DIY Upcycled Advent Calendar from a Vintage Baking Pan

Originally from October 2022, Updated October 2026

A Very Vintage Christmas | Junk Is My Life

I have a habit of buying things at auctions without knowing exactly what I'm going to do with them. I prefer to call this recognizing potential. Other people might call it bringing home more junk. WE DON'T NEED THAT KIND OF NEGATIVITY.

Case in point: a rather large commercial baking pan I picked up at an auction. It was old, a little worn, and had definitely seen some action in a kitchen. I wasn't entirely sure what it was originally used for. My best guess was some sort of commercial muffin-top pan. Which raises an important question. Are muffin tops actually as good when they're baked separately? Or does the magic come from tearing the top off a perfectly good muffin? These are the questions that keep me awake at night. Anyway. I bought the pan because the price was right, and I figured I'd eventually find something to do with it. And eventually, I did. IT BECAME A CHRISTMAS ADVENT CALENDAR.

Sometimes the Best Projects Start with an Auction Find

Every Christmas season, I spend a considerable amount of time in my workshop turning vintage finds into holiday decorations. Old containers become Christmas tree bases. Forgotten odds and ends become ornaments. Things that haven't served their original purpose in decades suddenly find themselves wearing Christmas greenery. It's a perfectly reasonable system. While sorting through potential projects, I pulled out that commercial baking pan. And that's when I noticed something. It had 24 individual compartments. Twenty-four. As in the 24 days leading up to Christmas. WELL, HELLO THERE.

A baking pan with 24 compartments. An Advent calendar with 24 days. SOMETIMES THE JUNK PRACTICALLY REPURPOSES ITSELF. And since baking is such a big part of the Christmas season, using an old baking pan seemed especially appropriate. I already had almost everything I needed.

Which is one of the benefits of keeping a workshop full of things that might come in handy someday. See? There's a method to this madness.

Supplies for a Repurposed Baking Pan Advent Calendar

Here's what I used to create my upcycled advent calendar:

• An old metal baking pan with 24 compartments

• Red adhesive vinyl

• A Silhouette Cameo cutting machine

• A vintage star-shaped cookie cutter

• A small magnet

• Material to build up the magnet inside the cookie cutter

• Twine for hanging

• Drill and appropriate metal drill bit

• Cleaning supplies suitable for the pan

You could also use premade number stickers instead of cutting your own vinyl numbers. And while I used a vintage cookie cutter, another lightweight magnetic Christmas decoration could work just as well. The important thing is finding something that fits comfortably inside each compartment and can be moved from one day to the next.

Step 1: Clean the Baking Pan

The first step was giving the pan a good cleaning. Because it came from an auction, it needed a little attention. I used a steel wool pad to scrub away some of the grime. I wasn't trying to make it look brand new. Quite the opposite. I wanted to keep that wonderful old, well-used appearance. The scratches, wear, and aged metal are what make this project interesting. A shiny new baking pan would work, of course. But where's the fun in that?

If you're working with an older pan, be mindful of the finish. Steel wool can scratch or remove coatings, so choose a cleaning method appropriate for your particular piece. Once the pan was clean and dry, it was ready for its Christmas transformation.

Step 2: Add Numbers to the 24 Compartments

Next, I needed numbers. I used my Silhouette Cameo 3 to cut the numbers 1 through 24 from red adhesive vinyl. Then I applied one number inside each recessed compartment. The red looked wonderful against the aged metal. Simple. Graphic. Festive without being overly decorated. Exactly what I wanted.

If you don't own a cutting machine, don't worry. You could use purchased adhesive numbers, vinyl stickers, or another suitable method of labeling the compartments. Just make sure the numbers are easy to read and the adhesive is compatible with the pan's surface.

Step 3: Make a Movable Christmas Marker

Now I needed something to mark each day as we counted down to Christmas. Since the project started with a baking pan, I wanted to keep the kitchen theme going. Naturally, I headed straight for my stash of vintage cookie cutters. Yes, I have a stash of vintage cookie cutters. OF COURSE I DO. I was hoping to find a star with a red or green wooden handle. I knew I had one somewhere. Did I find it? No. Was I going to spend the next three hours tearing apart my workshop looking for it? Tempting.

But I settled on another star-shaped cookie cutter. And as it turned out, it fit perfectly inside the pan's compartments. Sometimes the backup plan is the better plan. To make the cookie cutter magnetic, I attached a small magnet inside it. Because of the depth of the cutter, I needed to build up the interior so the magnet would sit flush with the bottom edge. That way, the magnet could make contact with the metal pan. A quick test confirmed that it would hold in place. One important note: check that your pan is magnetic before planning this part of the project. Not all metal baking pans will attract a magnet. And if you're using a heavier cookie cutter, make sure the magnet is strong enough to hold it securely.

Step 4: Add a Hanger

The last challenge was figuring out how to hang the calendar. Because this was a fairly substantial commercial baking pan, I needed something sturdy. I drilled a small hole near each side of the pan. Then I threaded a length of twine through the holes. I tied knots at each end so the twine couldn't pull back through. And just like that, I had a hanger. If you're making your own version, be sure to smooth any sharp edges around the drilled holes and choose hanging hardware that can safely support the weight of your pan. For a heavy pan, a stronger hanging system may be necessary. After all, we want a charming vintage Christmas decoration. Not a commercial baking pan falling off the wall in the middle of December.

Step 5: Count Down to Christmas!

With the numbers attached, the star magnet finished, and the hanger in place, the project was complete. Each day, the little star can move to the next numbered compartment. A simple Christmas countdown. Made from an old baking pan. And a vintage cookie cutter. I LOVE IT WHEN THE JUNK COOPERATES.

What I especially love about this project is that it doesn't look like every other Advent calendar. There are no elaborate decorations. No complicated construction. Just the wonderful texture of an old baking pan, cheerful red numbers, and a little vintage star. Sometimes the simplest projects are the most charming.

Tips for Making Your Own Upcycled Advent Calendar

If you're thinking about trying this project, here are a few things I'd keep in mind.

Look for 24 compartments. That's what made my particular pan perfect for the project. Commercial baking pans, muffin pans, and other divided metal trays are worth keeping an eye out for.

Test the metal with a magnet. A magnetic marker won't work on every baking pan. Some aluminum and stainless steel pans aren't magnetic.

Preserve the patina. You don't need to polish away every scratch or sign of age. A little wear gives an old piece character.

Use lightweight decorations. A small cookie cutter or other magnetic ornament works best as a movable marker.

Make sure it's secure. Check the weight of the pan and use an appropriate hanging method.

Don't overlook imperfect finds. A scratched, stained, or well-used pan can be just right for a decorative project.

And if you happen to find a vintage cookie cutter with a red or green wooden handle? Please tell me where you found it. Apparently mine is still hiding somewhere in the workshop.

A Very Vintage Christmas

One of my favorite parts of decorating for Christmas is finding ways to use things that weren't originally intended to be Christmas decorations. An old doorknob becomes the base of a bottle brush tree. Vintage souvenir pennants become a Christmas tree skirt. And a commercial baking pan becomes an Advent calendar. None of these things started life as Christmas decorations. But that's what I love about old junk.

Sometimes all it takes is looking at something a little differently. This pan could have spent the rest of its days sitting in a box of forgotten kitchenware. Instead, it became a Christmas countdown. And I think that's a pretty good second act.

So the next time you're wandering through an auction, estate sale, or flea market and you spot something unusual, take another look. Count the compartments. Check the shape. Imagine what it might become. You never know when an old baking pan might be exactly what you need for Christmas.

Take the back road. Find the good junk.