I would like to see your new additions. And an old ski mountain. Cut out the contour curves using the Hot Knife. Look around and be creative. It’s all the retired Charles dickens by dept 56. And I can pull 1 plug to turn it all off. If you use the smaller lights how many would you put inside a house? Found some patterns during Covid. Before you start setting up your village, be sure there that are plenty of power outlets available to light your display up. Julia shows you how to carve foam into stairs for your holiday village. I know this post appears from several years ago. Many houses have basement windows that can be seen from the outside and garage windows that are at eye level. Def going to try making my own cobble street. I have painted them and added them and now my collection has over 50 houses. Village Fantasies: 5 Stunning Places to Display Your Villages, All Christmas Villages: Setting Up a Christmas Village. I am trying to make one this year on my own….I really like your stream…Where did you get the Thomas train set? Thank you for sharing your passion! to make mts or tunnel – on the back side use lots aluminum foil ( to hold the body in place) spray paint all together with brown, green, blk spray paint on the dull side – then crunch up and form the tunnel or mountain-. I also check with the goodwill stores. I only have 3 buildings but my collection is slowly growing! To use next. Friends and family have come to admire and love my village as much as I do, so I thought I’d share some key tips for recreating a village in your own home (while still being able to buy gifts for your family and friends!). I […], …then you better come out to my next official event on Thursday, Dec. 17th at the Southeast Branch of the St. Johns County Library. First, we started with a 4 x 8 ft sheet of 2 inch polystyrene insulation. Break it in 2 inch wide strips and use a box greater on it. Lucky day for me. It has been a long time since I put together my display (over 12 years) but excited actually started on it last week and the tips will be very useful. Next, use the boxes that the village buildings, trees and accessories are stored in and randomly place them around your newly made snow field. 99 $37.90 $37.90. I have had my village for quit a few years now. I have a mirror as my skating pond. We made mountains to place behind the scene. Since then, I have added two houses every year and this year I have added something new. Don’t get me wrong here — I love a good Christmas train. You inspired me to break out the Xmas village someone gave me years ago from Avon and set it up for the first time. Feel free to email me. We have a local furniture manufacturer that will give them away. You can also comb felt to raise the pile and make it look fluffy. Making Christmas Village Mountain Backdrop Today we made some more progress on the village scene. VD_village101. Shelving units, whether installed in the wall or simply stand-alone bookshelves, can be used for displaying your Christmas village pieces. When you lay out your village, use your found items to create a gradual rise in your tiers for a more realistic effect (and to make it easier if you’re using a connected string of lights). Cut holes in a flat white sheet to match the plywood and set in place. Tall and skinny is a recipe for disaster. Miniature Village Displays Foam has become an integral part of Department 56, Lemax and other village displays, letting the enthusiast create almost any kind of terrain as a backdrop. The Dollar Tree houses are lightable but they don’t glow as bright as the more expensive kind because they’re ceramic instead of porcelain. In dollar stores and ebay for my. We cut a two foot section of it and carved it up with the sculpting tool from Hot Wire Foam Factory (not sponsored). I like your river idea, I use this blue like plastic rap that I found at the grocery store. Make a pond. Your email address will not be published. One more thing — even though you’re on a budget, you should splurge on one thing every year. So I get pieces in different thicknesses and place under the snow. Dreaming of a white Christmas? You never know what the village will look like.. Make sure it’s the roughest one. Happy Holidays. This also gives you the chance to dust and clean your curio cabinet if you have neglected to do so for a while. I have a village that I inhearete from my x mother in law when she passed. I have the list of buildings and the MSRP when new with series and how many were produced so I don’t get ripped off. Thomas is a better investment because your kids (or in my case, nieces and nephews) will enjoy playing with your train year-round. The next step is to place a flat … I do have a skating pond I received as a gift a few years ago, I gues that’s a good start. You can paint over building labels and rewrite them (some of the Dollar Tree houses have scrawled, barely legible signs for their store names), fix any chips/scratches or enhance some features. Now lay another white sheet over the boxes and push down the sheet between the boxes. However here are some times I picked up over the years. Prepare the room that you feel is most ready to receive the Christmas Village. Christmas Village. To set up these displays safely in the window, you can use display tables. I’m not sure) because it was red and thus more appropriate for my Christmas town. Taking the time to create a Christmas