Wooden Tree Advent Calendar DIY

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SUPPLIES

Shop the products we used for this project in one place.

• (3) 1″x2″ 8′ Pine Boards
• Miter Saw
• 3/8″ and 1/4″ Drill Bits
• Drill
• Wood Glue
• 1-5/8″ Drywall Screws
• Wood Stain in Kona
• Disposable Gloves
• Heavy Duty Stapler & Staples
• Twine
• 30″ Faux Eucalyptus Stem
• Small Envelopes
• Advent Cards Template
• Small Clothespins
• Round Corner Punch

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STEPS

PART 1: Make the Wood Tree

1. The first thing we did was use our miter saw to cut our 1″x2″ boards down to the correct size. The entire tree was made using 1″x2″ boards.

If you are interested in making this Christmas decor piece, you can find the exact measurements and angles to cut in our wooden Christmas Tree advent calendar DIY plans.

2. We drew an arrow across the two boards that needed to attach together because it helped us see where to drill the pilot holes (parallel to the board).

3. Using a 3/8” drill bit and a drill, we drilled a hole about 1/4” deep to countersink the head of the 1-5/8″ drywall screws.

4. Then we used a 1/4” drill bit to drill through the first board. This hole will direct the screw and allow it to pull the boards together as it anchors into the second board.

5. We drilled a 1-5/8″ screw in to attach the corners of the tree together. If you need extra strength you could also apply wood glue to the two boards.

6. We repeated the previous four steps for every joint of the tree, including the base.

7. We used a screw to visualize how deep of a countersink hole we needed the 3/8” bit to be. This heled ensure that the screw extends well into the 2nd board without breaking out of either board.

8. Next we stained our wood tree shape with our favorite wood stain in Kona. We also like to use disposable gloves when working with the stain because it gets messy! (And yes, we stirred our stain with a stick)

9. Once the stain was dry, we used a heavy duty stapler and stapled our twine to the back of the wood tree. We criss crossed it back and forth to give it an organic look.

22. We used a 1-5/8″ screw to hang our wooden Christmas Tree advent calendar on the wall.

23. Because our toddler walks by this wall 1,000+ times a day, we added a few command strips to keep it nice and secure to the wall.

PART 2: Make the Cards

24. I designed these advent calendar cards in Photoshop. I just listed out as many activities as I could that we could realistically do. Then, I added a few “get a surprise” cards to fill in the gaps. The “surprises” are just a few of those little surprise toy grab bags. It’s a surprise in a surprise!

We made a blank PDF of my advent calendar cards that you can download, print, and fill in with your own activities.

25. Next, we cut each card out and used our super awesome round corner punch to round the corners on each card.

26. To make the envelopes, we just used some small white envelopes we already had and printed numbers on them using our home printer. Then, we sealed them and cut them so they would be square.

We put one of our cards in each envelope. I for real made a calendar so I could plan out all our activities and put them in the correct date envelopes. I didn’t want to risk putting the wrong thing in the wrong day. Our toddler would hold us accountable to whatever the activity was he opened on that date.

27. Finally, we hung each envelope on our wooden tree with mini clothespins. I also stuck a few pieces of a faux eucalyptus stem we had to add a little greenery.

PIN IT FOR LATER