10 Days to Halloween Countdown Calendar...Cut it Up Challenge #30:Halloween, Simon Says Monday Challenge: Anything Goes, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Halloween

My niece is just over 3 ½ years old; my nephew just over 1 ½. They are the lights of my life and they are my ‘reasons’ for a good majority of my craft purchases.  Link an “I *need* this…for the kids”, a couple of battings of the eyelashes, along with “see how cuuuuute it is”  – and my husband gives the nodded go ahead to shop. He’s so sweet…and soooo enabling!!

With my niece now old enough to understand – sort of – the concepts of calendars and countdowns (we did some ‘mini’ math adding and subtracting during our last visit, using teddy graham cookies. In my defense, especially as a former teacher, I did not start this ‘education-y’ type stuff!!  She did!), I decided that a 10 Day Countdown to Halloween calendar was a must do.  It was a wonderful chance to showcase my purchases/wins (so fortunate - especially a thank you to Jen at Newton's Nook Designs for Boo Crew!); to play with some products that have been a bit neglected of late; and especially, to make something for my girl!!

Because I wanted this to be a countdown, I wielded my “Aunty C” influence as best I could. I suggested to my sister-in-law that she, or my brother, give Tessa one little calendar piece a day, 'adding' to the completed project, rather than giving her the whole production at once. I recall last year's Advent calendar I made for her:  she wanted to open all the little envelopes the first day!  I know, I know… once I pass my creations over, what happens is out of my hands, but my sister-in-law  liked the plan, especially since a wee chocolate is attached to the back of each little “day”.   A chocolate a day (shared with her brother) is a good thing, because left to her own devices,  Ms. Niece would embrace a full chocolate only diet quite happily (with some pizza and carrots for variety)!

The  countdown on Oct. 21^st; on Sunday, when we chatted on the phone, she was telling me allll about the numbers  she’d received so far:  “today was 6 days to go, and tomorrow is five days to go.”  She gets it!! Hopefully, I’ll get some photos of her with her ‘finished’ calendar.  Can’t wait to make her and my nephew each their own  Advent calendar…after I’m done my *Halloween cards only* diet J

Here’s the calendar:  simple and, I hope, cute!!   I’m sharing this over at Cut It Up Challenge #30: Halloween, and Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Halloween, and Simon Says Monday Challenge: Anything Goes 

I know...butterflies (on the Day 1 "card") for Halloween is weird, but she likes butterflies...

Here's a couple of close-ups

 And here's the whole thing...(candies are on the back, along with a coin for her "kids who need help" fund we started with her....

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