The post 5 Fun (And Utterly Merry) DIY Advent Calendars appeared first on Highland Village Apartments Blog.
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December is here, and that means the holidays are almost upon us! The countdown to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and our other favorite holidays is officially on like Donkey Kong, and what better way to do the countdown in style than with a sweet new calendar?! We’re all about saving during the holidays, so if that store-bought chocolate-filled advent calendar isn’t quite your thing, here are some of our favorite DIY calendars to brighten up your ho-ho-holiday! And the best part is, all of these can be adapted to the holiday you're looking forward to. Have fun!
1. The Mini Tree Advent Calendar
Make a list … and don’t forget to check it twice! Your list might be made up of fun holiday-related activities, favorite memories from Christmases past, a to-do list of tasks to get your home ready for the holidays, or anything else that will make each day leading up to Christmas merry and bright. This DIY calendar has you then put each item from your list in a small box with a cute ornament on top. You’ll need small brown boxes (enough for each day leading up to Christmas or New Year’s), mini pine trees, glue, scissors, and this tutorial from Oh Happy Day!
2. Toilet Paper Roll Christmas Calendar
If you’re like us, you always wonder what you could use those empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls for rather than just throwing them away. Or maybe that’s just us … But if it’s not, this craft project is the answer for you! We love that this idea is both a neat way to recycle and a beautifully crafty way to countdown to one of our favorite holidays! Check out the tutorial from Morning Creativity here!
3. Easy Envelope Advent Calendar
Want to keep it simple? All you need for this calendar are envelopes, decorative paper, and a poster board! Cut out envelope liners from the pretty paper you pick out (try simple red and green craft paper, or some of the many holiday prints you can find at a craft store!). Fill the envelopes with tiny, quirky holiday treats, number each envelope’s lip with your countdown, and mount each envelope to a poster board! (Hint, hint: try a “reverse” advent by adding money to each envelope each day leading up to Christmas or New Year’s … it’s a great way to get a head start on your New Year’s Resolution to save!)
4. (Slightly More Complicated) Geometric Advent Calendar
Maybe “simple” isn’t a word in your vocabulary. If not, give this slightly more complicated calendar a try! The creator describes it as “simple, minimal, [and] with just enough festive sparkle,” so maybe it’s not as hard as we think, but we see the word “geometric” and get a little nervous. Unfortunately, the designer didn’t share how to make the geometric boxes, but fear not; we found you this video tutorial! Or try this awesome template maker that will automatically design the template for a box to your specific measurements. The rest of the tutorial on making this calendar can be found here.
5. DIY Punch Box Advent Calendar
So, we all know the holidays can be stressful … Here’s a calendar that will help you get a little frustration out, and you even get to enjoy a sweet treat as you do it! You can adapt the design to however many days you’re counting down, and the decorations of your box to whichever holiday you’re celebrating. The key, though, stays the same no matter what: Have fun makin’ it, and have fun breakin’ it! Get the tutorial from Studio DIY!
Enjoy your crafting! Enjoy your calendars! And enjoy your holidays! Ho-ho-ho!
The post 5 Fun (And Utterly Merry) DIY Advent Calendars appeared first on Highland Village Apartments Blog.
]]>The post 5 Movies to Watch This Independence Day appeared first on Highland Village Apartments Blog.
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Happy 239th Anniversary to you, United States Independence! As we join with family and friends in celebrating Independence Day, here are five classic films we’re watching this holiday weekend!
1776
We’re not sure if you should count yourself as lucky or deprived if you weren’t forced to watch this musical every year in elementary and high school. Boy Meets World Feeny-fans will flip over William Daniels as John Adams in this musical that tells the story of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. It might not be the best musical ever—it didn’t garner the kindest reviews at the time of its release—but it’s still a film we can’t wait to pop into our DVD players (or, if you’re keeping it old school, VHS player) every 4th of July!
The Patriot
Oh, hello there, Revolutionary War action! Hello to you, too, Mel Gibson as the father of the year who takes on the entire British army to defend his family. Overlooking the film’s controversial nature—yes, there are historical inaccuracies, and yes, it may be a bit over-the-top in many ways—it’s still among the favorite film depictions of the American Revolution, and considered one of the most engrossing representations of the Revolutionary War ever brought to the silver screen.
Glory
Because Denzel Washington. This Civil War film tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in epic fashion, filled with so much patriotism and heroism it makes our hearts swell just thinking about it. Matthew Broderick plays the leader of the first all African-American unit in the U.S. Army, with Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Andre Braugher each delivering riveting performances from different perspectives of this complex fight for freedom. The score is amazing, the story compelling, and the film as a whole an amazing depiction of a noble fight for freedom. (And also, when Denzel cries, we cry. We dare you not to shed at least one tear.)
Jaws
That’s one bad hat, Harry! Set over the Fourth of July holiday and featuring one of the best delayed-arrivals of an antagonist in film history (you do realize we’re like two-thirds of the way through the movie before we actually see a shark, right?!), JAWS will always be a classic. And when it comes to edge of your seat action, you’re “going to need a bigger boat” to hold all the thrills this film has to offer!
Independence Day
“We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today … we celebrate … our Independence Day!” As if we'd leave this film off our list! Jeff Goldblum + Will Smith + telepathic aliens bent on the destruction of mankind = a film that totally set the standard for the summer blockbuster. It’s so classic, AMC is showing it all day on the 4th. So you should, you know … probably watch it at least, like, twice.
BONUS: We couldn’t finish this list without including National Treasure. Not only do they steal the Declaration of Independence in a race against evil, but Nicholas Cage’s performance as what might be the most patriotic dude ever? Fuhgeddaboudit … we love it.
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