DIY Wooden Block Christmas Countdown

I can’t believe the holiday season is already among us! Time sure does fly, doesn’t it?

This year I really wanted to make a DIY Christmas Countdown and I knew that if I wanted to actually use it this year too, I’d have to get started early.

I partnered with Beacon Adhesives on this project and used their 527 glue which works great on wood crafts among others. I love how this countdown turned out and I’m even considering making more of these as gifts for friends and family, too. (I just can’t seem to give this one up.) This project does take a little time but the final product is just so worth it if you ask me.

What You'll Need

Beacon Adhesives 527

Unfinished Wood Block Calendar

Thin Balsa Wood

Pencil + Ruler

Small Craft Knife

Glitter + Fake Snow

Pink, White, and Red Paint + Paintbrush

Number Stickers

Small Wreath + Trees

How To

Step 1) Measure and trace the balsa wood so that it is the same width as your block calendar but extends 2 inches from each side like the image above. My piece was about 8 1/4” tall and 2” wide. Use your craft knife very carefully to cut this piece out. Note: When cutting thin pieces of balsa wood, I found that using the tip of the craft knife to create incisions along the cutting line works best.

Step 2) On your balsa wood, sketch two triangles that are as long as the base of your block calendar - the tip of the triangle should be at the middle point like in the image above. Then, sketch two rectangles which will be the roof pieces of your calendar and measure them so that they are the same width as your calendar but extend past the edges a bit. My pieces were about 4.5” tall and 2” wide. Using your craft knife, carefully cut these pieces out using the same method mentioned in step 1.

Step 3) Paint your pieces so that they match the image above - you only have to paint one side of each piece. For the pieces that are white, I sprinkled on some fake snow and glitter while the paint was still wet so that it stuck. Note: You will notice your pieces will start to curl because the wood is so thin. After you paint your pieces and they are dry, place them under a stack of books or something similar so that they flatten out again completely.

Step 4) Paint the block calendar base pink and the squares white like the image above. Then, add number stickers to your blocks following this pattern:

Block 1: Top should have a 0 and bottom should have a 5 - all around the sides there should be a 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Block 2: Top should have a 0 and bottom should have an 8 - all around the sides there should be a 1, 2, 6, and 7.

I chose to paint the remaining blocks red but you can write something like days till Christmas if you’d like.

Step 5) Using your 527, glue a small wreath onto the middle of one of the triangles you painted pink.

Step 6) Use your 527 to glue your block calendar base pieces together like the image above. At this point I realized I wanted to have a little bit more support on top of my calendar so I cut a piece of balsa wood that was the same size as the block calendar and glued it on top. Then, I painted it pink to match the rest of the piece.

Step 7) Take your triangle with the wreath and glue it on top of the block calendar base like pictured above. I left a little bit of space in front of my piece so that it wasn’t smack dab in the front. When gluing this piece, hold the triangle where you want it to be and add plenty of glue along the back line (this will all be covered by the roof). Hold it in place until you feel it has formed a strong grip. Repeat these steps with the other triangle so that it is on the backside of your calendar.

Step 8) Add 527 along the top edges of your triangles and attach your roof pieces to them very carefully. Hold them in place until you feel they have formed a strong bond.