Create a timeless advent calendar for you and the family to enjoy year after year

What you need...

• Wooden plank, pine
  
• Pegs, wood
  
• Spray paint, white primer
  
• Red pen, felt
  
• Buttons
  
• Ribbons
  
• Number stencil
  
• String, sisal
  
• Paper, brown
  
• Drawing pins
  
• Adhesives: spray, glue gun, foam pads

instructions

1. Cut a plank of wood to 10cm x 90cm. Mark 2.5cm in from both ends, then make 23 more marks 3.5cm apart longways so there's a total of 25 marks on the plank.

2. Use a glue gun to stick pegs to the design, centring them over each of the marks. Position them so that the ends are over hanging the edge of the plank by 3cm. Coat the wood and pegs with a thin application of white paint which allows the wood grain to still show through.

3. With a stencil and red pen, draw numbers 1-25 above each peg. Position the digits equally between the space above the pegs and the top edge of the plank.

4. Snip short lengths of ribbon and use spray adhesive to stick them to the top-front of every other peg. Secure a button to the remaining pegs using foam pads.

5. Make a hanging loop from 70cm of sisal string and tie a knot at each end. Stick drawing pins to the front of the knots and attach the string to the wood. Alternatively, use a staple gun to fix the string.

6. Count five pegs in from either end to position the string equally. Finally, wrap all the tiny gifts and sweets and attach them to the pegs with ribbon or string.