Preparing for Jesus - An Advent Wreath

I like to be prepared. I am a list maker. I fear the unknown. I need a plan.

With Christmas coming, I knew that I wanted to make another Advent Calender this year. I enjoy reading daily Scriptures and devotionals that help me prepare for Christmas, Christ's birth. 

It is much easier to prepare for the visible parts of Christmas. The decorations. The lights. The nativity (out of my two year old's reach because it does look like a toy). The wrapping of gifts ( also out of my two year old's reach). 

Preparing my heart and mind, though needed, often gets neglected. And so, I love taking the twenty four days before Christmas to read and ponder the miraculous birth of my Savior. 

Twenty five little match boxes hold my Scripture references. 

After emptying the boxes of their matches, I wrapped each sleeve in a bit of wrapping paper. 

On small pieces of paper, I wrote the day and coinciding Scripture. 

Then, I tucked the little packages into a lit wreath in my living room.  

I may end up using these little boxes each year. They can easily be re wrapped, filled with a tiny treat, or decorated more with bits of ribbon or string. 

This year, I will be reading Ann Voskamp's Unwrapping the Greatest Gift for my own Advent reading. 

We plan to work our way through the Jesus Storybook Bible as a family, since it is closer to Hudson's level. Each Bible story (even the Old Testament ones) point towards Jesus' arrival. I have enjoyed seeing the correlations myself. There are twenty five stories -including the Wisemen. It works perfectly to read one story each day of December. I love that Hudson recognizes baby Jesus this year. He does keep saying Baby Jesus is in a car seat instead of the manger, but in his two year old voice he says the name of Jesus so sweetly. 

I will always feel the "rush" the last week of November....Thanksgiving, shopping, Hudson's birthday...but I hope this Advent reading will help me to slow down and reflect. Christmas parties and crazy schedules fill the December days to come, but I want to make sure I am trying my best to get my heart in the right place. 

When a guest comes to my home, I like to make sure the house is clean, the floors are swept, the hall bathroom is ready and the snacks are prepared. I want to make sure my heart is prepared for the birth of Jesus. 

What are you doing to prepare for baby Jesus? 

Adding Color in an Unexpected Place

I've had this dresser in the guest room (now Nora's room) since we moved into this house. Up until this point, it has held my craft supplies and scrapbook stuff. I have since moved those supplies to other locations. In fact, I am storing scrapbook things inside an old suitcase that is decorating the living room.

The dresser is great for all of Nora's clothes, crib sheets, extra supplies, etc. And it is now fun to open the drawers and see a bit of color.

I had originally thought about painting the dresser green, but decided to leave it cream. Instead, I settled for a nap-time project. I pulled out a coordinating roll of $1 wrapping paper from Target. I know...I know...I use this stuff for everything! But when it's only one dollar and it's super cute, I am glad to say this obsession isn't breaking the bank.

After wiping down each drawer, I measured and cut the wrapping paper to fit just the sides of each drawer. The inside of the drawers were in great shape. I figured it would be easiest to wipe out the drawers in the future as they are. I applied one generous coat of homemade decoupage glue to the side with a foam paint brush. Since the paper was super thin, I didn't bother coating the top with the decoupage glue. I just tried to smooth out as many bubbles as possible.

I've found, with wrapping paper and decoupaging, it's almost impossible to get it perfectly smooth. The paper is super thin and my patience is even thinner. Too much pressing and pulling of the wet paper can cause rips. Once the paper dries, the little wrinkles and bubbles really are not that noticeable. I've decided it's not something to stress over.

I am happy with the added bit of cheer and color that these pieces of wrapping paper add to the room each time I open a drawer.

See, Mom, I do use all those rolls of paper that I buy!

If you have a collection of those cute rolls of wrapping paper, here's some other ideas to begin to use up your stash (other than wrapping gifts).

Cute Drawer Liners

Gift Box Wreath - This would also be cute decor for a party...not just Christmas time.

DIY Kid-Friendly Nativity Set. However, if you kid is into throwing things...these blocks of wood might not seem so kid-friendly to you. Maybe I should rename them "Non-Breakable Nativity Set."

How else do you use wrapping paper?