I pulled out the Christmas decorations a couple of weeks ago and started thinking about how I don’t have a ton of decorations. Not that I need a lot, but I do like to get in the spirit right around Thanksgiving. And if you know me, you’ll know how much I love making my own decorations from things I find around the house or find outside in nature. A couple of years ago we had the sweetest little tree with decorations we had on hand or from things that I had made (applesauce cinnamon ornaments and mason jar rings. Not together though!). And as the years have passed I’ve gotten more and more into making things myself, when I can. So this year I was searching the internets (I don’t remember how I found them…probably Pinterest) and I came across some beautifully painted and decorated wooden birdhouses that people were using as Christmas villages. I’ve secretly wanted a village for years but can’t justify spending the money on them. This was the perfect compromise! Did you know that Michaels sells these unfinished wooden birdhouses for (mostly) $10 or less? YES! It was the perfect project. So I roped a friend into painting them with me. She didn’t really have a choice but to say yes. So I ordered a few houses and some paint and we got to making.
I usually buy the 2 ounce jars of acrylic paint (such as Folk Art or Americana). I like having them on hand for impromptu craft projects. But since I was buying the birdhouses I decided to buy a few new colors. So I chose a chalk paint version and we loved them (although only one had shown up by the time we painted. Did you read my last post about the post office? It’s been really bad since the election). And because we were going all out, I also bought gold gilding paint. It was a hit! The only other thing we needed was paint brushes and I have those on hand. So for about $30 per person, we ended up with a really good start to the handmade Christmas village.
It only took us a couple of hours one afternoon while the boys were out fishing. We put on some Christmas tunes and got to painting. It was nice having someone else there to bounce ideas off of. And we were able to mostly finish them up before dinner. I did have to finish the row houses the next day but it didn’t take long. And by that time I already knew how I was going to paint them too.
So after a little dry time I set them up on the mantle and pulled out my bottle brushes, lights, and some Santa’s to complete the village. Here’s what I learned through this process: gilding paint SMELLS! Use caution when using it. But it makes a really pretty finished product. Buy more than you think you’ll need. I ran out before I could completely finish the roofs of the row house (but we literally used it on every birdhouse so we did get a lot…just not enough). Bigger jars of the paint would be better for future reference. 2 ounces is fine but since I plan on painting more stuff I will need bigger jars. My painting skills definitely got better as I went along! hehe! And finally, it’s fun to craft your own village, but it is certainly way more fun to craft your village with friends!
Linking up with Sew Can Do Craftastic Monday Link Up
’til next time
-k
xoxo
Daenel T.
What a great idea! I never thought about the unpainted birdhouses as Christmas villages. So fun.
chickenlibrarian
Thanks to the magic of the internet and pinterest you can find out how to do anything!! HEHE. I do love the birdhouses though and look forward to pulling them out for years to come!
Leslie Susan Clingan
So quaint. I prefer these to the ceramic houses. Very sweet. I saw some really cute tin or metal houses at Big Lots but waited too long to go back for them, dad gum it. Maybe I will look for some bird houses and follow your good lead.
chickenlibrarian
I like the ceramic houses but just can’t justify the expense. Plus it’s a never ending game of ‘how big do I want the village’. So the birdhouses work perfectly! I loved painting them and then I loved the final village. No need to get more. Although I will say the metal houses sound super cute!!
Tracy
Nicely done! Very pretty. I like the look. We put up houses too: Mr. Gordon and I both inherited our mothers’ Montgomery Ward paper houses. His are slightly larger than mine, but we have combined them in our Christmas display. A few years back I ordered some spun glass angel hair from Amazon (it was a bit challenging to find) and we nestle the houses into the fine white “snow.” (My mother used to do the same.)
I’d say we are 85% of the way decorated for Christmas, but it’s coming up so fast, not sure if the rest will get done! (shrugs)
Great seeing your photos and what other people do during the holidays!
chickenlibrarian
I saw your houses on instagram (I think that’s where I saw them). They’re super pretty and the spun glass hair was a nice effect. I love the birdhouses. It was fun painting them and then displaying them. As for decorating, I never got the outside of the house done. I didn’t love my tree this year so that took up a lot of my time trying to figure out how to make it work. I’ll have to do a Christmas update post soon with all the details of our holiday.