CWS Drop Down Santa Advent Calendar

 

2024 - NO LONGER FREE

Note - this is a HUGE project.  It's 2 feet tall!  

I made some adjustments - including changing things so it took 7 less mats.

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This video shows the finished project - Santa drops down a bit each day, ending up in the chimney for Christmas

The file can be purchased from Craft With Sarah here

https://www.craftwithsarah.com/product/santa-chimney-calendar/

I made a few changes.  First - to make it cut on less mats.

39 mats for original upload, I made a few changes and mine will now cut on 32 mats

3 White [one piece I had to move and rotate to make it cut on the 3rd mat, rather than requiring a 4th mat for one piece that easily fit on the previous one]

2 black

1 dark red fireplace

1 lighter red for holly berries and stocking background [I changed them to the darker red. I lose the contrast, but can recut if needed - I think they will work in the darker color]

1 brown

1 peach santas nose [scrap will work]

1 peachish santas face [scrap will work]

1 light brown fireplace clock [could make black?]

1 Orange/yellow Numbers [I'm using vinyl]

1 Yellow fireplace and candle flames

1 pale pink fireplace details [I'm changing to white]

I lighter yellow fireplace and flames

1 dark green holly and stocking [scrap will work]

1 light green stocking [scrap will work - I changed it to the darker green. I'll lose the contrasting color, but I can recut if I think it needs that.]

1 purple fireplace backing [change to brown- one less mat, color doesn't matter]

12 red for 24 total boxes. Could use 8.5x11. OR - rotate and attach so 3 fit per a page, and use 9 sheets of 12x12 red.

9 red for structure, fireplace backing, etc. - slightly lighter than the boxes

===============

It took me an entire day just to cut this one out. It's a big project!

================

MORE CHANGES:

I'm copying a post I made on facebook when I was making this:

On My "Desk" Today - Progress on The Craft With Sarah Dropping Santa Advent Calendar [I've moved this project to a living room table, partly because of it's size]

AND this is a good look at the living room before the 2025 remodel. :-)

1. This really is not as difficult as I may make it look.

2. It took most of a day to cut all the pieces. It's a BIG project. I think when completed it will be nearly 2 feet [21 inches or so] tall.

3. The boxes are really simple construction - so although they may be time consuming simply because there are 24 of them, I was able to assemble them rather efficiently on a tv tray while watching 1 tv show with my husband.

4. I used Dollar Tree Glitter vinyl for the numbers. One less thing to glue. 🙂 Definitely listen to Sarah's tip to lay the background white out, then place the numbers. I put mine in order, one on each block, on an old mat, making it easier for me to know what gold numbers went where.

5. The video is about an hour and a half long. I don't ever just sit down and work on one thing start to finish, so I'm not going to be able to answer how long it actually takes to make it. I skipped a lot of the video, and rewatched one part 3x, so far.

6. My biggest mistake - the one I may need to redo, but at the moment I am taking a break - was on the large back structures. That's the part of the video I watched 3x, and now that I have successfully completed one, it's SO simple, it just took my brain a bit to retain important details. For one side, I glued the side pieces on upside down. That makes it completely wonky, and I'll likely recut those pieces and try again.

This is what I mean about gluing the side pieces on upside down. The one on the left is done correctly, and forms neat boxes. The one on the right is all wonky, because I glued the sides on upside down.

7. I made my chimney all black. This was a good decision based on supplies on hand, and cost of paper [black is very inexpensive from wal-mart] but I think I'll like the look better in red. So the black may be my practice chimney, and I'm ok with that. Obviously I needed the practice. 🙂

I'd really like to make a slightly smaller version of this - I don't need my treat boxes to be quite so large. [I fill mine with locally made chocolates]. If anyone has resized this and made it smaller, I'd love to hear what sizes worked well for you!

=====================

MORE ADVENT CALENDARS

That I have made

===================

In 2022 I made this one from the Craft With Sarah Event

For a couple of years now, each December I prop this in a reverse canvas sign I had hanging in my hallway.  This year in the downstairs remodel, I got rid of this canvas...  so this year I want to check Hobby Lobby for a  blank canvas frame just for the advent calendar. to sit in.  It is quite large.

