Ideas needed

[taimatsu]

I have had an idea for something I want to make. I saw a reference to it on a webpage I now can't find. I want to make an Advent calendar for my family. I will take a branch, and make small bags out of sheer ribbon to hang on it, each numbered and containing something.

The obvious thing to put inside is chocolate, but my family doesn't do chocolate advent calendars, we have the picture ones. So I need Things to put in small bags which have some connection to the Christmas story.

I have been listing things which appear in the pictures on our usual calendars - things like stars, shepherds, crowns, kings, sheep, barnyard animals, angels, etc. How could I translate these things into objects, no more than an inch and a half high and about half an inch thick?

Update
The ornament thing sounds good to me. I want these to be mostly religious-related, though, and I'm having real problems thinking of 24 different Christian-Christmas things I could make into ornaments. I have sheep and shepherds and angels and stars, and a crown and gifts from kings and maybe characters like Mary and Joseph and so on, and I can stretch it to bells and candles, but I need more! I don't want to do stockings and holly-leaves and Father Christmas and presents and things, but unless I do about fifteen slighty different (but cute) clay sheep I'm having a problem...

Comments

[mhw.livejournal.com]

Model them in Fimo clay or something like that?

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

If you want a multi-technique approach, as well as Fimo you could perhaps get some plastic canvas and make some cross-stitch/tapestry designs? I've made very small padded/quilted objects before, too - stars and animal shapes would probably work best for those.

[kake]

I bet if you posted this on the London.crafts list Tamsin would come up with something. The thing I that pops into my mind first of all is cutting pictures out of old Christmas cards and sticking them onto heavy card.

My reputation appears to precede me.

[weatherpixie.livejournal.com]

Or something.

1) Not xmas related but put cracker stuffer type things in the baggies. I'd recommend http://www.hawkin.com for these.

2) I remember having a book as a child that involved making something for each of the 24 days, most of these were nativity related, so you'd make the three kings, shepherds, Mary and baby etc..

If you were feeling really devious you could have a look at these books:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0870408909/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0870409727/

And work out how to make an entire beaded nativity scene and either make them with loops so you could hang them, or make them a little stable to go in.

3) I think fimo decorations with xmas cookie cutters would work too. As would cross stitch/embroidered hanging things.

4) Sugared almonds or other sweeties instead of chocolate. Maybe make marzipan sweeties if you want edibles -and- crafts. Or gingerbread, but I can see you having to bake several batches so it doesn't go off...

I always wanted to make a pagan advent calender, and I love Juliet's sheep idea ... I think hanging mice in a variety of colours would work too....

[ceb.livejournal.com]

You could make small decorations to hang on the tree (if you have a tree).

[darcydodo]

There's always the traditional chocolate. :)

[angoel.livejournal.com]

Tree decorations seems the obvious way forward to me. That way, once you've opened the day, you can hang it on the branch. Come christmas, you'll have a lovely decorated branch ;)

[j4.livejournal.com]

My parents did an advent calendar for me and my sister which had jigsaw pieces in the bags (little knitted stockings, actually), so we could slowly put the jigsaw together over the 24 days -- you could make a jigsaw of the Nativity scene, and put the relevant pieces in the relevant days, and leave the actual manger bit of the scene till the last one of course. You'd need a fretsaw, though, & I can't help you there...

I just realised (am useless, sorry) I never did email you to say thank you for the paper-cut-out thing you sent me -- so belatedly THANK YOU! -- it's absolutely gorgeous & it cheered me up a lot at the time. Not sure what to do with it yet :) but I will try to think of something.

[juliet]

Sheep - get a lump of wool & some black pipecleaners & put them together (I remember doing this as a kid).
Wire & beads for a crown?
Little pipecleaner dolls for kings/shepherds/angels?
Fimo's already been suggested - you can get glittery Fimo, that would be good for a star.
I liked the idea of making some/all of them to be tree decorations, as well.

[imc.livejournal.com]

OK, so we just have to stretch this out to 25 different things. What we have so far. . .

Mary
Joseph
Jesus (of course)
Gabriel
shepherd(s)
sheep
3 wise men
gold, frankincense & myrrh
crowns for the wise men
star(s)

That looks like about 14 so far, depending on how you count.

How about putting a Bible in the first one to get things off to a nice start.
A donkey isn't strictly Biblical, but is traditional. Ditto a stable.
You will obviously need a manger.
Possibly the chorus of angels which announced the message to the shepherds (as opposed to Gabriel, who gave the message to Mary).
Herod - bit controversial, perhaps. Obviously we don't want too many actual people, or making them all look different will get rather difficult.

About five to go. . .

How about a finger-post pointing to Bethlehem?
A hymn book with some music in it.
If you have a bell and a candle and a couple more different animals, it looks like there might be enough stuff. :-)

[taimatsu]

I am starting to think that this will look like it's trying to be an actual creche, especially if I make them all out of dough :) IF I did that I'd have to have them all in proportion, which would be way too hard. What I might do is make ornaments using these ideas, but in various techniques, so I have a dough star, a star embroidered on something, a beaded star; a felt king, a peg-doll king and a dough king, and so on. I am finding I have enough concepts to do that.

I might also make an entire peg-doll nativity, but that's getting into the realms of slightly mad, and it probably wouldn't make it to completion :)