How to make your own Advent calendar

So we were delighted when MFMer Claire Angel Hamilton got in touch with us to share her lovely homemade Advent calendar ideas, including pics she'd taken of the simple, but oh-so-cute Advent calendar she'd made for her little girl, Bella.

Fancy having a go? Here's how to do it....

How to make your own Christmas tree Advent calendar

You will need:

• 25 empty toilet rolls
• 25 empty Kinder egg eggs
• a stapler and staples
• green and brown paint
• paintbrush
• green tissue paper
• brown paper

Step 1: Paint 4 of the toilet rolls brown and paint the other 21 green. Ensure they are fully dry before the next step.

Step 2: Put 4 toilet rolls together to make the tree trunk, stapling them together in 2 rows of 2.

To make the tree, you will have to your remaining rolls in a line of 6,5,4,3,2 then 1. Make sure they are well stapled together to make your tree stable. Back your tree with a sturdy box or piece of card.

Step 3: Fill the Kinder Egg eggs with sweets that your child likes to eat, or a mini toy or even £1 coins.

Step 4: Pop an egg into each of your loo rolls.

Step 5: Put your brown paper over the tree and draw around the tree shape. Then remove the brown paper and cut out the tree shape.

Step 6: Cut off the trunk section of your tree shape and glue it to the trunk of your loo-roll tree. Then, using the remaining brown-paper tree shape as a template, cut out the (trunkless) tree shape in green tissue paper. Glue the green tissue paper to your loo-roll tree.

Step 7. Decorate your tree with coloured stickers to look like baubles – or even use number stickers or a glitter pen to write the numbers on for each day.

Voila! Your tree is finished.

Like this?

Find more arts and crafts from Claire at Mama.bella2017 on Instagram

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