As huge as this project is, it's really quite easy to assemble. It was the very first freebie in the 2022 Craft With Sarah 25 Days of Christmas, and it was only free for 24 hours. Now the file will cost you $10 - and I won't say this often about a file this expensive, but it's really worth it. It's so well designed!

I changed the colors to match my hallway, and have this sitting inside a very large reversed canvas I made a couple of years ago.

Find the file here: https://www.craftwithsarah.com/product/giant-advent-calendar/

====================

The 2021 Advent Calendars

=================

The Tree shaped version is a FREE file from Jennifer Maker.

For me, the drawers slide out a little too easily, and this is a.. sometimes chaotic household with unlevel floors.  The drawers fell out a lot.  It worked much better at my moms house - where the floors are all level and there are less children  running around.  :-)

The Triangle version I bought because it was a good size for mailing.

All the details for both are in a post here:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2021/11/making-advent-calendars.html

====================

2024 Advent calendars

This is my go to file - quick and easy to assemble.

I use shadow box files on the front to change the designs

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2025/11/advent-calendars-2024.html

==========================

Where To Find Free Advent Calendar SVGS

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/07/where-to-find-free-advent-calendar-svgs.html

Advent Calendars 2024

 
2024 Advent Calendars

For my 2024 Advent Calendars, I started with a base file that is free from SVG Nation.  I made a few adjustments, making the numbers write with a pen rather than be extra layers (purely to make this faster for me) and then I deleted all of the front pieces EXCEPT the snow at the top.

Then I chose shadow box svgs that went with the girls interests, and used that for the fronts - putting the snow on the top from the original file, and adding a wreath at the top.

I filled them with chocolate from our local chocolate stores - wrapping the pieces in press and seal.

This all worked so well for my purposes that it's my 2025 plan too.  They are meant to be disposable - nothing for the kids to have to store.  But they COULD keep the shadow box off the front and reuse it if they so chose.    

More Step By Step Details on the 2024 Boxes:

FREE file from SVG Nation

This is the base file I start with.

https://svgnation.com/diy-advent-calendar/

This is my go to Advent Calendar - it's a great design that goes together quickly & easily. And did I mention, it's FREE?

I switched the numbers to ones that write with a pen .

The font I used is Always Here - FREE on Dafont

https://www.dafont.com/alwayshere.font

This is one of my go to fonts for using with a pen in cricut

For more free fonts that work with pens in cricut - 

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2017/11/6-single-line-fonts-that-will-write.html

===============

2024 Shadow Box Choices

For the front of the box

==================

Cozy Fox Shadow Box svg from CF

Nutcracker Shadow Box SVG From CF

Grinch Shadow Box SVG From LBXgdmn

The base, assembled.

I wrap the chocolates in Press and seal, and then I used a label maker to label them so I could remember what was what as I filled them.  

For the snow layer, on top of the shadow box, I used glitter cardstock from Dollar Tree

I don't know if they are still carrying this - but I LOVE this glitter cardstock.  It's shiny and sparkly, but does NOT shed, and cuts beautifully.

The wreath is an addition - it is from a church card that was free in an event from the Bearded Housewife. I use this wreath a LOT. The file is now only available to members of his site https://thebeardedhousewife.com/christmas-church-box-cards/

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THE CHOCOLATES
================

All local chocolate shops:

From Cathermans in Lewisburg - Peppermint, and Coconut

From Ards in Lewisburg - Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel

From Purity in Allenwood - Blackberry Brandy Cordials and Rum Cordials

From Langs in Williamsport- Peanut Butter flowers

From Le Chocolat in Williamsport - Dark chocolate Peanut Butter, and Lemon filled.

=====================

MORE ADVENT CALENDARS

That I have made

===================

In 2022 I made this one from the Craft With Sarah Event

For a couple of years now, each December I prop this in a reverse canvas sign I had hanging in my hallway.  This year in the downstairs remodel, I got rid of this canvas...  so this year I want to check Hobby Lobby for a  blank canvas frame just for the advent calendar. to sit in.  It is quite large.

