For a couple of years now I have been ohhing and ahhing over those little vintage looking cardboard glitter houses. Sometimes they are large enough for table top display and sometimes tiny hanging ornaments. But...... I could never bring myself to buy any. The houses are always covered with so much glitter that the minute you touch it, it is everywhere!
So I have continued to oh and ah from afar and leave them in the store.
Until this year, when I decided I needed to make my own!
A quick search online brought up a template from Martha Stewart for a Winter Village. (Click on the link for a tutorial and the template.) I basically followed the directions Martha Stewart gives; print out the template, glue it to cardstock, cut out the house (an Exacto knife is a big help here), fold along the lines and glue together. Then the fun begins! It was so much fun painting and decorating them with "snow"!
(Forgive me if there are too many pictures. This has been my favorite Christmas craft this year and I am so excited with how nice they turned out!)
If I had used primer like was suggested, the bases probably wouldn't have curled as much as they did. But they are still cute!
I was so excited to to discover the perfect product for the snow! A paint called Snow-Tex. It is the perfect texture and color. For just a hint of sparkle without going overboard, I coated the Snow-Tex with a white shimmer paint.
Did you know decorating with little Christmas villages is centuries old? It is primarily a German tradition, but many nationalities also celebrate the holiday with something similar. German-American's nicknamed the houses "Putz houses" using the slang word meaning "to putter around". The villages took a long time to get just right!
In the 1930's the little houses gained enormous popularity and everyone from Sears-Roebuck to dime stores sold Japanese cardboard imports. With the advent of electric Christmas lights, the houses were fitted out with yellow cellophane windows and a hole in the back for a light bulb to shine through.
I think my favorite little house is the white church with it's tall steeple and many windows. It reminds me of a vintage Christmas card.
This little bungalow I modeled after my cottage with a small front dormer and a low slopping roof. Of course I had to paint it pink! A color that was surprising popular for the little houses.
I hope you have enjoyed a stroll through my little village and history. Do you remember putting up villages or do you have a village every year?
Your village is just adorable! What a fun thing. Do you plan to add to it each year? This could be a nice tradition with children, adding new buildings each year. Thanks for sharing. And, no, we never had a cardboard village, but I've always liked miniature things.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am not sure if this is going to be a continuing tradition or not. It would be fun to add a few each year. I guess I will wait until next Christmas and see!
DeleteI have seen them many times but have never bought any. Such a wonderful project, they certainly look amazing. Indeed inspirational, I may have a go myself.
ReplyDeleteThey were very fun to make, as long as you have a bit of time and patience, it is not hard. So happy to inspire! (There is also plenty of inspiration on the internet!)
DeleteI love those houses. We have many,too. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a blessed 2017.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn and family
Merry Christmas Marilyn! How lovely you have little houses! Have they been passed down in your family or did you start your own collection?
DeleteWhat a fabulous idea! You did a beautiful job creating this set of little houses. I will have to keep the tutorial in mind for next year. : )
ReplyDeleteHello, I just remembered today that I haven't been reading your Blog for a while, so now I'll subscribe and make it easy for me. Thank you for sharing your home.
ReplyDeleteLove these cute little houses. You did a wonderful job on them. I have the same template in a Martha Stewart craft book, but haven't made them yet...maybe next year. I do remember a light green house that my Grandma had.
Thank you Melissa! Glad to have you along for the journey!!
DeleteI loved making the houses. They are really not too hard, but do require patience. Maybe you could re-create your Grandma's?