It's a Countdown

*sigh*...rough day at our house today.  It started with horrible news and the whole day was kind of crappy.  It was the kind of news that when you hear it, you feel like you've been kicked in the gut and makes you stop and think about how life can totally change in a split second.

There was a high point...my Stampin' Kids classes this afternoon.  I had a blast with the kids and it helped me forget about the bad news and focus on something fun!  Today the kids made an awesome advent calendar.

I originally saw this idea on the Create with Connie & Mary blog at Halloween.  They had done it as a countdown to Halloween and I immediately thought of doing it for Christmas.  Really, you could make one up for any special occasion!

It's kind of like a mix between one of those lifesaver books and an advent calendar and so cute!  On the inside, there are two little pockets that each hold a package of gum.  Each of the pieces of gum has a number on it, so they get one piece of gum each day for the 24 days before Christmas.

The kids used the cute Candy Cane DSP and Rub Ons from the Holiday Mini for their project.  I took my cardstock colors right out of the DSP color palette...Garden Green, Baja Breeze, Real Red, Blushing Bride and I threw in some Wild Wasabi!  I kept it pretty simple becuase I had a wide age range of kids in my classes.

The numbers were stamped with the Calendar Alphabet and Numbers set with Basic Black ink.  They were punched out with the circle in the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack and stuck on with a little dot of Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive (the moms were in charge of that glue...LOL!!).

Super cute and the kids loved them.  I think they will have a hard time waiting until December to start in on their gum!  The gum I chose for this project is Juicy Fruit...obviously the ones that come in the blister pack!  And, each countdown takes 2 packs.

That's all for today.  I will close by saying...RIP Cst. Sheldon Twigg and family.  You will all be missed.