As huge as this project is, it's really quite easy to assemble. It was the very first freebie in the 2022 Craft With Sarah 25 Days of Christmas, and it was only free for 24 hours. Now the file will cost you $10 - and I won't say this often about a file this expensive, but it's really worth it. It's so well designed!

I changed the colors to match my hallway, and have this sitting inside a very large reversed canvas I made a couple of years ago.

Find the file here: https://www.craftwithsarah.com/product/giant-advent-calendar/

====================

The 2021 Advent Calendars

=================

The Tree shaped version is a FREE file from Jennifer Maker.

For me, the drawers slide out a little too easily, and this is a.. sometimes chaotic household with unlevel floors.  The drawers fell out a lot.  It worked much better at my moms house - where the floors are all level and there are less children  running around.  :-)

The Triangle version I bought because it was a good size for mailing.

All the details for both are in a post here:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2021/11/making-advent-calendars.html

==========================

Where To Find Free Advent Calendar SVGS

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/07/where-to-find-free-advent-calendar-svgs.html

How To See Your Friends Post On Facebook

 

I'm so old I can remember when facebook only showed you your friends posts...  LOL!

These days, my feed is full of promoted pages and nonsense I have no interest in whatsoever.  To see what my friends are posting, I need to go to a special link - the Friends Feed.

Menu/Feeds/Friends

Note that is "Feeds" which is directly under "News Feed".  

Or save this link:
https://www.facebook.com/?filter=friends

--------------------------

This link will show you your groups posts:
https://www.facebook.com/?filter=groups

--------------------------

And this one will show you the posts by the pages you follow:
https://www.facebook.com/?filter=pages

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Pop Up Valentines Day Card

Converting the Free Mr & Mrs Card SVG into a Valentines Day Card SVG

[I've included an svg of the Happy Valentines Day Text I used, near the bottom of this post]

This is a free svg from

https://tinyurl.com/bdzd9bbf

I love these pop up designs!  The Cricut does most of the work for these, making an impressive looking card with very little effort.

I thought this one would make a great Valentine! 

The Mr. & Mrs. is a lot of pieces, and took a bit longer to contour out than most text.  

I found it easiest to enlarge the view to 150% 

[on the bottom left, where it currently shows 86%]

Once I removed the Mr. & Mrs., there were two hearts on the right, and none on the left.

I used the heart shape, from the shapes panel in design space - so now there are 4 hearts.

Once you have added the new text, do not forget to attach!

You can slice the text, if you prefer, but it is not necessary.  If you just attach the text to the white card, it will cut where you placed it.

For designs like this, stencil fonts work best because they will cut the text without dropping the centers of the letters.  In other words, you do not have to piece these back together once they cut.

I don't install the majority of my fonts - I simply store them in folders by type.  So I have a folder of stencil fonts  to choose from, all of which I could view quickly in the free version of the Maintype Font Manager.  You can read more about how I manage and use fonts, without installing them,  here:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2024/02/no-i-do-not-install-my-fonts-for-cricut.html

Here's a list of free stencil fonts

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2024/01/where-to-find-free-stencil-fonts.html

I use a lot of free fonts, but I also have a LOT of commercial use fonts, downloaded as part of my Creative Fabrica Membership.

DOWNLOAD SVGS HERE

The download includes 3 svgs - 

First is Happy Valentines Day in a single line font, meant for pens. 

Second is a Stencil version I liked, but for some reason when I used it on this card, my Maker would destroy the a in Happy every single time.  Not any of the other a's, just that one.  And it cut fine in my Air2.  I don't know what my Makers issue was with this - but I frequently have issues with that machine, so it may just be my machine.

The third svg is the one I ended up using on this card.

I frequently will cut the inserts [the red rectangle, for this one] using my paper cutter rather than the cricut, as I find it's quicker. and can be done while the cricut is cutting out the more intricate piece.

On my Maker I used the Intricate Cuts setting.

