Santa and his elves are busy in their North Pole workshop. And so are you! Well okay, you're not exactly in the North Pole. But you can get crafty in your very own maker-space, building a mini mock Christmas village.
If you love decorating for Christmas, you might like to create a Christmas village display. Magically transform styrofoam blocks into pint-sized Christmas village houses, create a cobblestone road with a paintbrush, DIY a town Christmas tree and make your own Christmas snow storm with this easy step by step.
Video of the Day
Don't add to the holiday stress by trying to craft a life-like Christmas village display. This snow village is easy enough for all levels of crafters to try. Go ahead and get into the ho-ho-holiday spirit and check out our super-simple DIY Christmas craft tutorial.
Things You'll Need
Cardboard
White paint
Paintbrush
Styrofoam craft cubes
Exacto knife
Acrylic paints
Glue
Spray adhesive
Fake snow
Creating a Christmas village with styrofoam
1. Make a Christmas village base
Find a cardboard base on which to set your completed styrofoam village. Be sure it is about the size you want your completed Christmas village to occupy and that it is thick and strong enough to accommodate your design. Then, paint it white using acrylic paint.
Tip
The larger the paintbrush, the quicker this painting process. That said, don't scavenge your basement for the brushes you used to paint your living room. You'll still need craft paintbrushes for this xmas project.
2. Paint and cut styrofoam cubes
Use styrofoam cubes to make small houses or shops for your Christmas village set. Paint them first. Colors like green, red, brown and blue look lovely in a holiday village.
After the paint dries thoroughly, use a sharp knife or razor blade as a sculpting tool to cut two angles on the top of the square. You'll want them to form a point at the top, so that the piece of styrofoam is now shaped like a house.
Tip
If you would like, you can also cut the base of the village houses thinner to create eaves.
3. Paint the base of the styrofoam houses
Add another color to the bottom part of the house or shop, after you've painted your base coat and cut out the roof. Mix it up and paint the base a different color than the roof. This will make your Christmas snow village look more realistic and can add visual interest.
4. Add home decor accents
Even beginners can deck the mini halls of their Christmas village with accents. Add embellishments like windows, doors, a painted cobblestone road, lights or Christmas wreaths. Add roof shingles using a slightly darker color paint than you used on the roof, and apply delicately with a small paintbrush.
The sky is the limit when it comes to decorating the buildings in your village. Go wild and hand paint a "Merry Christmas!" sign, make a snowman or dress up figurines in Dickens-esque costumes.
5. Glue the houses to the base
Attach the houses and shops to the base using glue.
Warning
Avoid the use of hot glue, since it can melt the styrofoam.
6. Glue on the snow
Use spray adhesive to add glitter or fake snow to your holiday village for a more festive touch. If you don't have fake snow, try gently tearing stuffing, batting or cotton balls so the fibers stretch and begin to resemble snow.
Keep the Crafting Going
Not done yet? Keep the crafting going and bake a batch of gingerbread people to add, hang mini LED Christmas decor lights around the snow village base or re-create your own home in styrofoam!