Hello everybody! Merry Christmas! And welcome to Day 25 of Advent Calendar Extravaganza!!
If you missed Day 24, click here!
If you missed Day 23, click here!
If you missed Day 22, click here!
If you missed Day 21, click here!
If you missed Day 20, click here!
If you missed Day 19, click here!
If you missed Day 18, click here!
If you missed Day 17, click here!
If you missed Day 16, click here!
If you missed Day 15, click here!
If you missed Day 14, click here!
If you missed Day 13, click here!
If you missed Day 12, click here!
If you missed Day 11, click here!
If you missed Day 10, click here!
If you missed Day 9, click here!
If you missed Day 8, click here!
If you missed Day 7, click here!
If you missed Day 6, click here!
If you missed Day 5, click here!
IMPORTANT: Day 4 had an extra secret destination added part way through the day. If you want an extra chance to win, click here and open the door again to get your final link!
If you missed Day 3, click here!
If you missed Day 2, click here!
If you missed Day 1, click here!
I’ve always loved the concept of Advent Calendars. There’s something special and magical about those little treats hidden behind those little doors – and the idea of a secret little something to be unwrapped every day really is a wonderful way to build the excitement towards Christmas, not to mention a fun tradition as well!
As the years roll by some of these types of tradition can be lost when we grow up, and it seems a real shame to lose some of that magic and wonder. And really there’s no reason at all why something such as an Advent Calendar can’t be revamped and repackaged for grown-ups, crafty grown-ups… grown-ups like you and me!
So one day in November I dreamed up a fun idea for a event. I didn’t know if it would work, or if anyone would be interested. I approached some crafty friends, and others recruited themselves – everyone loved the idea! Behind the scenes I worked hard to put together something rather different and very special. So a month later, after much organising, coordinating and planning, I’m really thrilled to finally bring to you a very special, very fun, very festive series!
Advent Calendar Extravaganza is -the- festive event of the season! This ‘hop with a twist’ was dreamed up by Taheerah Atchia and features surprise destinations each day! Joining in the fun with Taheerah are over 60 special guests – each serving up some fantastic Christmas inspiration! Just like an Advent Calendar, you’ll never know where you’re going to be visiting next until you ‘open the door’!
And that’s not all! With 25 *amazing* sponsors taking part as well, your crafty wish list is bound to get a boost with a chance to win a prize EVERY SINGLE DAY!!
Join in the fun every day at taheerah-atchia.com to see what special surprises wait behind the door!
Eek! How fun does that sound?! 25 full days of surprises, inspiration and prizes!!
In case you’re wondering just how it’s going to work, I’ve put together this little video for you:
I’m so excited to be bringing you this event! I really hope you’re going to enjoy it as much as I am!!
Let’s get on with Day 25, shall we?!
I’ve got some really awesome guests and surprises for you today! Just click on the door to reveal today’s surprise destinations and prize! Tip: click at the side of the door, not in the middle! And also, open on the blog directly, not in a feed reader!
Exciting right?! Isn’t it fun to not know what’s in store at the other end of those links?! Make sure you click each one to reveal the surprise and leave comments at the destinations to win!
And speaking of winning…
Simon Says Stamp are giving away a $50 gift certificate to their store! I wanted to make sure that Advent Calendar Extravaganza went out with a bang and thanks to the generosity of Simon Says Stamp I’ve managed to do that! I just know you’ll enjoy spending this one!
As this event is drawing to a close, I want to take the time to thank each and every one of my sponsors and guests for their support, generosity and time in helping to make Advent Calendar Extravaganza a reality. You have all been amazing and I couldn’t have done it without you! And to all of you who have left comments and paid visits to all our destinations, thank you for all your kind words and for taking part as well! I hope you’ve all enjoyed Advent Calendar Extravaganza and have come away feeling inspired and having had lots of fun along the way! I would love to know what you’ve thought of the event and whether you’d like to see it return next year too!
So before you go visiting our secret destinations for the final time, some inspiration from me:
I broke out the Build A Snowman set and created this fun card! I loved stamping his body very lightly and then adding some very subtle washes of water at the edges to bring in some shading from the ink to make him look 3D!
