Make a Recycled Snowmen Advent Calendar

They say a fool and his money are easily parted. Count me as a fool then, because I have a complete inability to resist cute toys in quarter machines. I figure, if I’m going to make such impulse buys, better to spend 50 cents than 50 dollars, right? (I have a friend who is addicted to handbags, so it could definitely be worse!) I have a hoard of little plastic capsules from my tiny toy collection that I hang onto because, well, you know… Anyway, Nikki from Whimsy Love used some of them to create a clever snowmen advent garland, with each of the 24 bubbles containing a fun surprise for the holiday countdown. And if you go out and pump a bunch of quarters into a machine to get all of the capsules you need, they come pre-filled with goodies! [how to make a recycled snowmen advent calendar]

Project estimate:

Plastic quarter machine capsules, on hand or about $12
Drill, on hand
String, on hand
Paint, on hand
Felt, on hand
Pom poms, on hand
Small prizes, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up

Tags: advent, advent calendar, christmas, felt, garland, gumball machine toys, Holiday Crafts, paint, plastic bubble, recycled, recycled crafts, snowman, snowmen, toys

Rhonda

Rhonda Greene is a lifelong resident of West Michigan. She participated in her first craft show at the age of 10, selling jewelry made from found objects. She lives with her husband, Adam, and two cats, Merlin and Abracadabra. She is especially fond of collecting adhesives and fasteners, her favorites of which include Mod Podge, duct tape, and grommets. Read more from Rhonda on her blog, Oh That Mrs. Greene.

7 Comments

Shelly Rae Wood

November 17, 2011 at 1:24 pm

Now this is totally adorable….seriously! :)
heidi@thecraftmonkey

November 17, 2011 at 1:27 pm

that is an awesome idea!! and I love that they already come with a goodie that fits perfectly inside!!! I LOVE this idea! thanks for sharing!
Michelle L.

November 17, 2011 at 2:58 pm

The. Cutest. Snowmen!
The Activity Mom

November 18, 2011 at 5:56 am

ok THAT is adorable!
mikeasaurus

November 18, 2011 at 10:21 am

Ha, what a cute and fun idea!
ColleenwithMurals&More

November 20, 2011 at 7:52 pm

If these aren’t the cutest thing! Saving my quarters now.
Heidi

November 25, 2011 at 1:53 pm

Okay, and if you DON’T want any tiny toys flaoting around the house…just go buy knee-hi stockings! Walgreens and Walmart both sell them in these containers. :-)