Photo Advent Calendar Christmas Present DIY

7-Step, DIY Photo Keepsake Advent Calendar Christmas Gift

Are you thinking of gifting your loved one next Christmas with something meaningful, handmade, and uniquely personalized for them?? Then keep reading for step-by-step instructions on how I made this ADORABLE photo keepsake advent calendar Christmas present. 

I made this for my best friend as his gift this year and it took a lot of thought, time, and planning. I've wanted to make an advent calendar for a while. Maybe this is just because I'm a large child, but they are so fun! How exciting to get to open a new little surprise every day, right?!?  If I'm honest, I REALLY wish someone would gift me with one. I've never been given or had an advent calendar before so I decided I would make my own desire into a reality and gift it to someone important to me. 

I was also dying to gift him with some kind of photo gift that he could hang on the wall and keep forever. Then I had the brilliant idea of creating my advent calendar project and photo keepsake into one gift. VOILA, the photo keepsake advent calendar Christmas gift was born (although at this point it still only existed inside my head). 

Instructions

You're probably wondering why I didn't tell you what you need first. That's because until you have your base photo ready, you won't know exactly what you need yet. Don't worry; I'm going to take you through every step but trust me on this, you don't want to purchase anything until you know what sizes you'll need. I've also recommended art supplies similar to mine to help you find what you need and like! Just click on any of the links(green) below to browse or purchase supplies.

     Step 1: YOUR BASE PHOTO     

Go through your digital pictures. Pick out the 25 pictures that you want displayed on your photo-gift advent calendar. Choose pictures that are special to you and whoever you are gifting this to, after all, THE PICTURES ARE THE SURPRISE part of the advent calendar! Then pick out 2 more as backup pictures in case one of your other ones doesn't fit the layout. Download and save all of these pictures to a folder on your PC, tablet, iPad, etc.  

Design and order your BASE PHOTO. 

This is where the planning comes in and will probably be the longest part of your process. This is where you get to plan your layout and design the actual photo that you will be gifting to your loved one. Once the 25 days are up and all of your advent "doors" have been opened, this piece is what your loved one will keep and hang up on their wall (or wherever they choose). So take your time on this and PLAN AHEAD. 

For this, I used Amazon Online Photo Printing. You can use Shutterfly, Snapfish, Amazon, or whatever online photo design printing service you prefer. I chose a large print, 12x18, with a matte finish and clicked on "Make this product." You'll be taken to a screen where you can design your layout. Depending on what service you are using, your design options might vary; but generally speaking, you should be able to upload your photos, choose your layout, choose a background, and add captions or other cute elements to your design. 

Upload and add your pictures to your project. You'll have to crop, resize, and move things around until you get all 25 pictures where you want them. Then choose your background, and add any design elements or captions you like.

You don't have to choose a large print like I did. Take your time and choose whichever print product you think you can work with best. After all, this is a DIY art project, so enjoy the process of creating!   

     Step 2: PURCHASE SUPPLIES     

Once you've received your base photo in the mail (or however you chose to order), you can purchase your supplies. Take a good look at your base photo, lay it out, and figure out what sizes you'll need for your advent "doors." I chose a combination of Mini 2" Christmas cards, stickers, decorative cardstock, 2" decorative ribbon, foam board, and small bows. Most of my supplies came from Dollar General. I purchased the cardstock at JOANN's. 

👇 More Product Recommendations Linked Here 👇: 

Snowflake Stickers,  3-D Stickers,  2" Champagne Ribbon,  Foam Board,  Mini Bows,  Plaid Mini Bows,  Cardstock,  Glitter Cardstock,  2" Christmas Cards,  2" Glitter Ribbon,  Glitter Stickers  

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You'll also need:

Art glue, tape, scissors, a Sharpie, and a good Paint Marker

(Art Hack: Drafting tape is not as sticky as regular tape which makes it easier to remove later on)

     Step 3: ADVENT CALENDAR "DOORS"     

Don't glue or stick anything on yet! Lay out your base photo and choose which supplies you'll use for your advent "doors" based off of the size of the pictures on your base. I used 1-3" Christmas cards for some of my advent doors. They were the perfect size for my doors and just big enough to cover an individual picture. I also used cardstock and 2" ribbon for this.

