Every year I look for advent calendars to buy, and every year I can’t find one that fits the gift ideas I havd in my head. This year I decided to make my own. I had so much fun shopping for and putting this together. I created this “calendar” for a friend and tried to keep in mind fun things that she would like or something that I know would be fun for her to try.
Buying 25 gifts can get a little pricey, so to keep costs down I shopped at Dollar Tree, Target, 5 Below, Amazon, and Walmart. If you decide to create an advent calendar of your own, I advise you to think about your budget first, and come up with a list of ideas before you start shopping. Having a plan will not only keep your spending in check, it will also help you keep track of how many gifts you are buying. When I started putting my gift sets together, I only had 11 items and had to go back out shopping. While I love shopping, this really messed with my gift-wrapping rhythm.
For those of you who follow this blog, you know that I love to DIY things. So of course, I had to add some creative elements to my gifts. First, I created numbered gift tags in Inkscape and cut them out using my cricut. I was going for a simple look so I layered my white, numbered tags on top of black card stock. Then I started wrapping gifts.
I found these festive gift box sets at Dollar Tree, along with plain white wrapping paper. For some items that I put in boxes, I still wrapped with the paper. Some, I left the boxes as is. I really wanted a uniform look with random pops of colors. You can get the wrapping paper HERE, the shirt sized gift boxes HERE, and the square gift boxes HERE.
The first gift in the advent calendar is a flannel blanket that I personalized. I made an SVG file on Inkscape and used my cricut to cut it. The text says “My Christmas movie watching blanket.” I used gold and red glitter htv to jazz up the blanket. I found the blanket that I personalized at Walmart. While I don’t have the link for the exact one I used, HERE is a link for a similar white and black plaid flannel blanket. And HERE is the link for the cut file I used. Since this is meant to be the first gift, I didn’t wrap it. I rolled the blanket and wrapped a black ribbon around the middle and attached the “1” gift tag with white string.
The second gift is a packet of Ghirardelli chocolate squares. White chocolate sugar cookie flavored. They are delicious and I know my friend will love these. I picked this sweet treat up from Target and put it in one of the square gift boxes then wrapped it in white paper.
Gift number three is a pair of fuzzy, navy blue slippers. They look very cozy and should pair nicely with the flannel blanket and chocolates. Through out this list of gifts, you will notice that I tried to put some related items close together, ie. coziness and chocolates to get ready for the holiday season. HERE is a gift set that has some slippers similar to these.
Number four is something that I thought would be really fun. It is a creative writing kit that I found at 5 Below. My friend used to be a writer and although she hasn’t done it in a while, I thought this may be something fun to get her creative juices flowing.
Gift number five is something that anyone could use. A mug. But this one is personalized, of course. Again I created a svg file on Inkscape and cut permanent vinyl on my cricut to decorate the mug. The text says “Before you ask…Yes it’s wine”. And before you ask, yes, it’s available on my etsy page HERE. I added the quote in lavender vinyl to the Black mug I got from the Dollar Tree. However, it was a little crooked when I put it on (You shouldn’t drink wine while crafting). I also add a cute pair of hot pink vinyl lips on the side. Dollar Tree does have the same Black mug available HERE. Just remember that most of Dollar Trees items are usually sold in bulk.
Number six was a packet of cinnamon roll flavored Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Perfect to go with the gift from day number five. HERE is the link for the package I picked up at Walmart. I haven’t tasted this particular flavor, but it sure does sounds delicious.
Day number seven brings another fun gift, in my opinion, and another creative find from 5 Below. HERE you can find this calligraphy set. It includes the pens and a writing guide in the kit. I have always wanted to learn calligraphy and hopefully my friend wants to learn too.
Gift number eight is really cool. I didn’t even know this was possible until I talked to my sister about gift ideas. If you have a Spotify account you can create personalized playlists and share them. I made one and with some songs that my friend and I both like. Ones that bring back fun memories for us. I wrote a little note and used the print and cut feature on my Cricut to create a small card with the playlist link. I put it in a cute Christmas card that I created (That you can find HERE on Etsy) and placed that in an envelope. This was definitely one of the most fun gifts that I put together.
For gift number Nine I chose a mini pamper kit. I found it at Walmart ( Sorry, I can’t find a link for this one) and it contains body lotion, body spray, a loofah, and two bath fizzers. It looks really pretty since it’s unicorn themed and the bath fizzers sounds super relaxing.