The pieces in this set are all so versatile, so I could position the nose and smile so that my snowman was looking up at the sky!
I pulled out my embossing paste and Falling Snow stencil to add some snow to my Distress Ink sky, and the snowbank was an outside-the-box use of the Lawn Fawn Speech Bubble Border die! And finally, I couldn’t resist adding one of the 3D bows from The Ton’s Holiday Bows set to set off his scarf!
And with it being Christmas Day, I’m bringing you two cards! The second having a religious feel:
I loved playing with the A Blessed Christmas set from Paper Smooches!
I paired it up with some ink blending with the Rose Gold Bangle ink again and some watercolouring and splatter!
I stamped the figures with both Versafine and with Distress Ink in Gathered Twigs so that when I watercoloured I’d also get a lovely little bit of bleed of brown around the edges! The sentiment from Papertrey Ink finished things off perfectly!
I hope you love this event just as much as I do! I would love to know what you think of Advent Calendar Extravaganza! Do you love the format? The secret destinations? The endless inspiration? I bet you certainly love the chance to win prizes! Please make sure you leave a comment below! Thanks so much for stopping by – and Merry Christmas!
Supplies – Warmest Wishes
Supplies – Glory to The Newborn King
Oh how I LOVE that cute snowman! Both of these are wonderful, Taheerah! Merry Christmas!
This snowman builder set looks really useful – great snow scene, especially the little gift bow on his scarf.
Beautiful cards, I especially love your happy snowdude! Merry Christmas!
I love Jennifer McGuire so it is always great to visit her blog and learn new things and see all the beauty she has created. Great job to both of you
Your cards are absolutely beautiful, as always! Thank you so much for a really fun event! I'm sure it was a lot of work for you…Merry Christmas!!!
I love your cards. I found out about you from Jennifer McGuire. I am trying to find out how to subscribe to your blog. I'll keep looking. Merry Christmas to you.
Thanks so much Pam! Top right just below my photo, there are lots of different subscription options. Let me know if you need any help! 🙂
Thank you for such beautiful cards and advent project. God Bless you this wonderful time of year.
Thank you Taheera for organising this awesome event and to the sponsors for being on board.
I love both of your cards but I especially love the snowman enjoying the snow.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
Love both cards! The snowman is adorable!
Wonderful cards to complete your Advent blog experience. Since I only heard of it today, I did a SUPER blog hop enjoyinjg all of the daily presentations and being inspired to get to my craft space and get stamping! Thanks for all the work you put into the event
Love the snowman and I've loved this Advent journey…Happy Christmas
Two great cards! Wonderful and exciting event! You must have put a lot of work behind it. Great done. Wish you Merry Christmas and happy new year! Shirley 🙂
Both your cards today are terrific. Thank so much for all your time and effort to put this hop together. A very Happy Christmas to you!
I didn't know about your Advent Calendar posts until Jennifer McGuire blogged about it today! I will definitely go back to check out the other 24 days!
This is so fun!!! I love your cards and a off to start at the beginning and work my way to the end! Thanks for putting this fun event together!!!
Love both your cards…they are awesome!! Just now found your Calendar hop from Jennifer McGuire's post. I've been so busy with the holiday stuff I really hadn't had a chance to do any hops, so I'm definitely going to finish this one! What a creative twist!! Heading off now to work my way back to all the days!!
so many beautiful and amazing projects….love them all! Merry Christmas
Wonderful 25 days! So much inspiration! Thanks for sharing your cute cards with us! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Lovely cards,both are so special,beautiful,elegant and sweet! Thanks for all the hopping,it was great.Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!!!
Beautiful cards and awesome prize!!!!
Such awesome cards! Both are just amazing! The snowman is sooo cute and adorable! Love it! The Holy Family looks so elegant! Beautiful creations! 🙂
Amazing cards–love them both! Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas Day! I have enjoyed this event so much and definitely hope you can do it again. Many thanks to you and to all the sponsors for making this so special! There has been so much inspiration and I now have an even bigger wish list of products than I had before! Wishing you a blessed New Year!