 Cut and size each door to cover every individual picture. Don't stick or glue anything on yet! Lay them out on top of your base photo as you go along until every picture has it's own door perfectly sized to cover it. Get your phone and take pictures of your design from different angles. You'll use these pictures later on to help you remember where everything goes!

👇 Product Recommendations Linked Here 👇: 

2" Christmas Cards,  3" Christmas Cards,  Christmas Cardstock,  2" Christmas Ribbon

     Step 4: CRAFT AND DESIGN     

Craft your doors, but don't stick them on yet. 

How do you want your doors to open? Do you want it to flip from the bottom up? Or open it up like a book? Or do you want them to peel off completely? I did all of these things on mine, but if that's too extra for you no worries! You can make every door open like a book if you want! Or have them all peel off completely. You will NOT attach your doors to your base until Step 7.

I added stickers and bows to doors that were blank and glued foam board on the back of some to give them dimension. Some of my doors have 1, 2, or even 3 layers of foam board glued to the back. I used a glue gun for this.

 Make your doors look like presents like I did or create something totally unique. Get creative and have fun with it!

     Step 5: ADD YOUR NUMBERS     

wHAT ORDER DO YOU WANT YOUR surprise PICTURES TO BE REVEALED IN?

Do you want a certain picture to be the surprise picture for day 1?? Is there a certain picture that you want to be revealed on day 25 (Christmas day!)?? Or does it not matter which order they're uncovered in? Decide this, and then add your numbers accordingly. If you don't care which order your pictures are revealed in, then go ahead and write the numbers 1-25 on your advent doors. 

👇If you DO care about the order, then keep reading. 👇

Grab your phone and look back at the pictures you took in "Step 3" to help you remember which door goes over which picture; this will help you match the day (numbers 1-25) with the correct door. Add your numbers. For this, I used a Sharpie as well as a silver metallic paint marker depending on which one showed up the clearest. In some cases, I had to write the number on a label sticker for it to show up against the background of that door. Get resourceful and use what works for you!

     Step 6: PROTECT YOUR BASE     

wHAT WILL YOUR DOORS STICK TO?

Part of the fun and creative process of trying out a new DIY project idea is trial and error. If I could go back in time I would do this differently; which is why I'm sharing with you possibly a better way of doing this step than how I did it.

 Your base photo will be the final gift once everything is removed; this is why you don't want to damage your base photo by taping or gluing anything onto it directly. 

I recommend covering your base photo with clear saran wrap (FIRST), and then covering that clear saran wrap with clear self-adhesive contact paper. The saran wrap keeps you from having to stick anything directly onto your base. Covering the saran wrap with contact paper will hold it in place better, it'll be less wrinkly, and easier to stick things onto. Once the 25 days are up, you can easily remove the saran wrap (& the contact-paper layer on top of it) from your base photo. 

DO NOT: 

LAY OR STICK THE CONTACT PAPER DIRECTLY ONTO YOUR BASE PHOTO (UNLESS YOU NEVER WANT IT TO COME BACK OFF)

I used two layers of clear saran wrap on mine and taped them to the back of the base. It worked fine, but if I do this project again in the future I'll be trying it out the way I've recommended to you here. (Velcro might also be a good option to try for this) If you have a better idea of how to attach/detach the advent doors without damaging the base photo, please share them! That's the beauty that comes with the creative process! I LOVE IT. 

     Step 7: HANG IT UP & ATTACH THE DOORS     

finally, attach advent doors to your base and hang it up

Now that your base photo has the protective covering layer to stick your doors onto (and pull them back off of), you can begin putting everything together. YAY!

I used Artist Tape or Drafter's Tape to attach my doors to my base photo because it's less sticky than regular tape and will peel off more easily. The easier you can remove your doors, the better your advent calendar will look every day when a new surprise picture is revealed!

How you are going to hang your project on the wall? What will you use? I used thumbtacks for mine; this was the least damaging way for me to hang it up on the wall. 

This will depend on the type of print product you chose (your base photo) and the design of your base (how close your pictures are to the edges). I didn't have much room at the top edge of my base, my pictures were almost at the very top. Therefore, my doors were also taking up pretty much the entire top edge. There wasn't room for anything fancy so I used thumbtacks (clear pushpins), and that worked for me. Figure out what works for your project and roll with it!

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