There are 24 bags on the table, but a legible number doesn't fit on half of them. This diamond painting advent calendar therefore starts with the labels: 24 custom grid patterns of 3 × 3 cm, with the numbers 1 to 24. You choose the surprises behind them yourself.
The free worksheet contains all patterns, a stock list per number, a filling plan and a size test. You make number labels for a calendar; the download is not a kit with 24 daily diamond painting projects or gifts.
Download the 24 advent labels and filling plan (8 pages)
Diamond painting advent calendar: making 24 numbers in advance
Each label counts 12 × 12 squares. With a square grid of 2.5 mm, that becomes 30 × 30 mm and exactly 144 drills. Together they are 3,456 drills, including the light background. You do not need to cut out separate digits.
Make the labels before December 1 if you want to open a bag daily from that day on. Whoever wants to lay a piece every day instead seeks another calendar. Add More Zest already showed such a daily diamond painting series in December 2020. That is a different way of counting down than these numbered bags.
Legible numbers are more important than 24 different motifs
I would keep the calendar calm: the same border and the same colors, with the number as the main subject. Otherwise the recipient has to search every morning whether it is 17 or 19 on the bag now. The small red stripe is always under the digit and helps recognize the top.
That choice also has a downside: they are 24 comparable labels. If you want to see a new picture every day, this design does not offer that variety. It is better to vary the contents of the bags than the contrast of the digits halfway through.
| Symbol | Color proposal | Drills |
|---|---|---|
| C | Cream | 1,966 |
| G | Dark green | 1,346 |
| R | Red | 48 |
| Y | Yellow | 96 |
| Total | 3,456 | |
The counts per number are on page one. As a result, you can make one label without immediately counting out all drills. Reserve comes on top of these counts; choose that based on your own stock and damaged drills. The letters are symbols, not DMC codes. Use the DMC color chart if your bags do have a code.
How do you turn the labels into a calendar?
Get 24 bags or envelopes ready, plus drills, pen, wax, tray and a suitable adhesive carrier. A label measures 3 × 3 cm; choose bags with a free, flat front surface that is larger. The paper download does not have an adhesive layer itself.
- Print page eight at 100%. Measure the check line: it must be 50 mm. Turn off "fit to page".
- Make number 1 first on a suitable blank adhesive base with grid spacing 2.5 mm. Use the enlarged grid pattern on page two.
- Attach that test label to one empty bag according to the instructions of your adhesive material. Check whether it stays flat and the bag still opens.
- Make the remaining numbers afterward. Keep all red stripes at the bottom; do not turn a label upside down to make it fit somewhere.
- Fill the surprise plan and the bags. Lay them in order or distribute them deliberately. Check before the first opening that each number occurs exactly once.
Use the decorated bags for notes or individually packaged contents. Keep loose drills and craft supplies separate from food. Choose materials and use appropriate for the recipient; this calendar is not a tested children's toy.
A memory also fits in an envelope
A custom calendar does not have to become a list of 24 purchases. For example, put a photo with the date behind number 1, a self-written memory behind number 7 and an invitation for a walk behind number 14. Note down concretely who arranges what and when it can happen.
The filling plan shows the color quantities next to those blank surprise lines. That way you see at a glance which labels still need to be made and which envelopes are still empty. If you want to use custom images, diamond painting converter and make diamond painting pattern help with a separate design. The Studio PDF is paid; these fixed labels are free.
Does your stock fit a 2.5 mm grid?
Round drills of a different size do not automatically fit in this size test. Check diamond painting size calculator before you use a different grid size. Only printing larger also changes the outer dimension of the label and thus the required space on the bag.
The count and PDF sizes have been digitally checked. We have not physically made the labels: adhesion, weight and required time are not tested. Start with one bag. If that closes well and the number remains legible from a distance, the rest of your calendar has a usable example.