how to | advent calendar with window punchouts.

If you're a last minute chick like me, here's an idea you might be able to use for an Advent Calendar. Even if you're all set for the 25 Days of Christmas, this is a very cool idea for any kind of fun punchout / countdown / secret prize game with kids or adults!

MATERIALS
1 piece of posterboard, 22" x 28"
1 piece of foamcore, 20" x 30"
25 paper snack cups or Dixie cups cut down to size (mine are 1-3/8" tall)
patterned paper or wrapping paper for front*
tissue paper for punchouts - cut into 3" squares
double-sided tape
Elmer's glue
packing tape
scissors
xacto knife
ruler

*For the patterned paper, use your own or download my original snowflake design in 7" repeats. Print 9 sheets for this project.

DIRECTIONS
I'll go through most of the marking & cutting first, then I'll show you the assembly.

Posterboard

1. Cut the posterboard to 21.75" x 21.75".
2. Make lines on all sides 2" from the edges.
3. Make a second set of lines 3-3/8" from the edges on all sides.
4. Cut out all 4 corners, cutting on 3-3/8" lines just to where they intersect.
5. The interior of your posterboard will now be a 15" square; make lines every 3" in both directions so you end up with 25 3" squares ~ a grid!
6. To mark the center point of each square, draw diagonal lines from corner-to-corner of squares. Use a yardstick to mark a full tic-tac-toe of squares at one time.

Foamcore

1. Cut the foamcore to 20" x 20".
2. Make lines for perimeter on all 4 sides, 2-1/4" from each edge.
3. The interior of your foamcore will now be a 15" square. Follow steps 5 & 6 from posterboard.
4. Cut a 2.5" square template from posterboard; mark with an X corner to corner.
5. Match up the X on the little square with each big X on the foamcore squares - trace around the square. (see below)

Foamcore cont'd.

1. Cover front of foamcore with patterned paper or wrapping paper. If you're using my snowflake pdfs, trim designs carefully for best results when matching seams.
2. Use an xacto knife to cut out small 2-1/2" squares from back. Trim carefully through paper on front, too.

1. Use double-sided tape on all vertical and horizontal lines (see below).
2. Cover each square with tissue paper. Use one big sheet, if you like, but BEWARE: once it's down, it's down!!! I used 3" squares to cover each opening so I'd have more control over it. You can see where an extra piece of the tissue accidentally landed on the tape, and I had to leave it where it was!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Back to the posterboard!

1. Using the lines you made earlier at 2" and at 3-3/8", fold and score them as shown to create a shallow box. Tape the corners together on the outside.
2. Dot each X inside the box with glue or double-sided tape. Stick down your snack cups. If using glue,  wait for it to dry completely!!!
3. Add candy or treat of choice to each cup.

Tricky part coming up!

1. Add a strip of double-sided tape to all 4 edges of box ~ shown in blue above.
2. Take foamcore top and carefully place on top of box, aligning the cutouts with the cups underneath. You can see through the tissue, so use that to see where the edges of your cups are! Works!!!
3. Once you're sure you're sealed on all 4 edges, carefully turn the whole thing over so the foamcore is on the bottom. Use packing tape to tape all edges of box flaps to foamcore

That's it!!! I have mine resting in our DR on the buffet. Without numbers, it looks modern and lets the person punching out each window decide which route to take through the 25 Days of Christmas!