Matchbox Advent Calendar Tutorial

I’ve written about our Advent calendars here before, but this year I thought I’d share how I make them. I’ve never actually written down the steps before, so I’ve probably done it a little bit differently each time. As you will see, I’m not an expert and made some mistakes, so hopefully you can learn from them, and maybe figure out a better way to do it! They do take a bit of time, but they are a treasured tradition that we look forward to each year. 🙂

This is the Advent calendar which my mom’s friend made for me over 30 years ago:

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Finding good quality matchboxes seems to be getting more and more difficult with each one I make. The boxes also seem to be getting smaller, so it’s harder to find candy that will fit! For the oldest two, I found some that were sturdy but not very large. The ones I used for E and L were almost the same size as mine, but not nearly so well-made. I was going to make Little R one last year, but the boxes I ordered from a seller via Amazon were very poor quality and many were damaged when I got them. This year I found some from a seller on Etsy. They arrived in perfect condition and seem fairly sturdy, but they are not very tall. But we will make do. 🙂

So, the materials list:

  • 24 matchboxes
  • Beads for the drawer pulls
  • Christmas stickers (I’ve used various kinds, from the vintage ones I found on Etsy for Mr. E’s calendar, to some from the dollar store for the youngest two)
  • Christmas scrapbook or wrapping paper
  • Mod Podge or something similar – I’m still using the bottle of decoupage finish I bought 10+ years ago!
  • Sponge applicator or paintbrush
  • Alphabet stickers if you want to personalize it
  • A pen/marker or label maker for the numbers
  • Needle and thread
  • Scissors

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I started by poking the holes for the beads, but in hindsight, this probably should have waited until after the decoupage finish, because the glue plugged up the holes. 😛 So, start with the stickers! You will probably want to give some thought to sticker placement – whether they will all be on one side or mixed up. I should have thought this out better, because I ended up having to move some around. Another idea, which you can see exemplified on my Advent calendar, is to divide up larger stickers over two or more boxes.

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I had to trim some of the stickers because they were too large, and I wasn’t entirely happy with how that looked. So, again, something to consider before you start! If desired, put a coat of decoupage over the drawer front (I haven’t always done this, but it can help the stickers stay on), then when it’s dry, poke two holes with a needle. I made mine horizontal because the drawers were so narrow, but if they’re taller you can make them vertical.
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Then comes the tedious job of sewing on each bead, but audiobooks or Christmas carols help! I knotted my thread both at the beginning and end (which was tricky) to try to keep the beads on longer. But usually there are several beads that need to be reattached each year. 😉

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Then it’s time to stack and glue together the drawer holders – or whatever the correct term is. I did it without the drawers inserted because I didn’t want them to stick. I did note some buckling when it dried, though, and wondered if it would have been better if the drawers were in…

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Four across and six up is the tradition here, but you can do it any way you please. 🙂

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When they have dried, you can cover it with the pretty paper. I used some fun vintage-print paper from my scrapbook stash, but wrapping paper works fine, too. First, I estimated how much I needed and cut off the extra.

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Then I glued the paper to the top, lining up the edges.

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I cut off the corners of the paper, leaving a bit of overlap on the top and bottom to wrap around the sides. Here’s how it looked before I finished gluing it.

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Glue the bottom next, wrapping the flaps around and attaching to the sides. Trim any excess.

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Then glue the sides and trim.

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Apply a coat of decoupage finish over the entire outside of the paper cover, letting the top dry and then turning it over to do the bottom.

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Finally come the numbers: I have just written mine on with a pen or marker (and yes, sometimes made mistakes). The numbers for my calendar were done with a label maker. Stickers would work, too. This is another place where you might want to pause and consider how you want to do it so the numbers are mixed up enough. Hunting for each day’s number is part of the fun! I cheated this time and just copied the numbers off hubby’s so I wouldn’t have to think about it. 😛

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And then you are done! Well, except for filling it with candy. But I usually make an evening of that a day or two before the first of December. 🙂

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