back of the bag and ending up in the front. Tie a simple bow to hold and you are ready to hang. Add the chalkboard label to the front of the bag as shown above.

Once you have made all 25 packages, hang them on your tree and just wait for the kids to start jumping up and down! Looking for more great advent ideas? Check out our Pinterest Christmas boards for more inspiration. 

And as promised, in this post I am happy to announce the winner of our first ever PIN IT TO WIN contest. Thanks to everyone that is now following us on Pinterest and a special thanks to everyone that entered the contest. Our winner is May C. and her winning pin can be seen here. 

Have a great week everyone!