Countdown Calendar How To~*

This has been a tough semester for crafting-- not nearly as much time to do it as I'd like.  But Fall 2013 is winding down, & I managed to squeeze in a quick countdown calendar project this past weekend.

I had forgotten about this old picture frame until we re-discovered it during our summer basement clean up. I had an idea to turn it into a display for ornaments, which morphed into a countdown calendar (though I have every intention of hanging non-Christmas pretties from it during the other seasons of the year).  

It needed to come away from the wall, so Jeremy cut a few 1x2x4s to fit along both sides, then cut four smaller boards to stack along the top and the bottom.  I glued them to the frame (given the frames state, I didn't want to risk attaching it by nail or screw).  Then glued the additional boards to the top and bottom edge, so the frame would sit away from the wall a few inches.

After the glue set up, I painted the boards flat black (and they literally disappear into the shadows).  I painted the front of the frame the same mint green (Mint Gala, to be specific) I used in the hallway and guestroom.  

The next day I measured for stringing the wire.  I was in no way exact lol.  I placed the first wire an inch or so below the inside top of the frame, then measured roughly 7 inches down from that-- ending up with five rows.  I used small screws to wrap the picture hanging wire around, then screwed in the screw tight to tighten the wire.

I used some inexpensive blank gift tagsand wrote out 24 numbers in brown sharpie.  I was not particular about the dimensions of the numbers-- I wanted a crafty-vaguely-chalk board-ish- style number, if you follow.  You could download a fancy font to mimic or even pick up a number stencil if you are so inclined.  

I used fancy ornament hangers & ta da!
When December 1 rolls around, we'll take off the 1 and replace it with an ornament, and so on, and so forth. Cute, eh?  I rather like it-- and I have grand ideas for hanging birds from the wires in the spring, oooh and maybe iridescent bubbles in the summer and leaves in the fall...but the Countdown Calendar is strictly December~*

I like the way the numbers flutter around--

This will probably be my only post this week-- we head to my sister's for her annual feast on Thursday & pictures will be taken for sharing later on, of course.  Happiest of Thanksgiving to all!