Countdown To Christmas

I've always wanted to make an advent calendar, and this year I've committed to making three - yes THREE - of them!  I want to share the first one with you today:

I've been itching to mosaic lately, and decided that this was a perfect project to break out (no pun intended) the red and green plates and get going.

First I found an 7" x 10" unfinished framed chalkboard at Woodworks, Ltd. and started gluing on the broken plate pieces.  For this type of project, I like the finished frame to look more chunky & rustic, and so I used larger pieces and let them hang over the sides of the wood.  I attached a teacup handle to use as a hook for hanging the chalk.

Next I grouted with an off-white color to further the rustic feeling of the finished piece, and then used a paint pen to write "Countdown To Christmas" on the top of the board, and do some doodling.

To incorporate the "Tis The Season" beads from Prima Beads, I coiled and flattened dark green artistic wire, carefully drilled holes through the grout, tapped in some nails and wound the wire ends around the nails after hanging the pre-made bead charms to the loops in the wire. 

For a final touch, I attached some beads to the ribbon holding the chalk as well:

I usually like to make my own charms, but these look great and saved me SO much time!  They come in a huge variety of colors and sizes, and are super-cute!

I am so happy with how the final piece came out.  Simple and sweet, and a great way to keep track of the days until Santa comes with your family!

While I was in the mosaic-ing mood, I made a couple of star ornaments using the same process:

Love these!!!

Come back to see more projects through the month using "Tis The Season" beads from Prima Beads

** Necessary Legal Stuff: I am honestly reviewing the products above which I have received free of charge from Prima Beads, and I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to them.