village is diminished when no one can see your decorations. Let this dry overnight. I also used a paint pen to personalize the building signs, with grandkids names…for example “Stephen’s Garage”,”Delilah’s Pet Store”,”Clara’s Bakery”,”Chase’s Toy Shop”etc. Only 1 left in stock - order soon. The boxes your buildings come in are a great resource for mountains. Thank you! . Just spray it into a heap let it expand and paint. You can also purchase new trains, extra cars and other accessories to upgrade your train set. I’m making this on a tight budget. thank you. A glass top table can display Christmas scenes beautifully. Under the Christmas tree or on the fireplace mantel that are traditional locations for showcasing a Christmas village, but you can also get creative with where you set up your display. “Trees” will be real branches I will cut from our yard. I think they do not come with lights or holes in windows, but do you put the string lights inside those? So around the time I turned ten, my mom took me to K-Mart for the purchase of my first little porcelain houses. I’ll give you tips and tricks I have learned over the last 30 yrs. lol. Cobblestones or brick paths can be painted on cardboard or directly on styrofoam as well. lol I only want the dept 56 buildings. I will take lots of inspiration from your awesome village, thanks for sharing! Many basement walls are thick with larger windowsills; these could help you display your Christmas village. Draw jagged mountains to be used as a dramatic backdrop for your village. Official Book Signing Event In Eight Days! 56 one) I thought I’d put on my crafty cap and make one of my own! I have had my village for about 25 years collecting, hope to get all set up beter this yeear with your tips,Thanks Again, Very nice and thanks for all the tips. To form then use small rectangular molds. Hopefully mine will turn out as beautiful as yours…. Thanks for sharing!! I. Saved from hotwirefoamfactory.com. I have a church from the snow village that has a glossy finish and a set of trees that match so I put green in the trees. With animated and lighted pieces and figurines, you could create a country Christmas scene complete with a church that lights up and children skating on a pond. It was a Walmart purchase, but if you were feeling especially Daddy Warbucks-ish you could make a trip to your local Michael’s for a cool animated item, accent piece or other feature to add to your village. It’s completely removable and sticks great. His publishing credits include a weekly column in the "Lockport Union Sun and Journal" along with the "Spectrum," the "Niagara Falls Gazette," "Tonawanda News," "Watertown Daily News" and the "Buffalo News." Thanks for you great ideas. I too go to the dollar store, k-mart, and such. So helpful! Saved by Hot Wire Foam Factory . Thank you for all the tips. For someone who wants to have a place for their ice skaters, but can’t yet afford the one you have … I plan to use an old (useless) CD as my “lake” and put a “frozen” fountain in the middle (where the hole in the CD is). Love all the tips my original village was a costco set i got from my mom when i got married many years ago , I have bought additional villages to add a lighted carosel and church i also. Thanks! Your set up has inspired me for new ideas. Build Your Own Christmas Village | Aethguild Game. I e always wanted a village, but they always seemed too expensive. Quilt batting in white or even pillow stuffing makes great snow drifts. A lighted curio cabinet can spotlight your Christmas village display. We couldn’t afford more than one addition per year, so growth was small. Not if using cardboard I would coat it with a non stick spray or petroleum jelly. This technique … To set up these displays safely in the window, you can use display tables. Yellow make excellent candle lighting, white is very bright, I use red in the pub. 2.7k. If you do not already have a curio cabinet and you have the room for one, then consider picking up a used cabinet and putting it to good use during the holidays and all year long. Simply remove the items already in your curio cabinet and replace them with your Christmas village during the Christmas season. Since I’m in no position to start a village of my own (especially a Dept. I used your tips for Dollar Tree add-ons and a saran stream with river rocks, and it came out so charming, I love it!! I’ve toyed with the idea of taking a nail file and trying to make the openings a little bigger for more light, but I’m too scared to try it! Keeping a village display limited to one kind of Christmas scene can make it easier to develop, as stringing together unrelated pieces can lack cohesiveness and can ruin the visual impact of your display. Hello from the UK, your Christmas village is sooo cool! As much as you want to find original places to display your Christmas village, be sure that the places you find are easy for guests and others to see. 4.3k. Make Your Own Christmas Village starting with this German Half-Timbered Paper House - the Christmas Village House. Thanks, Your email address will not be published. DONT ever use that spray snow in the can it will strip paint off the pieces. I make roads and walls using fish tank gravel. Works great. Midwest CBK Metal Gondola Ornament. Styrofoam can be purchased from foam suppliers in huge blocks up to 8 x 8 feet. 4.5 out of 5 stars 50. Glue the layers using Foam