DIY Christmas Village: Whimsical Gingerbread Houses

I remember as a little girl, starting at my parents’ Christmas village, imagining the little houses were full of busy miniature people, preparing for their own tiny holidays. Not unlike fairy gardens, a DIY Christmas village is the stuff of a child’s imagination. Little trees, feathery snow, and tiny sleds can fascinate and entertain a kiddo like I was for hours.

When I saw the unfinished gingerbread-style bird houses n the ConsumerCraft’s catalogue, I thought of creating a small, simple DIY Christmas village. Not too garish, but still cute enough to imagine that a pair of birds would be happy to live there.

Supplies needed to make your own DIY Christmas village:

• Gingerbread Style Bird Houses.
• Acrylic Paint (I used tan and tuscan red).
• Chalk Paint (I used Everlasting, Relic, and Yesteryear).
• Paint Brushes.
• Glitter.
• Fake Snow.
• White Feathers.
• Miniature Sled and Wagon.

The unfinished bird houses still have a lot of character, but they were begging for a coat of paint.

My girls were more than happy to help with this process. I let them paint the roof and the walls of each house, but I took the time to paint the trim.

While the roof paint was still wet, we coated the roof and icicles with a heavy helping of fine glitter. You can bet that this was the girls’ favourite part!

And in no time at all, the gingerbread houses were done!

A little dab of white paint on the door makes for a doorknob – lest any fairies or elves should happen to wander by.

I covered the “ground” with a blanket of buffalo snow and then topped things off with a sprinkling of white feathers. I found that this added an airy quality to the DIY Christmas village scene.

Each gingerbread house is flanked by a painted ceramic tree. I love how light and bright this little pair of houses is compared to many traditional Christmas villages.

Let the imagining begin!

Tara

Tara is the creator, writer, and flurry of chaos behind her blog, Suburble. Her blog focuses on making a home (emphasis on “making!”), but not forgetting to have a laugh in the process. Her partners-in-crime, her two little girls, are often beside her when it’s time to get creative. A mug of tea, good friends, and a project (or three) are all this girl needs. Join the gang at Suburble and see what we’re up to!