Showing posts with label advent calendar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advent calendar. Show all posts

countdown to the holidays - part three of three

Monday, 20 November 2017

countdown to the holidays inspiration | Creative Bag

Here's one more way to countdown to the holidays and add a whimsical element to your holiday entertaining decor. 

http://www.creativebag.com/ca/

Wedding planners and brides love our decorative trees for centrepieces all year round. But did you know that you can also use these trees for display purposes? We painted the base of a four foot tree black and added beach stones and a burlap striped ribbon to match to our rustic themed party decor.

count down to the holidays inspiration from Creative Bag

Two inch square gift boxes were wrapped up with bands of kraft wood grain wrapping paper and tied up with red jute rope. We numbered all twenty-five boxes using blackboard stickers and chalk markers and fastened loops of plain baker's twine to the jute rope for hanging.

Stay tuned for more holiday gift wrapping and entertaining ideas!

If you missed our first two countdown ideas you can find them here and here.



Styled shoot credits:

photography  Heidi Lau Photography 
hand lettering  Love Lettering   
florals Flowerly 
nutrition specialist  Simply Nic Nutrition 
packaging & entertaining supplies  Creative Bag  
creative direction  Lorrie Everitt  


count down to the holidays inspiration from Creative Bag



Countdown to the holidays - part two of three

Wednesday, 15 November 2017

sweet countdown to the holiday idea using mini advent cookies and muslin bags | creativebag.com

Here's a sweet idea for an interactive countdown display. If you read our last blog post you may recognize that we've reused our wood display board in this set up. We replaced the linen draw string bags with 3"x4" natural muslin pouches so that you can see the adorable mini advent cookies from The Teeny Tiny Bakery inside. 

sweet countdown to the holiday idea using mini advent cookies and muslin bags | creativebag.com

Sources: cookies, rose gold glass box


The Teeny Tiny Bakery will be selling their mini cookies at the One of a Kind Show later this month. You can also contact them here for more information about their 2017 advent cookies.

sweet countdown to the holiday idea using mini advent cookies and muslin bags | creativebag.com

Sources: advent mini cookies, muslin drawstring bags, chalkboard sign on stand, striped ribbon, battery operated string of lights, glassware, wrapping paper.

sweet countdown to the holiday idea using mini advent cookies and muslin bags | creativebag.com

Instead of numbering the bags, Learzi from Autumn Grey Designs added gold hand lettering directly to the display board. The bags were left blank so that the cookies could be seen through the fabric. The gold numbers are revealed as each bag is removed from the board. 

sweet countdown to the holiday idea using mini advent cookies and muslin bags | creativebag.com

sweet countdown to the holiday idea using mini advent cookies and muslin bags | creativebag.com

Green striped ribbon and small natural greenery were added to make the muslin bags a little more decorative and interesting. Our greenery elements and wreaths were created for us by Christine from Flower Treasures.

Stay tuned for more ways to countdown the holidays.



Styled Shoot Credits:

photography  Janet Kwan Photography 
hand lettering  Autumn Grey Designs 
greenery and wreaths Flower Treasures   
packaging and entertaining products Creative Bag
creative direction Lorrie Everitt



sweet countdown to the holiday idea using mini advent cookies and muslin bags | creativebag.com

Countdown to the holidays - part one of three

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

countdown to the holidays with hand lettered pin-back buttons on linen drawstring bags | creativebag.com

Make every day a treat this holiday season with interactive countdown displays.

This do-it-yourself countdown calendar was created using 4"x5" linen drawstring bags, chalkboard pin-backed buttons, clothespins and a wood canvas display board.

countdown to the holidays with hand lettered pin-back buttons on linen drawstring bags | creativebag.com

countdown to the holidays with hand lettered pin-back buttons on linen drawstring bags | creativebag.com

You can find the instructions for turning a large 24" x 36" wood canvas into a countdown display board here.

countdown to the holidays with hand lettered pin-back buttons on linen drawstring bags | creativebag.com

Pin-back buttons were spray painted with chalkboard paint and attached to each of our linen drawstring bags. You can use chalk markers or paint pens to number each button.

countdown to the holidays with hand lettered pin-back buttons on linen drawstring bags | creativebag.com


Doris Wai hand lettered each pin-back button for this project. She approached each number a little differently for a whimsical twist. If you are interested in learning more about hand lettering - what tools to use, how to get started and project ideas - Doris shares all of her hand lettering secrets in her recently published book "Extraordinary Hand Lettering".

Stay tuned for more countdown to the holiday inspiration.





Styled Shoot Credits:

photography  Heidi Lau Photography 
hand lettering  Love Lettering   
florals Flowerly 
cake and sweets  Cakelaine   
nutrition specialist  Simply Nic Nutrition 
craft beer  Hometown Brew Co. 
packaging & entertaining supplies  Creative Bag  
creative direction  Lorrie Everitt  
& the handcrafted artisans:
Gather 33    


countdown to the holidays with hand lettered pin-back buttons on linen drawstring bags | creativebag.com
Sources: handcrafted rabbit and bear and reindeer felted ornament by Milo and Ben

Countdown to the holidays inspiration from Style at Home and Creative Bag

Friday, 13 November 2015





If you are planning to create a advent calendar to count down the holidays, November is the month to start planning and get your diy on. 

We were very excited to see what blogger Jennifer Flores from Rambling Renovations created using our cotton drawstring bags. You can see it in Style at Home November 2015 magazine.


Jennifer's refined rustic room was so beautiful - contemporary with lots of natural details. The fabric bags hanging on the mantle make such a great focal point and make a beautiful holiday decorating detail even if you don't have small children. You will find more decorating inspiration for the holidays on Jennifer's blog here.


Looking for more count down inspiration? Check out our Creative Living online magazine from last year here as well as on our Pinterest board. 