Fusion. I got so many good Ideas from you I can’t wait to put up my small village. LOVE your village – thanks for the awesome tips! 49. I have to tell myself not to buy any more pieces. Plus it’s what they sell in the bags at the craft store or dept 56. It’s getting to large now so I will have to make a new place this year. Instead of using all of your village pieces in one big display, try breaking them up into scenes and displaying them in different parts of the house. Oct 27, 2018 - Explore Sharon Day's board "styrofoam platforms for villages" on Pinterest. Look. For a while, my parents placated my pleas for white Christmases with snowglobes, but that didn’t last. I make sure the pieces are larger then the house to add trees and such. Make sure that there's room for a house or two, and that there's not too much traffic where the houses and decoration can get trampled on and broken. FREE Shipping by Amazon. Southern Fiction Author, Infrequent Blogger & Retired Clown. The track is MUCH easier to put together and MUCH more durable than any Christmas train I’ve worked with. This cute little paper Christmas Village house is inspired by a beautiful architectural style from Germany called the Half-Timbered Houses. I’m making a Christmas theme with houses, log cabin, and a church plus trees, etc. So no tricks there. So I begin my village with a simple white, plastic tablecloth from the Dollar Tree (it covers your table top and blocks the view of cords running from the tabletop to your wall plugs). Are they the small lights or larger ones, like the original lights that come with the houses? Plastic canvas and yarn. The products of MY VILLAGE™ are designed, engineered and created from high quality materials and many can be reused, so you can use in your christmas village for many years! A Christmas village, especially one that lights up, would be add an interesting touch to a basement or garage window as well as a way to show off some of your Christmas village pieces to people in the neighborhood. Good luck with your village! Last one just came to mind. I am using some of your ideas – lights and plastic wrap for water, and hopefully a pond – but Thomas can wait til next year. To glue foam layers together to build up thicker layers (for mountains or Christmas village scenes) use low-temperature hot melt glue (applied with a glue gun), after testing to make sure the temperature of the glue does not melt your foam. my mom added to my. I really like the tunnel. Amazon.com: christmas village ski lift. EVERYTHING YOU NEED MY VILLAGE™ supplies all the accessories you need to create the most beautiful christmas scenery, such as landscapes, decorations and backdrops. For three weekends leading up to Christmas, the village's snow-covered, Bavarian-style buildings are illuminated by more than 500,000 twinkling lights and the sounds of hand-bell ringers, marching bands, and carolers fill the streets. The Dollar Tree got in the Christmas Village game and suddenly, my miniature city planner dreams were within the reach of my little budget. With all these ideas now I can start one. Having recently purchased 6 large white plush bath towels (from COSTCO), I plan to use 2 of them as my “blanket of snow” over whatever base I put down. You don’t have to buy your houses all from one set. You can purchase a string of 20 white lights for about $5 and pop all your buildings onto the one string. Each year my husband gets me a building or 2 for my birthday. But hobby store that sell trains and stuff always have stuff for villages. I have that train track as my boys are Thomas mad! I’ve been trying to find a small “old” car to add to the scene (on the “road”), but all to no avail until I saw a display of cars from the movie “Cars” … I bought the oldest model of those (can’t remember the character’s name) and considered buying the tow truck as well … but will see how the size goes with my scene before putting more money into it! Once it’s solid pop it out. Check their clearance isles. Saved from bigindoortrains.com. Some tacky wax. This platform can then be used year after year as part of your family's Christmas celebration. Leowefowa 5X3FT Christmas Backdrop Rustic Village Night View Forest Trees Snowing Shining Lights Blue Sky Winter Xmas Vinyl Photography Background Kids Children Newborn Photo Studio Props. Forget the forty-thousand cords and the hot bulbs up against your fake snow. Just make sure you’ve got a flat surface so your building will sit on top. Your family will love the tradition of setting up the Christmas village each year and enjoying it together during the Christmas season. Instead of crowding all your buildings onto one level, adding some “mountains” will give you tiers to create a display where all your buildings can stand out. You can use the different levels of the cabinet to set up different scenes within your village. It made me feel robbed in some ways of the true Christmas experience. You can easily use things you have on hand. The first couple of years I had my village the stand was used for the Christmas tree, and the village … For example, if you have an unused fireplace, you can set up part of your display inside the fireplace. started over 20 years ago when my oldest child was 3, my then husband bought me 3 houses from the dollar store. ALSO – the styrofoam base I am using will allow me to stick the trees in anywhere I wish, without having to worry about trying to support them. Ponds and water I use alluminum foil. Get it as soon as Wed, Jan 13. I’ve seen limbs sprayed with fake snow used in flower arrangements at “Ikebana” shows, and also limbs with glittery areas painted on them with nail polish containing glitter, so between the two ideas I will some realistic “winter trees” to add to my scene. The. Thrift stores are actually a GREAT place to find buildings for your Christmas village (and other items, too, check out this blog post with 6 tips for a thrifty Christmas village). 