Such a cute and fun snowman, Taheerah … my heart is taken by your second card … the Holy Family … the true meaning of Christmas! Thanks for all you've done to make this event such fun and so inspiring … Happy Christmas! Anita 🙂
This was a wonderful idea! Hope you do it again next year. 🙂
These cards are so delightful – especially love that bow on the snowman 🙂 Thanks for this totally fun hop…it's been great to see so many fabulous projects and companies! Merry Christmas!
25 days of fun, inspiration, and prizes – who wouldn't love that? It really has been great, and I appreciate all of the work that must have gone into getting this together! Seeing your cards each day, and the projects that the sponsors posted, gave me lots of good ideas. I also was delighted to find some new companies and blogs to explore. Thank you so much, and Merry Christmas!
I just found out about your advent event today. What a great idea! I will be spending a good part of my Christmas day looking at the posts. What a great way to spend a relaxing day enjoying the talents of others and gaining ideas for myself. It's the perfect gift!
lovely cards and fantastic hop! merry christmas to you!
Wonderful project! Love it! Merry Christmas!
upnurse at aol dot com
the snowman card is so cute, but the second card is absolutely gorgeous!! Merry Christmas and thanks for having this great Advent Calendar event!! it was so much fun!
Love the snowman card – it's so cute! Merry Christmas to you!
Merry Christmas, this was very fun and I loved all the inspiration! Such a fun holiday!
This has been so much fun Taheerah – you put a LOT of work into organizing all this – thank you so much for all your efforts and making this holiday so festive & fun! Thank you to Simon Says Stamp and all of the other amazingly generous sponsors as well! Lovely cards today, as can be said for every other day in the hop as well. Merry Christmas!!
A super fun event, thanks for hosting this!
Both of your cards are absolutely adorable!!!!
This has been one of my all-time favorite events! Thank you so much, Taheerah! Merry, Merry Christmas! Today's cards are wonderful–you always inspire me!
This 25-day blog hop was STUPENDOUS. I loved the inspiration along the way. And I've discovered some new blogs to follow. You've done a lot of work and you deserve the biggest THANK YOU! So THANK YOU!
I love both your cards, but the second especially, since I prefer religious Christmas cards. I have really enjoyed your Extravaganza. Thanks for taking the time to do it. I realize this will be a different kind of Christmas for you without your Mom. I, too, no longer have my mom with me. If you get a chance, check out Mark Schultz' song "a Different Kind Of Christmas". It's on You tube. It might be what you need to hear this season. Thinking of you.
Awesome cards, I have enjoyed your 25 days of Christmas! Thanks!
So pretty! !
Your cards are beautiful! I just love that little snowman. 🙂
these are wonderful cards, both special in their own way! Merry Christmas to you !
Two wonderful cards, Taheerah! The snowman is darling; the Nativity scene, divine! I recently received that PS set and absolutely adore it! I have enjoyed every single facet of this series; a brilliant concept that has boosted my festive spirit immensely! I'm ready for you to continue the series…starting tomorrow *grin*! Truly love it!!
Hugs~carol
Back again…wishing you a Merry Christmas, filled with merriment and marvel, joy and peace, laughter and love. Sending special hugs of comfort as I know you're missing your mom, as I am my dad. Her spirit is with you, always and in all ways…
Hugs~c
Your snowman brought a smile immediately! Thank you for the fun advent calendar. I learned and enjoyed so many things!
just LOVE that snowman…and I hadn't realized that the ton bow stamp would be small enough for something like this…..now I am thinking more and more that I MUST add that stamp set to my collection before next year!
Love thsat paper smooches holy family stamp This has been a very enjoyable series. thanks for your hard work!
Love your sweet snowman and the soft coloring on the Holy Family is wonderful! Thank you for putting together this special Advent Calendar – so much fun and inspiration.
Awesome cards to wrap up your 25 Days! Love SSS and all their fun products. The snowman is a cutie, and I love the bow you added! And lovely watercoloring on your beautiful Blessed Christmas card too!
It's been an awesome event! Thanks so much for putting it all together and for getting so many wonderful sponsors!
Love these cards! Especially the snowman….love that falling snow! Thank you for the very wonderful present that kept on giving all December!
I can't thank you enough for this labor of love! It's made me look forward to seeing who's behind the door everyday! Merry Christmas to you and all of the wonderful companies and crafters who participated!