Countdown to the holidays + free printables

Wednesday, 19 November 2014


countdown to the holidays with Creative Bag

Countdown calendars are a fun holiday tradition. Pinterest is a great source for finding creative and interesting calendar ideas and it's easy to make your own using our packaging products and a little imagination. We'll help you get started with some project inspiration of our own and a few free printables.

countdown to the holidays with free printables and products from Creative Bag

Advent calendars are not just for small children. Even grown up "kids" love to open a treat each day, so give them a box of "countdown chocolates" and watch them smile. Download the printables for these chocolate wrappers and use tissue paper to wrap the chocolate before adding the wrappers. This would make a great hostess gift idea for a chocolate lover. We packed the chocolates in a kraft window box lined with sizzle and finished off with a wide cotton ribbon. 

countdown to the holidays with free printables and products from Creative Bag

Mom deserves a treat (everyday) too! Display the countdown chocolates in a pretty candy dish and let the kid's know these are off limits with a cute little chalkboard sign. 

countdown to the holidays with free printables and products from Creative Bag


countdown to the holidays with free printables and products from Creative Bag

Fabric bags make wonderful countdown calenders. Just add a number to each bag and fill them up with treats. I used the small tags from the free printables kit on these cotton bags. Simply punch a hole in each tag and attach the tags to the bags using baker's twine and mini safety pins. I displayed the cotton bags in a vintage inspired drawer from our wedding collection. 

countdown to the holidays with free printables and products from Creative Bag

Advent calendars don't have to be re-used year after year. If you are looking for an inexpensive idea for this year's countdown, why not use paper bags. They are available in a number of different sizes, colours and even patterns. Print the larger tags from the printables download on white cardstock and use mini clothespins to attach them to the bags. Display the bags in a wood market tray.

countdown to the holidays with free printables and products from Creative Bag

Download the printables here. They can be printed on white cardstock, blank sticker sheets or iron on transfer paper. 

countdown to the holidays with free printables and products from Creative Bag

Twenty-five cotton bags were embellished with iron-on transfers and hung from twenty-five clothespins mounted on a large chalkboard. The tutorial for this project can be found here.

countdown to the holidays with free printables and products from Creative Bag

Download the printables here for the numbers. I created the art in two versions in the kit, one version includes the "mirror-image" for iron-on transfers. 


countdown to the holidays with products from Creative Bag

My original countdown calendar tree idea has be copied a number of times ... but it is still one of my favourite holiday projects. Check out my tutorial for making one of these yourself using our mini chevron bags and striped boxes. 

countdown to the holidays with products from Creative Bag

Not everyone is counting down 25 days. This countdown is ideal for counting down a smaller number of days. I created mine one for a daughter that is away in University. She can count down the days in until her last exam before coming home for the holidays.

Fill small jewellery boxes with treats. Keep the lids closed with washi or glitter tape and number each box with a chalkboard sticker. Then tie the boxes together using baker's twine so that the calendar can be hung from a coat hook, door knob or curtain rod in a dorm room. 

countdown to the holidays with products from Creative Bag

Twenty-five wrapping paper tubes make a unique (and inexpensive) advent calendar. Make them all the same, as I did, or select a variety of different co-ordinating papers. Use chalkboard labels to number each package and display them on a wood market tray or in a shallow basket. The kids will look forward to ripping open one of these fun little packages each morning. 

Find the tutorial to make these wrapping paper tubes here.

countdown to the holidays with products from Creative Bag

Metal tags with numbers were added to linen bags using mini brads. We have a limited number of these metal tags in our Toronto store but I don't think they will last for very long ... they are just so cute. Keep a look out for unique products with numbers that can be added to bags and boxes using brads, pins or glue.


countdown to the holidays with products from Creative Bag

I painted an old display shelf with chalk paint and used it to display twenty-five gift wrapped boxes to create this unique advent calendar. A holiday ornament was added to each shelf as a bonus treat to hang on the tree as well. Here's what I did ...

countdown to the holidays with products from Creative Bag

I used twenty-five white 2x2x2 gift boxes and wrapped them with "Into the Woods" paper bands after filling each box with a treat. Chalkboard tags were used to number the boxes and red twine added a little pop of colour and added to the woodland theme. I used a white chalk marker to write on the tags instead of using chalk so that the numbers would be smug proof.

countdown to the holidays with products from Creative Bag

If you recreate any of these projects or make something different using our products send us a picture on our Facebook page ... I'd love to see what you come up with!





25 advent diy projects to inspire you from Pinterest ... make them yourself with our products!

Saturday, 2 November 2013



25 advent diy projects ... see it on Pinterest ... make it with creativebag.com

In my last post I showed you how to make a holiday advent calendar using one of our trees and assorted boxes and bags. Today I bring to you 25 advent diy projects you can find on our Pinterest boards here and here!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

 Be inspired on Pinterest and then check out our website to find many of the supplies that you will need to make these projects yourself.

25 advent diy projects ... see them on Pinterest ... make them with Creative Bag

25 advent diy projects ... see it on Pinterest ... make it with creativebag.com

25 advent diy projects ... see it on Pinterest ... make it with creativebag.com

Be inspired on Pinterest ... make it yourself with Creative Bag.





Create a new holiday tradition this year with an advent tree

Tuesday, 29 October 2013

advent tree diy from Creative Bag

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.

advent tree diy from Creative Bag

 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. 

advent tree diy from Creative Bag

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.
advent tree diy from Creative Bag
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.

advent tree diy from Creative Bag

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. 
advent tree diy from Creative Bag
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.
advent tree diy from Creative Bag
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.
advent tree diy from Creative Bag
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. 
advent tree diy from Creative Bag
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.

advent tree diy from Creative Bag

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!