Christmas Countdown

I made this last year when I had to come up with a quick extra craft for our
Super Saturday craft day at church. It's a little chalkboard countdown to
Christmas. It would be a fun gift for someone before Christmas so they
could use it during December.

It's just a 12x12 artist canvas (it cost around $5). I painted it black
with craft paint. You need to use several coats because the canvas really
absorbs the paint. Then I glued a scalloped edge piece of Bazzill cardstock
on top of that, and then topped that with the red holly patterned paper.

I printed off "Days Until Christmas" on my computer, and mounted that on
green cardstock. I put pewter brads through the corners of the cardstock,
before I attached it to the canvas. It would be very hard to get those tiny
brads through all that paper and the canvas.

I punched a hole in each upper corner of a square of chipboard, and then
used several coats (you must use several coats) of chalkboard spray paint to
turn it into a little chalkboard. I put a large decorative brad (this one
was through the canvas) in to make a picture hanger type effect, and then
put ribbon through the holes of the little chalkboard. I did attach the
chalkboard to the canvas with adhesive, though, because it would not stay
without that. So, it just looks like it's hanging there.

As an added touch, I stapled a loop of ribbon to the top for a chalk holder.
You can staple it to the wooden frame on the back of the canvas.

My kids loved erasing and writing in the new number each day as we counted
down toward Christmas.

You could hang it on the wall, but I don't have much wall space, so I put it
in a decorative plate holder and keep it on a table.

Submitted by Kelly (www.thisterthaster.typepad.com)