December is upon us and Advent is a traditional and meaningful countdown towards Christmas. It is a wonderful way to involve children, and pretty useful to remind yourself just how many days you have left. When I was a child I had cardboard picture type Advent calendars, but over the years I have seen the more common chocolate treat type be more widespread. I once made a fabric pocket picture Advent calendar, which usually gets reused on some level. So it was with great delight to find that Hobbycraft offer 3D Advent models, including a house, a reindeer and a truck driven by Father Christmas.
The truck came fully assembled, in bare MDF and wood, ready for personal decoration.
Each of the twenty four doors open to reveal a little space to add a treat or novelty of your own choice.
The bare wood is ideal for painting, so I used acrylic paints. It took two coats to cover, but acrylic is quick drying paint, so didn’t take too long. The fiddly bits were painting inside the cupboards and Father Christmas, but with a bit of patience and time it was easy to do. I also used metallic paint on some of the areas.
Once the model was painted in a base coat, I added a little detail such as Father Christmas’s features and glitter glue to some of the doors for a bit of sparkle.
The next step was top add numbers and any other decoration. Hobbycraft sell ready made numbers that can be used for these type of projects, so I had chosen thin wooden ones. These stuck on easily using a craft glue gun.
I also had a selection of foam Christmas stickers, some stick on clear jewels and foil stickers in various shapes, such as stars and presents. There are no rules as to how you decorate your own creation, so I had fun sticking bits and pieces on here and there.
The finished product is delightful. Very colourful, sparkly, and an ideal addition to decorating the house to get ready for Christmas. The compartments are fairly small, but big enough for either a sweet treat, a healthy snack, a small toy or a novelty gift. Jasper of course thinks it is most fabulous, seeing as it is a truck, and it has Father Christmas on. He is starting to get some understanding on what is happening now, so it’s lovely to have something he will enjoy for a number of years still to come. Of course it is not a toy, and cannot be played with, but we will get it down each day and have a look in the right door. I’m really rather excited.
Fuss Free Living Rating
Appearance 10/10 The Advent truck looks wonderful. With being 3D it will sit nicely on the desk top or mantle. How you decorate it is up to you of course, but even with a basic coat of paint it looks rather lovely.
Convenience 9/10 The truck is very easy to paint. Although there are a few tricky areas that just require a little more patience.
Value 9/10 The Advent truck costs £15 at full price, and is worth it. You don’t get any of the materials you need to decorate it, but you don’t have to spend an added fortune on a few basic paints and sparkly things.
Thank you Hobbycraft for supplying the Advent truck and some of the materials. All options are our own and we were not required to write a positive review.
Such a lovely idea, especially if you’re a little too old for a kiddies chocolate calender but still want to do the countdown
The options are pretty wide. I found mini bath bombs go in the doors, so a fab idea for something a little different.
What a gorgeous idea and for £15 it’s a bargain seen as you can use it year after year! Very cute!
Em
Em’s Mixed Bag…..
Really does look great, yes. I think it’s going to be one of those things that people see and ask where it came from.