On my Air 2, I used the cardstock setting.

========================

Find more free svgs for making Valentine Cards Here

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2021/02/twenty-free-valentines-day-cards-to-try.html

My 2024 Year In Books & My Goals for 2025

I know - that's a ridiculous number of books.  I'm pretty certain that's a record for me.  Most years I read between 80 and 100 books, according to my goodreads stats from previous years.

My favorite stat here is not the amount I read, but rather that I read a book that no one else shelved on goodreads in 2024.  It already existed in Goodreads database, but no one else marked it as read in 2024.  This stat amuses me so much that it may now be a regular goal for me...

Also, keep in mind that one of these  was just  97 pages!  [the longest book I finished was 958 pages.  My average was around 300 and some pages per a book] And I listened to a lot of audiobooks - especially when traveling.  I can read faster than I can listen - but I can listen while on a plane, or in a car, so the combination allowed me to really increase my numbers this year - especially this year, when we took a road trip to Georgia, and also flew to England, spending a fair amount of time on trains in the two weeks I was there.  

It's really not about the numbers though.  If I read 100 books I didn't enjoy, or learn from, what is the point?  Which is why for 2025 my goal is not a number of books - but rather, types of books.  My goal for 2025 is:

6 Memoir or Biography
6 Non Fiction
12 [one a month] physical books I hold in my hands

12 [one a month] Local History Books

Read at least one of  Bookhouse Series [1920s series for children that I discovered this year]

Before I look back at my favorites in 2024, here are some of the apps and sites I use when reading:

I track my reading with goodreads. I like seeing what my friends are reading, and love the year end stats - AND I find that I need help sometimes remembering what I have read, or where I left off in a series. I do not however, recommend trusting reviews on goodreads.  I think too many of them are...  influenced.  A lot of publishers and authors give away free books, and too frequently I think those freebies influence the reviews.  My daughter prefers Storygraph - and had I not already been using Goodreads for so many years, I think I may have switched over with her.   Add me on goodreads here	Free Books Each Month If You Have Amazon Prime Each month editors choose one book in each genre, for pre-release. Amazon prime members can choose one to download each month for free. They've had some really great selections, from popular and best selling authors - and even a category for book club reads.  Find This Months Selections Here: https://amzn.to/2EPHPuS	In our area of Central Pennsylvania, Libby is the app our libraries use.  Other areas may have different systems, but your local library website should have the information, or stop in and I'm sure a librarian can help! Libby allows me to borrow ebooks, and audiobooks, from  our local library.  From as many libraries as you want actually - so if you live in an area [like we do] with different libraries, it's often worth it to get several cards! For me, I live where 3 counties and I can get a free cards for several libraries, all with different selections available.  Also, everyone in Pennsylvania can get a card for the Philadelphia  Free Library online.
Watch for Audible Deals.   I think I have had 3-6 months at 99 cents every year for years now.  I cancel at the end of the deal, but those books stay in my library, even when I am not an active member.  In addition to the books I purchase with my credits, there are dozens of FREE audible books too, including a lot of the classics.	Cantook Ebook Reader This is Aldiko, rebranded.  I have no idea why they changed their name, but I've been using Aldiko [now cantook] I think since my very first smartphone.  This app will read any epub, or pdf, and is especially great for books you can download free from sites with ebooks such as:  Project Gutenburg Internet Archive Ebooks.com	The Kindle App Although I have never used a Kindle Ereader myself, I have used the kindle app on every smartphone I have ever used.  There are lots of free kindle books available.  But also, Amazon frequently offers promotional credits if you combine shipping, or choose different shipping options.  Those promotional credits can be used towards ebooks.

 

====================

My 2024 Year In Reading

My Favorites, and Others I Found Most Interesting

====================

Book "Experiences"

Two of my favorite books this year were physical books, and in both cases, I think the experience surrounding the books had a strong influence on how much I enjoyed it.  These were the "book experiences" that stood out for me this year.

