Christmas Village 2017

We put out Christmas Village up this past weekend.  Each year things go a little different and this year was no exception.  We got a new couch this year and it is not the same shape as our last one, and not quite as large.  

  

 The village went up mostly the same as in previous years and here is finished version.

Here is the "before" shot of our living room

Here is an in-between shot after gathering all of the buildings out of their boxes.

As in previous years, I built a platform from empty plastic tubs and placed a piece of plywood on top for stability.  The new couch is not as large as our old one but it still worked out just fine.

I like to use the styrofoam inserts the come in the boxes of the village pieces to add height and variety to the landscape.  I had to re-cut the big piece of foam core that I use on the lower level since the old piece fit around the curved section of our old sofa.

To see complete instructions on how I set up the village, click the links below:

To see the previous year's village set up, click HERE

To see how I set up the village, click HERE

Probably the biggest change in the village this year was the Angel Moroni statue on top of one of the larger churches.  

Christmas Village 2016

We had a fun time setting up the Christmas Village again this year.  

One of the things I enjoy about our village is that it is different each time.

This year we combined the "tree village" that was debuted last year, and the sloping hill from previous years. 

Here are a couple of in-progress photos.

 To see a detailed post on how I set up the village click on the Christmas Village label below or the links on the top right.

I glue craft sticks to the bottom of the street lamps.  (I also paint them white)

This helps them stand up all season long.

Here are a few different views  

Click the links below to view prior years:

2015

2014

2013

To view posts on how to set up a village click here

It's That Time of Year

Its time to put up our Christmas village again.  How the year has flown by!

Here is a sneak peak!

The village that we use is called Village Square , and was sold by a department store called Mervyn's that is now out of business.  It kind of makes the pieces more fun to collect.  

I have picked up two new pieces this year

I came across the Toy Store which dates from the early 1990's at a local antique mall.

I found the Court House on Ebay and shipped from Sacramento California.

  More Pictures to come.

Christmas Village 2015

We put up our Christmas village this weekend.  Each year we enjoy setting up the village as part of our holiday decorations.  Last year the village was featured in a magazine called Dollhouses Past and Present, so this year, I wanted to try something new.  

I incorporated a Christmas tree into the village.

Here is the view of the living room from the entry.

Here is a close up of the tree section.

Here is an in-progress picture showing how the tree ties into the base that I typically use.

We had an extra tree and I removed four rows of branches to make room for the display.

I cut large circles out of foam core to support each section.

To see last year's village, click HERE

To see how I set up the village, click HERE

Christmas Village 2014

Here are a few shots of this years village layout.  The village will be featured in the December e-magazine issue of Dolls' Houses Past & Present. 

 This last photo is of our christmas tree this year.  

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year!

Christmas Village 2014

It's that time of year again.  As you can see, we have hauled the village in for assembly.

 My son was the urban planner this year and took the lead on the layout of the city. 

 The kids both get in on the final topping of snow.  

To see pictures of last years layout, click here  HERE

Christmas Village 2013 - The New House

Since we moved into the new house earlier this year, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out where we were going to set up the Christmas tree, the Christmas village, and how we were going to do the outside Christmas lights.

As the new miniature room was finished, and we were moving the miniatures from the garage, I saw the sheets of plywood that I have used under my village in previous years.  I had been going back and forth between setting up the village upstairs in the new studio, or finding a more public place for it.  It doesn't help matters that our living room is octagon shaped with traffic coming and going from 4 sides. Then it hit me! 

 I could move the couch out a couple of feet from the window, and wind it around the back.  Kind of like a window display.  I decided to add a dramatic slope down to the floor on the kitchen side so that my little nieces and nephews could enjoy the view too.

First step, drag all of the boxes out of the garage and pull the foam inserts out.

I stacked to empty plastic tubs under the sheet of plywood to give it the desired height.

Here is the view from the other side

I cut a piece of foam core to fit the oddly shaped corner of the octagon shaped living room and I traced around the curve of our sectional.

I supported it with 3 smaller plastic tubs left over from our move.

I had my son 'strength-test' the new base.

The next step was building up areas with the pieces of foam and creating the sloping mountain down to the lower level.  I think adding a lot of variety in the terrain makes the village more interesting.

We did a preliminary layout of the village and moved the foam around until everything looked just about right.  Keep in mind, we are going to cover the rest of the area with fabric batting and fake snow to smooth out the ups and downs.

 I won't go into the lighting this year, but you can see details of how I light the village by clicking on my post from last year here.

Here is the "skyline" from across the room

Here is the skyline including our Christmas tree and its reflection.

I added some snow flakes hanging from the ceiling this year.  My son loving calls them "apocalyptic" snow flakes because they are so large in relationship to the scale of the people and buildings.

I hope you enjoy the village as much as we do each year!  

To see the 2015 village click HERE