Countdown to Christmas!
Greetings!
With December just around the corner, we're eagerly awaiting Christmas by making advent calendars to help us count down the days! By using our popular Matchbox Die and coordinating accessories, you can craft 24 days of handmade joy like this very merry project from Creative Director Taylor VanBruggen, which you'll find in our Make This Project department.
Check it out...
A Note from Taylor
 One holiday tradition that I love (and that our girls are just getting old enough to appreciate) is the advent calendar for the month of December. I decided to upgrade our old advent calendar and create something new for this year and many years to come.
Taylor's advent is a traditional 24-day calendar of holiday goodness! She adhered a magnet to the back of each Matchbox and displayed them on an 11 x 17 inch cookie sheet.
To number her boxes, Taylor used our Clearly Planned Candy Cane Numbers stamps and dies , as well as our Sweet & Simple Alpha Lower dies. She gave several of her boxes festive, stamped backdrops with our Matchy Backgrounds – Holiday.
With our new, recently-released Matchy characters designed specifically to work in coordination with the Matchbox (like our Elf , Santa , Rudolph , Snowman , and Penguin ) Taylor created adorable boxes just waiting to be filled with goodies!
Several of the matchboxes include an interactive element that allows you to lift the flap and see what’s inside the box without having to slide the box out from the lid. Taylor did this by cutting the new Flap Stacks – Rectangle die into the lid of the box before adhering it together. The smallest Flap Stack is sized to work on the lid of the matchbox as you can see on #11 above. To keep things tidy, adhere a piece of window sheeting behind the opening.

For a inside look at the design process behind Taylor's advent, check out her video:
Visit our Make This Project department for step-by-step instructions and a handy supply list of ingredients so you too can make your own fabulously fun advent calendar!
Matchbox Favorites
FILLED WITH GOOD CHEER
Now that you've created all your sweet little boxes, you may be thinking about what to fill them with! Candy and sweets are always welcome, but here are a few fun ideas to consider:
Kim Singdahlsen's family loves a good scavenger hunt. She plans on hiding all her treats around the house, leaving clues inside each day's box. We love how she hinted at the clue by using our Matchy - Rudolph die on the outside.
Do you have a crafter in the house? Try filling an advent calendar with crafty happiness like Keia Shipp-Smith did using mini dies (like our Little Bits collection), Sequins, and more. Single stamps, Enamel Shapes, pre-cut embellishments cut from TE Felt...there are so many possibilities!

Below, designer Jean Manis printed out family activities for each of her advent calendar days. We love this idea! Other ideas might include: Go caroling, bake cookies, watch a holiday movie, and more.
For the kiddos, there are always things like candy, cute erasers, stickers, and wee toys, but we just might like this idea best -- fill each box with a Random Act of Kindness! These can be activities for all ages and lend special meaning to the Season of Giving.

Ideas for Random Acts of Kindness that are great for children, both on their own or with the help of an adult, include:
  • Bring baked goods to a fire station
  • Feed an expired meter
  • Donate a toy
  • Leave a nice note for a friend
  • Hold the door open for someone
  • Help parents wrap gifts
  • Call Grandma and tell her you love her
  • Give a cheery hello to a passerby
  • Rake leaves for a neighbor
  • Sit with a classmate who is eating alone
  • Make someone's day with a smile
  • Help a neighbor decorate their Christmas tree
  • Help a sibling with chores
Twelve Days of Christmas
If you find yourself short on time, don't give up on the idea of having an advent calendar this year! Instead of 24 days, go for a dozen boxes and make one to celebrate 12 Days of Christmas. This week on the TE Blog, we're sharing a few spectacular twelve-day advent calendars from our designers. Here's a glimpse:
Traditional and Elegant
With rich colors and traditional ephemera, Keia Shipp-Smith designed a beautiful advent calendar to grace her home during the holidays.

Metallic LUXE
Creative Team member Gayatri Murali crafted a stunning advent calendar in hues of shiny silver and gold for a luxuriously gorgeous centerpiece for her holiday table.

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Share Your Story: Why Cards Matter

In this inaugural edition of Share Your Story, TE Team Member Charlie Ludwig shares her thoughts on why sending cards matters. Come share your story with us!

Read more
tayloredexpressions.com
From time to time on the TE Blog , we like to share with you stories about creative crafters from here and around the world who use the art of card-making to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We'd like to invite you, our fans and friends, to share your creative stories. How are you crafting homemade joy to make a difference right where you are or elsewhere in the world? Do you know of a favorite paper-crafting store that inspires you and others to create? Fellow crafters who use paper-crafts for a worthy cause? Email your story to us at   stories@tayloredexpressions.com . On Facebook or Instagram? Use  #TEShareYourStory  so we can find you! Or, visit us on the   TE Facebook Page  or  Fans of Taylored Expressions Facebook Group   and tell us your creative story. We can’t wait to hear from you.
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Ankeny, IA 50021
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