 

Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is a book I NEVER would have chosen for myself. But when my daughter and I flew to England [to visit my son, who is stationed there] we flew on a budget flight, where taking a suitcase would have nearly doubled our flight cost.  So we traveled with carry on only.  Which meant no room for physical books.  We went with the plan of finding a bookshop once we arrived - and I'm so glad that was our plan.  We ended up at a Waterstones at Bury St Edmunds.  First, let me say that shopping in England was wonderful.  REAL shops arranged around wide streets open to foot traffic only, with tea and chocolate shops...  it may be the only time in my life where I have truly enjoyed shopping.

At Waterstone, where the books were so much cheaper than here in the US, the woman at the register, seeing my purchases suggested Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop to round out my "buy one get one half off" deal.  She also mentioned that she is always shocked by the prices of books when she flies to New York...

Anyway,  the book is short chapters that were so perfect for the train, and for reading on the beach at Southend- on-Sea.  I loved the language and the lessons, and thoroughly soaked in the chapters one at a time.  It's a book where I  underlined sentences and copied various quotes in my trip journal.  I would interrupt my daughters reading to read parts out loud to her.  It spoke to me.   I do not think I would have enjoyed this book as a "sit down and read it cover to cover" book.  But as I read it, in short segments,  it was not only one of my favorite reads of 2024, but it's part of my memories of that once in a life time two week trip to England. 

The other 2024  book experience  was traveling to Harrisburg to see Jeff Shaara, again.   He was promoting his brand new book The Shadow Of War, which I did buy and IS on my 2025 To Read Pile, but I also had him sign a copy of Old Lion, because Teddy Roosevelt is my favorite.  

Nineteen years ago, author Jeff Shaara was in our area, visiting local libraries & signing books. Our family went to our very small rural library to meet him. With events at so many of the larger local libraries, our little library event was somewhat poorly attended, giving our children a lot of time to interact with Mr. Shaara.

One of our sons then began reading all of his books, and developed a love of history from Shaaras various series. 19 years later, when I saw that there would be a talk & book signing in Harrisburg, 30 minutes from where Nate lives now... My daughter & I made the drive down to meet him & get new photos.

I think I would have loved Old Lion just as much if I had got a copy from our library, it's a fabulous book. But for me, there's also the added memory of the experience.

==================

The Series Of 2024

These are books in series that I read regularly, when new books are available. They may not be 5 star reads, but they are, almost without fail, a book I will enjoy.

The Enola Holmes Series By Nancy Springer	Shady Hollow Series By Juneau Black	Her Royal Spyness Series By Rhys Bowen
Meg Lanslow Series By Donna Andrews	Andy Carpenter Series by David Rosenfelt	Miss Fortune Series  by Jana Deleon

These were a lot of my audiobook reads this year too. All of these series are light and fun, with good character development, and plot lines PG enough for family listening on road trips.

The Donna Andrews Series is one I have read off and on over the years, typically reading one of the Christmas themed books each December. This year I started at book one and read them all in order - and I devoured them. 29 or 30 of the books I read in 2024 are from this series. They were the books I turned to when I found something else I was reading to be disappointing.

We drove from Pennsylvania to Georgia to see my son, who had flown in from England earlier this year, and we took our time coming home, visiting I think it was 7 states.. It was a rather epic road trip, and when I realize that it happened in the SAME year I flew to England for two weeks with my daughter... wow, what a year. :-) Anyway, for any road trip with my husband, there are two authors I look for: David Rosenfelt, and Malcom Gladwell. Completely different books. The Andy Carpenter Series are good, well developed, mysteries that are also light, funny in a dry sort of humor, and relatively short. In audio form, most of the books are between 4 and 5 hours I think. We've been known to finish one of these audio books while playing a game of 5 crowns after dinner, more than once.

The Malcom Gladwell books are all non fiction, and I love them for the odd facts he presents. I don't always agree with him, but I have never found it necessary to agree with anyone, let alone an author, to enjoy learning from them. Gladwell looks at things differently - and that is something I enjoy.

    Another light, fun, series - slightly less PG though. A bit more RomCom.

