Frosted Designs 12 Day of Christmas Challenge

Front of birthday calendar - interchangeable months

Back of birthday calendar - pages interchangeable like the front

Frosted Designs had a 12 days of Christmas challenge with 12 different challenges to be completed by Dec 31st. I had seen two pins on Pinterest that intrigued me, of Christmas advent calendars made from an IKEA photo frame. The last time I was in Sydney I went to IKEA and bought myself a frame but that was as far as it got. This seemed like the perfect opportunity make a birthday calendar based on the advent calendar idea. With 12 months and 12 challenges it was perfect (although I did change the way the calendar worked)!

I managed to complete 10 of the 12 challenges so far and hopefully will get an opportunity to complete the other 2 as well. I have all the months except August and December completed. I used the same packs of papers from Creative Memories (Enchanted - printed papers and embossed cardstock) for the project. All the month titles were die cut out of these papers using my MFT Die-namics By the Letters cutting die.

Here are my challenge entries: 

January - Challenge #3 - use three mists, paints or inks

Along with the mini numbers collage template (TCW210s) from The Crafter's Workshop, I used three Distress inks (peeled paint, fired brick, and weathered wood) to make the background on a plain part of one of the papers, then cut out a vine from the edge of the paper to lay on top.

February - Challenge #12 - use at least 12 brads

I die cut the heart with my Cheery Lynn Large Heartland of America die (using only the small heart part), and a vine with my Fancy That Leafy Vine die. I then used a Mijemoo Flip it brads n eyelets guide to place the 24 (!) black brads for the heart shape.

March - Challenge #1 - use a bird

A friend had sent me a bird cage die, so along with the Stampin Up! two step bird punch I cut out a bird and several leaves for this month.

April - Challenge #4 - use four different patterned papers

An easy challenge! I actually used five patterned papers for this one when you include the background paper. The branch was die cut with the Memory Box Woodland branch die (not that you can see much of it anymore!), and the leaves were cut with the Fancy That Mixed Leaves die.

May - Challenge #2 - use two stamps

Using distress inks, I stamped the Stampin up! En Francais and Medallion stamps on the embossed cardstock, before adding the month title.  

June - Challenge #6 - use six strips of washi tape

This one was difficult for me. I wasn't sure how to incorporate the tape, especially as I only had a limited supply of tapes (four to be exact and two with clashing colours!). Then I remembered the Fancy That Sprockets and Gears die and the tape seemed to go with them. I laid down the six pieces of tape (three above and three below the title) and put the cogs on top, and in the end I love how this one turned out!

July - Challenge #7 - use seven sparkly snowflakes

While it rarely snows in Canberra, July is winter and many of our friends go to the snowy mountains to go skiing then, so that seemed to be the most logical month for snowflakes. I cut two larger snowflakes from white paper with the Marianne Design Creatables snowflake die, then punched the smaller ones with a Creative Memories punch. I painted the smaller flakes with moonlight Smooch and added some bling to the centre of each one. I tried to distress the edges of the page with white versamark ink, but it just seemed to soak into the cardstock so I ended up painting some streaks of the smooch onto the background to look a bit like falling snow - well that was the theory anyway!

August - not done yet - intending to use challenge 8 - use eight different brands/products on your project

September - Challenge #10 - use 10 buttons

Another easy one, and one of the first ones I completed. I simply die cut 10 flowers with my Joycrafts daisy die, then added buttons to the centre of each. Having recently been involved with cleaning up my in-law's property for sale, I 'inherited' quite a stash of buttons so had many to choose from! I added a butterfly (Cheery Lynn small exotic butterflies die) for a pop of colour.

October - Challenge #9 - use 9 pearls or sparkles

I added 9 pearls to the Marianne Design Creatables (LR0115) butterfly die cut and T in the title. 

November - Challenge #11 - use 11 banner flags

OK  so I actually have 12 banner flags on this one. I was intending to use the Fancy That Fiesta Flags for the banners on this one, but they were too large, so I had to use the MFT Die-namics Mini Pennant die instead. But then I felt the top right corner was a bit bare so I used one of the fiesta flags that I had already cut to fill it up.

December - not done yet - intending to use Challenge #5 - use five gold things.

Now all I have to do is finish the last two months and make a box to keep the other months in while one is on display. What do you think? I'd love to see your creations if you make one too...

Till next time, happy days!

Francine