christmas advent calendar

yes, i know it's august 1st, but i couldn't help myself!

last sunday afternoon, i decided it was time to start this

craft i've been planning for nearly a year.

abby over at a feathered nest shared 

the tutorial for this advent calendar.
and let's be honest~ she is a genious! 

{remember~ she is the one that shared the 

recipe for this delicious strawberry stuffed french toast?!}

to tell you the truth, i had never worked with 

embroidery thread before and had no 

idea how on earth i would
ever manage all the detailed stitching. 

the cute cutouts i knew i could do, 

but the stitching... yeah, not so much.

i am eternally grateful for her. seriously, 

she made it so easy!  i could

go on and on. you really need to just hop over

there and see for yourself. 

well, okay. here's a glimpse of hers:

is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen?!

since she is my idol{!} i copied a lot of her ideas,

and some i made up on my own {shock!}. 

let's get to it! i am proud to present 

my 25 squares of christmas:
 

i decided to make the snowman's scarf multi-colored. 

and his nose, incidentally, is on the large side {oops!}.  

i thought rudolph turned out so perfectly!
{he was my own design!!}

abby's gingerbread man was adorable!
i decided to give him a scarf to change him up a little. 

santa's sleigh is another one of my own designs
{and i think it's my favorite!!}

i love the christmas lights!!
did you notice the cute little plug on the end?! {gasp!}

not to brag or anything, but the snowflake is all mine! 

what you see is the product of my 

first attempt, free-handed!! i know!!!

 

if you look closely, you might see santa's round pink nose. 

i wish my sheep's nose was a little smaller- that part was kinda tricky.

 

i love love love the music notes! they were so fun to make!!!

not thrilled with these two, but oh well.
they'll go just fine once they're all together on the "tree".

the stocking is hanging from a mantle!! how cute is that?!

i had to copy abby's baby jesus~ it's so perfect! :)

     

so there you go! doesn't look too hard, does it? 

really. if i can do it, anyone can!
{and having my sister come and
help a little doesn't make any difference!!
right? btw, thanks monica!! ha!}

 

i'm waiting on the almighty dollar {and time of course}

to make a run for hobby lobby to buy the rest of 

the supplies i need to finish this beautiful baby. it's a bit
of a drive from here, but totally worth it!

    

here is abby's finished tree to give you an idea of what it will look like:

   

it's so precious! i can't wait to finish mine!! 

oh- and there's plenty of time to make one for your family!! 

wouldn't your family love to countdown to christmas

with a treat or note in each pocket?! 

♥