Veronica Speedwell Series by Deanna Raybourn

New To Me Series in 2024

Ernest Cunningham Series By Benjamin Stevenson One of my new favorite series	The Emily Wilde Series by Heather Fawcett was such a surprise for me.  I LOVED these books.	Here's another surprise - a James Patterson book on my favorites list?  That's so 2010!  LOL!  But I did LOVE this book, which sucked me in by using those three names.  Book two to be released in 2025, and I have it on my To Read List.
	A Dark Matter By Doug Johnstone Three generations of women - running a funeral home AND a detective agency.  It's sometimes dark,  sometimes a little too graphic, often weird, and strangely intriguing.  I will read more.

I also read most of the Richard Jury series by Martha Grimes this year. I can't explain the draw of these books - they are mysteries, but at the end I rarely really understand what happened. It's the characters and location that make the books worth reading.

And the Nita Prose Maid Series - oh how I dislike this series. And yet, unbelievably, I keep reading them! I can't explain it!

===============

Non Fiction & Memoirs

The Third Gilmore Girl Kelly Bishop My daughter and I listened to this audiobook on a road trip to a Gilmore Girls Festival this year.	365 Days Of Unique Poems Days Like These By Brian Bilston I read one a day, most days. I also read his memoir, and I really strongly did NOT like it. But I enjoyed the weird poems.	The Puzzler By A.J. Jacobs This was a fun read about different kinds of puzzles and puzzle competitions.
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I - By Douglas Brunt Definitely one of my favorite reads in 2024!	Endurance By Alfred Lansing An incredible true story	The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife This would have been a fun read even if I hadn't been to the tower this year!

Icons Of England

This was a fun read. It's edited by Bryson, not written by him. Essentially Bryson said, to a variety of people, "tell me what you love about England". The result is wonderful - stories of roads, and landmarks and tourist attractions.. all in short blips written by people who love that particular feature. We should have more books like this, on every topic.

I read a lot of light fiction this year - but I also read a lot of old history. I finished the nearly 1,000 page Daily Stories Of Pennsylvania [it took me a year and a half to finish
that one], read the beautiful and interesting All The President's Gardens, a book on the Little League World Series - A Promise Kept - written by the founder [the LLWS was founded, and is held, 20 minutes from our farm] and for our trip to England & Iceland I read books such as London Under [I wasn't impressed] and How Iceland Changed The World [Which I enjoyed very much]. I also read Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures - which started out as really interesting to me, but I lost interest in before I was half way through and had to force myself to finish just in case it got interesting again...

And my favorite in 2024 - because it's the story of one of my 4x great aunts -

Eliza's Story by Eileen M. Hook

In 2024 I created a 76 page booklet with the Gregson memoirs, a few articles & our genealogical connection, along with that document from Reid [and the College Of Arms] with the Gregson lineage. I ordered a copy of the book Elizas story, to put with it on the genealogy shelf. Eliza Gregson was in one of the first wagons traveling west to what would become California. She lived with some of the Donner Party survivors, and her husband was one of the first to find the gold in what would become the gold rush. Her husband was interviewed by the Historical Society, and she was annoyed that no one asked for her side of the story, so she wrote her own memoir. I optimistically envision my grandchildren studying various events in history in school, and me being able to pluck a booklet from the shelf & say "here's how your ancestors connect to that event".

To go with Eliza's story, I read The Indifferent Stars Above.  This is a TOUGH read, because of the subject matter.  

Another tough read, for me, was the memoir The Sound Of Gravel.  It was both riveting, and difficult.  A memoir by one of 32 children in a polygamist family.

========================

Mysteries & Thrillers

My Favorites From 2024:

The Guest  By B.A. Paris	First Lie Wins By Elston One of my 5 star reads for 2025	The Heiress  By Rachel Hawkins
	City Under One Roof By Yamashita The setting for this one was just so unique.  It's not the story line that stuck with me, but the background.

===============

Odds & Ends

Assorted Books I really enjoyed -

The House On The Cerulean Sea By TJ Klune	The Memory Library By Kate Storey	The Stars Don't Lie By Boo Walker

=======================