Spool Advent Calendar Kits

Last year I posted a project for making Christmas Advent calendars from vintage wooden spools. Spools work great for writing messages, verses, or clues to where to discover hidden treats. And Advent calendars aren’t limited to just those with children, several JSIM readers mentioned sharing them with their significant others. This year, I thought it would be fun to take that project to another level by creating Christmas Spool Advent Calendar Kits! Here are some freebies to get you going: PDF files of labeling sheets for kit packaging, numbered wrapping labels for the spools and an illustrated instruction sheet (which you can alter to your own style of instructions if they differ) to include in your kits. (Click on each image to download file.)

I made four Christmas Spool Advent Calendar Kits today with spools I’d been collecting here and there. It takes 24 spools to make one Avent calendar. I find them mostly at thrift stores, but they can be found online and you can also make kits with new wooden spools found in the wood-craft section of most craft stores. Print one sheet each of the numbered wraps and packaging graphics per kit. I printed the packaging labels to full sheet self-adhesive label stock so there was no gluing needed. Print one sheet of instructions for every two Advent Kit sets as there are two per sheet. I cut apart the sheets and rolled the spool wraps and instructions together.I took apart my dollar-store wooden garland for its beads and packaged one bead per spool plus an extra bead, just in case. Of course, you can add 2 beads per pack, or more. I placed them all into coin envelopes, labeled and sealed with sections from the packaging label file. In lieu of envelopes, you can use plastic supply zip-bags, muslin bags, even string them into a loop.Using one additional large vintage wooden spool per kit, I wound enough Divine Twine on each to string all of the Advent spools into ornaments. Be certain that your string and beads are size compatible and will thread easily.I used basic brown paper lunch bags to hold the kit supplies, but you can use just about any container, such as pencil boxes, tins, take-out containers, fabric bags, etc.Once all my pieces were assembled, I placed the spools, twine, beads and rolled instructions & number wraps in each bag and sealed with a strip of decorative “tape” cut from the packaging graphics. I labeled with the main graphic and used a blank label to write on. You can include a glue stick or tape and a list of daily treat ideas or include them in your kit as well. (You can find several ideas listed in this Advent Calendar post.)Now they are all ready to send to my little nieces and nephews far away. Remember- Advent calendars start on December 1st, so chop-chop!