It's Raining JellyBeans: My Vintage Advent "Calendar"

First the bad, bad news….(deep sigh)…my beloved MacBook is ill. I was watching Spark Your Christmas with Margie Romney-Aslet, thoroughly enjoying her garland (which I did end up making and will post in a few days) when…silently the screen cracked. I literally didn't even see or hear it happen burt after the video finished I turned to my daughter, said something to her turned back and it was cracked. I'm too scared to use it so my posting will be greatly diminished. And I will probably have more to the point posts; less funny, more pictures. That said, I have been crafting a lot more and spending wayyyy less time reading other blogs.

Now the good news… I ordered an Advent kit from one of my favorite artists, Ms. Janet Hopkins of Texas. She taught a class and had a few extra kits and I was one of the lucky few who snagged one. That isn't the good news….well it sort of is I guess. No, the good news, The GREAT news is… I flippin' love the way it turned out.

Close Up of Janet's
Advent

The kit was complete and included the shadow box, chipboard and linen, all the parts and pieces to make the baubles. This isn't a functional Advent Calendar but rather and ADULT advent…it's just for pretty. The bauble pieces were a mix of vintage pieces and non-vintage. When I got the pieces out and started to figure out what I wanted, I realized I had pieces from my Gilded Girl Stash Society Boxes that would be perfect for this. I tip-toed to the basement and started grabbing things. I literally giggled as I picked items I thought might work. I also had collected cheap vintage jewelry- broaches and earrings- from antique stores. I go go for $5-10 pieces and I don't care if they are missing a stone or two. Since I use them to bling-up the center of silk flowers and bows, I don't need or want expensive pieces. In the end, I used all vintage or handmade pieces and kept the nonvintage pieces from Janet's kit for another project.

Pieces that came in the kit including the awesome ledger paper.

Some vintage pins and earrings
from my stash.

Some other things from my stash

The shadowbox after I painted it.

All laid out the first time...

Once I had a pretty good idea that I had enough to go with only vintage (or handmade by me) I had to made sure everything would fit. Janet had plotted out the pieces to fit perfectly inside the shadowbox and I'm smart enough to know that was a time consuming job so I kept my pieces in the same basic size and shape as she did.

In the end, I changed things up until the very last second. Number 2 became number 24 and vice versa literally as I was gluing it together. I did use hot glue to glue the pieces into the shadowbox and I inked every piece of paper in the thing.

The completed Advent. It is so pretty…my entire color scheme and decorating had to change after this was finished because the last few years had been about big red and white polka dots, candy, stripes,…not at all vintage and not at all complimentary to this more neutral palate.

1: Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Fragments with vintage paper attached with Glossy Accents. "1" is a sticker.
2: Vintage dairy advertisement, silver vintage millinery flowers, seam binding. "2" is paper die cut with paint and glitter embellishments.
3: Tag with rubber stamps and inked edges, Tim Holtz Idea-ology Pen Nib and brass square which are both new but look vintage, 7 Gypsies tissue paper, tinsel ribbon. "3" is paper die cut.

4: Vintage earring with vintage tinsel behind it. "4" is stamped on jeweler's tag.
5: Vintage ticket, twine, bell (new). "5" is a sticker.

6: Bottle brush tree (new) with Martha white glitter. "6" on Jewelers tag.

7: Glass ornament (new) filled with vintage white glass glitter. Top wrapped in vintage tinsel. "7" is Tim Holtz Idea-ology Alpha Parts:Ransom painted with Silver Dabber Paint.

8: Charm made by me with vintage image and works; soldered close. "8" sticker from Basic Grey.

9: Pinecone, small silver plastic leaf clipped from branch, red Swarovski crystal. "9" is die cut paper on tag.
10: Vintage earring with vintage silk red bow. "10" paper, die cut covered with Glossy Accents.

11: Tag cut from paper (Lost and Found), 7 Gypsies Tissue ruffle, bottle cap charm filled with Glossy Accents. "11" cut from vintage ledger paper.

12: Vintage broach, tinsel ribbon. "12" stamped on small jewelers tag.

13: Rosette made from vintage paper using Tim Holtz Alternations "Rosette" die, silver glass glitter, Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tissue Tape. "13" cut from vintage ledger paper using circle punch.

14: Vintage ballerina cake decoration (I cut the plastic stand portion off) covered with White Gold Martha Stewart Glitter. "14" stamped onto vintage sheet music cut with circle punch.
15: Beads threaded on to a vintage double ended bead wire. I clipped one end off and threaded 2 silver (new) beads, a vintage glass bead, and 2 red Swarovski crystals. "15" stamped onto jewelers tag.

A large tag was cut into a skinny long tag and used for "16" and "21"

16: Seam binding bow, vintage paper covered with silver glass glitter. "16" Alpha Parts painted with Silver Dabber Paint (Ranger).

17: Vintage pin, vintage ledger paper cut with circle punch, the number "ribbons" are cut from vintage ticket. "1"& "7" stamped individually on two small jewelers tags.

18: Vintage ticket covered with another vintage paper, vintage millinery flower blossom. "18" stamped onto face of paper.

19: Vintage optical lens with vintage map. "19" silver rub ons.

20: Pine cone, silver plastic leaf clipped from branch, vintage silk ribbon, vintage tinsel. "20" stamped on another tiny jewelers tag.

21: The continuation of "16". Vintage sheet music and glitter paper cut with circle punch. Vintage glass button. "21" stamped on another tiny jewelers tag.

22: Bezel filled embellished with vintage paper and filled with Glossy Accents. I had a bubble at the top (to the left) after it dried so I covered it with a green rhinestone- looks purposeful and covers the mess. Small bell attached. "22" silver rub on.