Advent Garland :: Ta-dah!

I've been wanting to make some sort of Advent calendar/garland type thingy for many years now, but until this year I've never been organised enough to get my creative thinking cap on in time. Arriving at the very last few days of November and suddenly wanting to create a handmade advent something-or-another is not really possible. Way too rushy and stressy for it to be worthwhile.

But this year, lo and behold, I have actually managed it. Yaaayyyyyyyyy for me!!!!! I feel very impressed with myself I have to confess, and even though technically speaking I haven't quite finished stitching all twenty four numbers yet, I am overlooking that weeny little fact and giving myself a pat on the back anyway.

The idea for my garland came about when I started making these fabulous crochet granny stars, you probably remember my post about them from a few weeks ago (see here). I was originally intending to string a dozen or so of them into a garland to hang over my fireplace (to replace my heart garland for the festive season), but as with many projects of this nature, I found that once I began making these stars I simply couldn't stop. Soon my starry pile was growing a little out of control and when I finally stopped hooking and started counting, I found I'd made sixteen instead of twelve. And that was when it suddenly occurred to me that if I made just eight more, then sixteen would become twenty four and they could indeed be turned into something Adventy.

So twenty four stars were made and strung onto some pink yarn to make a very looooong and colourful garland. But as festive and pretty as my garland was, my stars were Numberless. And no Advent garland would be complete without a set of twenty four numbers, would it??

I needed numbers of some sort then...hmmmm.....well I pondered and I thought, scratched my head and browsed through this amazing Flickr group for ideas and inspiration and eventually came up with a Number Idea.....

I cut twenty four circles out of coloured felt and lots of numbers out of red cotton fabric, then used iron on bondaweb to attach the  numbers to the felt.

A bit of white embroidery thread and some extremely enjoyable and theraputic hand stitching, and there you have it.....a whole bunch of Advent Numbers!

On the reverse of each number circle (which is visible when they're hung up), I added a circle of bonded cotton fabric (embellished with a button and some stitching) to stiffen the felt and stop it going floppy.

And the final thing was to add some coloured paper clips as an easy Hanging Mechanism.

I'm really rather pleased with how it's turned out.

So are the Little People.

They declared that Mummy did a Good Job.

So shall I show you how it looks?

When it's all hung up?

You'll have to excuse the quality of the following pictures I'm afraid, the light is very poor here today (more rain and gloomy dark skies) and I struggled to hold the camera still enough without wobbling.

ok..

here

it

comes.....

Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a good 8 or 9 ft long and beautifully stretches across the whole width of the archway which divides our living and dining areas downstairs.

And today being the 3rd December, the first three numbers are hanging in place, marking the date and the Big Countdown.

In true, homespun, colourful Attic24 style.

I'm really pleased with my Advent Garland.

In fact I Love, love, love it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Comments

[little pink room]

Beautiful!!

[Jennifer]

Lucy, that's brilliant. I have completed one garland of stars already and am almost done with my second one. I love the idea of turning one of them into an advent calendar. Boy, when I was pregnant, all I could do was fight through a cloud of pregnancy brain, and you, my dear, are just as creative as ever. It looks fantastic. Great job, and I love the colours. Perfectly cheery.

[Heather]

Oh WOW, great job! It's so pretty :-D

well done for getting it made in time too, and it's always good that it's "LP Approved".

xxxxxx

P.S, there is a snowman on my flickr now, he is blind at the moment though but I will make him eyes soon!

[Robbie]

Luce, The garland is sooo beautiful, lovely, colorful, and fun. Your little people will love it forever and the tradition begins!! You're a great MOM!!
Have a great day, Robbie

[Siobhan]

Wow! wow! wow!!! That is just so beautiful. Just brilliant from start to finish - a fantastic idea beautifully executed. It is perfect - maybe the little People can take take turns at attaching the numbers - beats the Blue Peter coat hanger tinsel thingy any day of the week. The colours are so glorious and Christmassy. Love, love, love it - a garland would have been more than enough; turning it into an Advent one is the icing on the cake. Surely everyone who knows you can only stare open-mouthed when they come and visit?

[Sarah A]

As usual no disappointment with your TA DAH!!! BUT WAIT- DO I SEE SOMETHING HOOKY HANGING OVER YOUR LIGHT ABOVE THE TABLE???

[Michelle]

Very different and oh so cool! :-) I wish I was capable of such creativity but I am a beginner in this colourful world as I used to be a goth. I would love to see some snowmen, trees, wreaths & stockings next ;-) I am just starting mine!

[Shelley in SC]

What wonderful fun!! I especially love the numbers with their big, chunky stitching!! As usual your color combining is amazing.

[the cookie cutter]

Stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have made me enjoy colour so much, being more adventurous!!xx

[elaine]

What a brilliant idea;-)) It's so lovely and bright and the paperclipped numbers - genius! I wonder how many of us have been encouraged to make from Blue Peter!LOL! Love it so much but I still have snowflakes to make first - maybe I will have time for them both:-)
Thank you for another lovely idea to try Lucy!

[Gertie]

Just lovely Lucy
xoxo

[Jill]

Very clever and original! A refinement for next year: make the numbers into little bags and put a choccy in each...

[Louise]

Absolutely brilliant! I LOVE it! Well done.

[Tina @ Squirrel Acorns]

Gorgeous! Did you cut all those numbers out by hand. They look so perfect! I love the red numbers with the white stitching through the middle.

[Fabienne]

Wonderful! Your ideas are so lovely. Your Little people are lucky to have you as a Mum.

[Wendy Wager]

Snowflakes and Advent garland - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them too. Brilliant! Thank you yet again Lucy x

[Ghost]

Brilliant!!!

[florence]

Oh that is sooooo cute!

[Kelly]

It's perfect! I love it!

[Jackie]

Lucy ~ I LOVE it! What a wonderful idea and very colourful and very Atticy 24 too. I'm not sure where you manage to find the time to do all this beautiful creative stuff as well as looking after your lovely home and family ~ I think that you must have a couple of extra hours in your day stashed away that I just can't find here no matter how hard I try! Maybe I'll get around to doing something like that for next year :O)

[Kimberly]

I love it too! And I'm so jealous of anyone who can crochet!
Merry Chriatmas! Kimberly

[Mamalion]

Beautiful! Now I wonder if I could pull it off- it's only the 3rd of December, right? Love, love, love the stars and snowflakes!

[simo]

Fantasticoooooooo!!!!

[Kelly]

Maybe I just need to quit teaching...this is such a sweet and wonderful idea. It is so cheery and creates such wonderful anticiaption. Okay, now let me see...quit or try to petition whoever is in charge for another twelve hours a day. Maybe I can give up sleep. Thank you for sharing. ~Kelly

[RachelM]

Oh wow, it's gorgeous!