Advent Calendar

I saw this Advent Calendar on Splitcoast Stampers. I knew that I had to make it. So I took a day to go shopping for the ingredients...

I knew that I was going to make a few of these, so I needed to go as inexpensive as I could. I first found the canvas. She used a frame canvas. While it was nice, the flat canvas worked just as well, and was 3 for 12 bucks...after that 50% off!! Ok, canvas down. Next I went shopping for the little containers. She used metal ones. Every where I went, they were 1.99 a piece!! Couldn't do that. Checked the kits that had 18 or more in them...they were also over a dollar a piece. So, went to the dollar store... where else do you find things for cheap?

Decided on my decorated papers, and background papers.

Here, I cut the cardstocks for the base. You have a solid cardstock, that is 3 by 3. The colored cardstock on top that you layer, is 2 3/4th. Pretty simple. Then I used my circle and scallop circle punch to cut out the centers for my cups. These are two different sets...

See the little cups I found? Perfect for putting goodies in! Plus, they seal! There was 10 to a package for a buck!

I covered each cup in a ribbon. The original covered theirs in DP, but I liked the ribbon.

So here is what the final product will look like! It isn't glued down yet, I'm waiting for some of that red tape to arrive in the mail to finish them off. I wanted something strong to hold them all down and didn't think my mono would do it! The cups are secured to the squares with a large glue dot. Those hold everything!!

After seeing it, I think that I shall redo the numbers in black. Will make it pop a little more. The words and the numbers are all embossed...

Ok, so, if I went with original ingredients, here is the breakdown in price: Metal Cups: 47.76, canvas 21.99, solid paper, 1.00, decorated paper 4.00, which comes to 74.75 That is for one of these little puppies!

My cost: Plastic cups: 8.00, Canvas 12.00, solid paper, 2.00, decorated paper: 8.00 Which comes to 30 dollars!! And that is for all 3!!

So how do you think I did??