Advent calendar from outer space

It doesn’t get any cooler than this!

With its outer-space design, this amazing Advent calendar will appeal to people of all ages – and not just Star Wars fans! It’s made from milk cartons which we’ve completely covered with space images. To achieve the midnight blue galactic effect, we recommend using edding permanent spray. If you want to add variety, you could paint some of the cartons in gold or a lighter shade of blue (there are over 35 matt or gloss shades to choose from in our range). edding permanent sprays give great coverage and are also really quick-drying and durable. Once the paint is dry, use the gloss paint markers to decorate the individual cartons with your favourite space theme. Particularly beautiful effects succeed with the new pastel colours. We have various outer-space templates on our website for you to download, with motifs ranging from astronauts and spacecraft to stars and planets – giving you endless scope for creativity.

Category: Christmas
Products: Paint markers
Permanent spray
Materials: Paper, carton and cardboard
Difficulty: A bit more challenging
Downloads: Images (ZIP)

Step-by-step

Step 1

Lay out all the materials you need. Start off by washing the cartons thoroughly. To ensure even coverage, they need to be clean and dust-free on the outside. In our example, we used the spray colours rich gold (colour code 924), night blue (933) and gentian blue (903). For the space motifs, you’ll need edding 751 gloss paint markers in pastel yellow (135), pastel rose (138), pastel green (137) and pastel blue (139). And, of course, black (001) for writing the numbers.

Step 2

Cover your working area carefully with the protective sheet. To find our essential tips for perfect spraying, go to the Spray basics section of our website. Start by shaking the spray can for 3 minutes, then remove the sprayhead and prise off the safety ring with the aid of a screwdriver.

Step 3

Holding the spray can at a distance of about 25 cm, completely cover the carton in your chosen colours, using horizontal and vertical strokes. The paint will be completely dry after approx. 30 minutes and you can then continue with your designs.

Step 4

The next step is to decorate the cartons in your own style using gloss paint markers in pastel colours. Any of the other colours in the range would also work, since the ink in all the gloss paint markers is opaque, even on dark surfaces. Activate the paint marker by following the instructions shown on the pen. Finally, write the numbers on the stars and glue a star onto each milk carton.

Step 5

Using the craft knife or scissors, create a window by cutting a small flap at the back of each carton. Now you can fill them with small treats. Fans of outer space are sure to love these fun space motifs!

Products and materials

edding 5200 permanent spray premium acrylic paint

edding 751 gloss paint marker

Other materials

Tetra Pak milk/juice cartons
Large protective sheet to cover your working area, something to stand the cartons on when spraying
Gloves
Craft knife or scissors
Decorative stars
Glue