From afar, this pretty branch of blossoms looks just that – but take another look and you will see there are 25 blossoms, and each green leaf stamped with a date. Each blossom contains a little treat or joke (you can download a printable list of  25 Holiday Jokes for Advent Calendars) that can be opened and unwrapped as the days to Christmas are counted down.

Materials needed: Red, white, yellow and green crepe paper, scissors, floral tape, 1 or 2 tree branches, depending on the size of the branch, thin wire, tiny treats or 25 Holiday Jokes for Advent Calendars, library date stamp, black stamp pad

Step 1: Cut out 25 green leaves, about 2 ½ x 1 inch each.
Step 2: Stamp each leaf with dates from Dec 1 to Dec 25. (If you don’t have a library stamp, just write the date on with marker).
Step 3: Cut out 4 petals for each flower, about 2 x 1 inches each, out of red or white crepe paper. Repeat for 25 flowers total. Be sure to cut following the grain of the crepe paper.
Step 4: Stretch each petal to create the curved shape.
Step 5: Wrap a few tiny treats, or a holiday joke rolled up, in a 3 x 3 inch square of yellow crepe paper.
Step 6: Twist yellow crepe paper closed. Repeat for 25 flowers.
Step 7: Place 4 petals around yellow stamen. Secure with approx. 4 inches of wire and twist wire closed.
Step 8: Wrap floral tape around wire a few times, then add green leaf and continue wrapping. Repeat for 25 flowers.
Step 9: Attach to various places on the branch using floral tape.
Step 10: Enjoy the countdown!

Photography by Tim Gibson