First of all, I should state that anyone who knows me in real life is keeling over at this very minute. Yes, I am posting a craft. With pictures. With limited words. Prepare yourselves.
That being said, we made these Advent wreaths in my Bible study this past Monday and they were too good to not share. My iBloom friends ROCK IT OUT. Take heart, my fellow “non-Pinteresty” friends – they are EASY to make! And even FUN! And I can do it. Which is saying a lot. By the time we finished them, we were all talking about who we could make them for :: neighbors, friends, co-workers, etc. Go big or go home, sisters.
{Yes, I know Advent officially started this past Sunday on November 30th, but honestly, God doesn’t care when you catch up. Go at your own pace. Read the devotions when you can or light a candle every week with a simple prayer. No more mommy guilt about another “to do.” Enjoy this one. Soak up what it means.}
‘Tis the season for Advent — those precious weeks leading up to our Savior’s birth. Let’s get started!
Materials ::
– Scrapbook/craft paper {1 to 2 sheets in your favorite holiday colors or design}
– 4 votive candles
– 4 canning jars of varying sizes {small to extra large – usually available at WalMart, Target, etc}
– 1 large white skinny pillar type candle {Dollar Tree or similar}
– 1 gold charger plate {Dollar Tree or Hobby Lobby}
– Set of greenery – with pine cones to either glue on or already attached {fresh would work well here too!}
– Sand or other filler
– Rustic ribbon/twine of your choice
– Cardstock to cut into circles {5}
– Sharpie color of your choice
– Hole punch
Directions ::
I’ve given you a lot of leniency here. Grin. I don’t know what you craft folk may do. But I followed instructions per usual. Go on with your bad selves and get crafty.
1. Trace the canning jar lids on your fancy scrapbook paper. I chose chevron. {Honest to goodness, I don’t know how I even know that word except I own a chevron patterned scarf, so SCORE.} Cut them out, preferably along the lines. Oh, and this may be a rookie mistake, but use the underside of the paper to trace and cut – not the part you want to see. I so smart.
2. If you have pine cones to glue on your greenery, do that now. And use good glue. Not Elmer’s. Please don’t sniff either. It’s not a good look.
3. Cut your rustic ribbon/twine in lengths to tie around the jars. We used a combo and it was oh, so pretty.
4. Cut your cardstock circles and punch a hole in the top so you can thread above ribbon/twine through it.
5. Pour sand into your jars {or again, if you are crafty, pick another filler – some other choices could be white dried beans, glass beads, rocks, etc} and place the votive candles in each jar. If you are anal retentive, remove the silver from around the votives.
6. Insert scrapbook circles into the jar lids and close. No need to glue unless you really, really want to. I’m not judging. See also :: I’m lazy so I didn’t glue.
7. Write the labels on the cardstock. You can use colored sharpies, print outs, or whatever makes your heart sing. I used a red sharpie because a} it was available and b} because my creativity was tappped out. Write one for each :: HOPE, PEACE, JOY, LOVE, & CHRIST IS BORN.
8. Thread twine through the labels and tie them around the jars. Highly recommend doing a fancy knot so that the labels stay flat. I could explain how to do that but I would probably punch myself in the face 3 times trying to get it to make sense. If you are worried about your labels laying flat, then I trust you already know the double thread technique. If you don’t then you probably aren’t worried about it. Not to worry, neither am I.
9. To organize :: I chose this rendition going from smallest to largest :: HOPE – smallest; PEACE – medium; JOY – larger; LOVE – largest. “Christ is born” is the tall white middle candle. {This is also the order to pray and light the candles over the next 4 weeks.}
10. Arrange on your gold charger plate until your heart is content. Light a candle each week following #9 above. A great resource to light and enjoy during the Advent Season is Becky’s Sacred Holidays devotional calendar.
Finished Product ::
In all seriousness, this season is incredibly special to our family. For us, it means everything. Every.thing. You can make this exercise so simple for the younger set :: what joy, hope, peace, and love means to us. Find simple Bible verses on the Christmas story. Sing “Away in a Manger” or another special Christmas song. Let the kids be a part of the celebration of the birth of our Savior. They can totally help you make this project too – if you are okay with sand going everywhere!
I pray that some of you will consider making this wonderful remembrance of the season we are in. This is also a wonderful resource for sharing the Advent season with your family. Merry Christmas all!
