Christmas Countdown Tutorial

My kids are always asking "how many days until Christmas?" or "When is Santa coming?".... so I decided to make something to help them count down to christmas.

I saw something similar to this in a vinyl lettering catalog and wanted to try it out for myself! Plus, it would be my first "BIG" project I could try on my new Cricut Expression!!! (tee hee)

You will need:
New Cookie Sheet with a hole for hanging
Craft Paper
Scissors
Mod Podge
Paint Brush
Magnet
Letters 1-25
"Merry Christmas" letters or whatever wording you want at the top
Christmas Scene Cut out (optional)
Embellishments (optional)
Ribbon (optional)
Glue gun

1. Lay out craft paper and cut to size INSIDE your cookie sheet. I chose 3 different papers and layered them and cut the edges with craft scissors to give them a little "flare". I also rounded the corners.

I chose red for the top for under the "Merry Christmas", a striped paper for the divider, and a solid green for under the numbers and christmas scene.

*I ended up putting the paper on the bottomside of the cookie sheet because I thought it would hang better, but when I make another one, I will probably make the paper go on the inside of the cookie sheet just because I think the overall appearance is better. (due to the curling of the edging of the pan) It just depends on the style of cookie sheet you have and your personal preference.

2. Lay out your letters, numbers and scene to get an idea of where you want your paper layers to go.
3. Mod Podge the surface of the cookie sheet and lay each layer of paper on the cookie sheet.

4. Lay out your wording along the top and Mod Podge over it to hold it in place. Then place your numbers, embellishments and scene and do the same. I just eyeballed the placement, but if you want, you can draw out lines to make them even and centered.

5. Let dry completely, then take a large foam brush and brush a final coat of Mod Podge to make a shiny finish and lock down the lettering, numbers, ect.

*I added a swirl above my numbers and a fancy circle around the 25 so my kids new which number we were counting down up to.
**You'll notice the paper might look ripply or wavy after applying the Mod Podge. Don't worry, once it dries, it should flatten out. Mine did, anyways.
6. If you have a magnet ready to go, great! If not, you can embellish one like I did to match the calendar. I cut out a circle and a star and Mod Podged them to a clear magnet.

And lastly, depending on your hanging options for your cookie sheet, you can run a ribbon through the holes, or just use a glue gun (Like I did) and glue a coordinating ribbon or two on it.

And voila!

There you have a Christmas Countdown/ Advent Calendar!