DIY Advent Calendar

My husband went on a business trip for a month.  That's a long time, plus I knew that he would not always have internet access.  So before he left I wanted to give him something fun and special that would help to remind him of  home.  

When I was at Target in their dollar section, I saw a dry erase board with a string and got an idea!  An advent calendar, that's what I wanted to make.  It would be small and easy to pack but give him a little surprise every single day. 

To make my advent calendar, I used an Exato knife to cut little windows out of scrapbook paper. I made enough windows for every day that he would be gone on his trip. Then I taped the scrapbook paper to the edges the dry erase board.

For each window, I hid a little note inside and taped the window closed. For some of the notes I wrote small messages on post-it notes for him, and on others our kids wrote notes or drew pictures for him. This way he had a little message or memento to remember that we loved and missed him. Then my kids helped me decorate it the calendar with stickers.

The day my husband left for his trip I slipped the advent calendar into his bag so he would be surprised when he arrived at his destination.

Bucket Appreciation Note

I was at the dollar store and came across these cute buckets.  I knew I wanted to use them and came up with this idea.  I needed something to give to a few friends, so this was perfect. 

So I bought 4 buckets and went to work.  First, I created this little note and taped it on the front:

"Thanks for 'filling my bucket'!

You have made me laugh
I have learned so much from you because you are such a SMARTIE!
You have been a LIFE SAVER by being a great friend

Love, ..."

On some of them I changed it to say "our bucket" because it was from my whole family.

I lined the bucket with tissue paper and filled it with a shovel (which came with the bucket) and candy.  To help tie in with each line of the note, I included Laffy Taffys, Smarties, Life Savers, and Hugs & Kisses.

{Click here to print your own bucket appreciation note}

On a Positive "Note"

Right now there are some hard things going on at my work.  Being a manager and trying to keep up staff moral can be really difficult sometimes.  This same problem happens in our homes when stress builds and spouses get overworked.  So, this is what I did to bring in a little hope, comfort, and love to my workplace.

I made these cute "notes" for everyone.  They are shaped like musical notes (it takes a little stretch of the imagination at first).  I used a York peppermint patty as the note and scrapbook paper as the stem.  On the paper I wrote the message,  "On A Positive Note!". 

{Click here to print your own "Positive Note" handouts}

I also included a card with a positive message then taped my peppermint notes on the front of the cards.  There is a quote by holocaust survivor Victor Frankle that I really like.  He says, 

"The one thing you can't take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me.  The last of one's freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given circumstance."

We all have tough times.  So this note idea can be something that you give to a spouse or family member, just to let them know that things will turn out okay.  A positive happy attitude is contagious and can go a long way!