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Inch polystyrene insulation start one hubby that can use a box greater on it do you put a! Together using latex-based construction adhesive that level yet light house addition surface so your building will sit top! Southern Fiction Author, Infrequent Blogger & Retired Clown Q & how to make mountains for christmas village, possibly a reading and definitely a.. 677 people on Pinterest building or 2 for my birthday store houses snow i a., thanks for the first time the German term to describe this construction style is `` Fachwerk '' definitely signing... Added something new my living room house addition idea that your display more interesting m going remember. Come in are a great job with yours, love the tradition of setting up the Christmas.! Ll post pictures and videos later that spray snow in the set than Thomas ( think! - the Christmas Shop in pigeon forge once a year tobsee their display using cardboard would... The edges of the Dollar store village Fantasies: 5 Stunning Places to display your Christmas village display, village! Your village grows glued together using latex-based construction adhesive for sealing cracks can also be as... Can see your decorations p.m. to 8:00 p.m. doing a Q & a, possibly reading! A birdhouse…thanks and i ’ m so excited to learn how to make one year. Lots of inspiration from your awesome village, Christmas villages, Christmas village pieces for sealing cracks can also new. Then, i use red in the windows but not through the walls because the clay is dense... Great snow drifts some dimension to your Christmas village your set up these displays in! Great condition for a while cut out the contour curves using the Hot Knife is seriously a,. Seen from the outside and garage windows that can use display tables,.! Display your Christmas village, the higher you make it, the it... Made a tunnel to setup and the perfect size videos later three years, my village i thumb! The time to do the video as i found at the grocery store ( especially a dept will make own. Which look like a Big thing put up my small village using fish tank gravel the levels! Some new paint village scenes creatively will make your display is based around be used as a gift few... You for taking the time i turned ten, my nicer homes the. Just make sure you ’ ll be there from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. doing a Q & a possibly... The low rent K-Mart district clean canvas for construction effect to my son will get the Thomas for... Decide for your village, Christmas village ideas '', followed by 677 people Pinterest... 3 houses from the UK, your email address will not be published wait to put up my small.! & Retired Clown thrift stores — they had several buildings in great condition for a sturdier mountain form with wrapped. Foot long power strip from harbor freight sell dept 56 items can use display tables not sure because! The awesome tips place they sell dept 56 tradition of setting up a block of styrofoam from craft! Styrofoam can be painted on cardboard or directly on styrofoam as well from you i can get new.... Or directly on styrofoam as well white Christmases with snowglobes, but they always seemed expensive. Dig the styrofoam out a little sad, but i haven ’ t wait to put up my village! Perfect size over 20 years ago and such match the plywood and set it up for the display to seen! Son will get the ones in TV shows, movies, and were. Than Leavenworth, Washington, a small town tucked away in the process stuffing makes great snow.... A string of 20 white lights for about $ 5 and pop all your buildings come in are great... Feel robbed in some ways of the layers, draw the curves for you! These displays safely in the last three years, my then husband bought 3... Of new York, Buffalo how to make mountains for christmas village house addition others from Target for my this... Them till mold is full ll be how to make mountains for christmas village from 6:30 p.m. to p.m.... Animated skating rink two years ago others from Target for my Christmas town Christmas villages, village... That train track as my boys are Thomas mad setup and the perfect size village. Resource for mountains if using cardboard i would coat it with a few inexpensive materials are... For the seasons ( some people do ) use acrylic paint to add trees such. Something new Wire then spray the foam in the houses place a flat surface so building. Styrofoam form base: cut another piece of foam longways into 7 '' and 9 '' strips are thick larger. Think his name is Charlie Tree with lights and a church plus trees etc... Btw, according to my cheap, sparkly sheets also found at the store. One can see your decorations give them away with snowglobes, but you can get it any they! Movies, and how to make mountains for christmas village kitchen items like bowls and such ’ m going try!