Day ten brings a really cute white and gold makeup bag from Dollar Tree. Inside I put a pretty nail kit, also from Dollar Tree. I really like this one because the nail kit is small enough to use for travel or to put in small bags and the makeup bag is big enough for nail polishes or makeup.
Day eleven’s gift is a “My ideas” notebook and a really cute metallic pen with a gem on the top. I got them both from Dollar Tree. The pen you can find HERE.
Also from Dollar Tree is this really cute tumbler for day number twelve. It’s a little hard to see in the picture, but it says “Merry and Bright”. I found this one on the bottom shelf of a new holiday display. I was actually reaching for something else that I could barely see when I pulled this cute cup. I’m so glad I did. This will be perfect to use throughout the holidays and cute enough that you really could use it long after. HERE is a link for a bulk order of tumblers with 2 other cute designs.
Alright, we are more than half way there. Thanks for sticking with me. I have listed some cute gifts so far huh?
Gift number thirteen is another creative find from 5 Below. It’s a coloring canvas that has gel pens included. 5 Below had a lot of art items like this. You can find the one I purchased HERE. The location I went to had several designs in this size, as well as several designs in small round canvases.
Gift number fourteen is a book all about tequila. It offers the reader the history of tequila, how its made and includes some really good looking recipes.
Day fifteen’s gift is an assorted chocolates gift set by Ferrero. There are three flavors, and they are delicious. I bought one for myself as well. You can get one for yourself HERE.
I found a honeydew lily scented candle in the Dollar spot at target. I know this time of year usually has woodsy, or spiced scents that are popular, but this one made me think of light and breezy summer. Can you tell that I bought gift sixteen on a cold fall day?
Gift seventeen is another Dollar spot find. “Your Brightest Life” journal is a self-guided journal that helps you learn more about yourself. I’m hoping my friend enjoys this gift. We could all use some self-discovery.
Alright, day eighteen. To go with the previous day’s self-discovery, this gift offers some more self-care. The three face masks were found in the beauty section at Target. I also included a set of silicone mask brushes for no mess application that I found HERE on Amazon.
Another Amazon find comes on day nineteen. It is a diamond painting kit. These have become pretty popular in the past couple years and I thought this may be a fun art project to do over the holiday season. Find this exact kit HERE.
Day twenty brings another fun holiday project. I found this puzzle at 5 Below. My friend and I both love the Golden Girls and working on puzzles. Hopefully this will be one we can work on together.
Day twenty-one is another DIY. I got a plain black Gildan long sleeve shirt from hobby lobby. I used bronze glitter htv and used my Cricut to cut a pretty set of lips to press onto the shirt. It’s a really cute design and the top can be worn casually or dressed up.
Would it even be the Christmas season without at least one movie night? For gift number twenty-two I purchased a dvd of the classic movie ‘The Princess Bride’ and paired it with my friend’s favorite candy for a fun movie night in. You can find the movie HERE and the Starburst candy HERE.
Gift twenty-three is another favorite of mine. I found this eye makeup palette on Amazon. The colors are so pretty and are perfect for dressing up for any holiday party…or staying home and being beautiful. Whatever makes you happy. You can find this UCANBE makeup palette HERE.
Gift twenty-four goes a long way to completing any holiday look. These beautiful Torrid earrings are sure to dress up any holiday outfit… or pj set. 😊
We have come to the end. Our final gift. This one is the perfect way to toast Christmas day. I found this “Hello Gorgeous” wine glass at my local Dollar Tree (you can order yours HERE) and the sparkling wine from Target. It’s a small bottle so no need to share. This gift was special for the last day so I put it in two boxes and tied them in a simple white string.
After I had all the gifts boxed and wrapped, I loaded them into this beautiful, black, woven basket from Burlington. I wanted to find something to carry the gifts that would also be useful itself. This basket is the perfect find.
The fun thing about creating your own advent calendar is that you can personalize it for the person you plan to give it to. I hope this post has given you some ideas for your gift giving this holiday season. If you do put an advent calendar together, please tag me on social media (@mylifeofstyle.kwg). I would love to see what you come up with. 😊
*about half of the linked items in the following text are affiliate links. The other half I linked in case you wanted to find some of these items for fun gifts*😊
