The alpine village

 

If you walked through my front door, which I wish you could, and turned right around, you could visit an alpine village made of cardboard and glitter.

 

This was a terrible year for finding little putz houses, but then again, I've never known it to be a good year. If I find them, it's usually here and there. Although I didn't add to my collection, I put them all in one spot this year instead of scattering them around the house, so it feels as if there are more.

 

The snowman is the scale of the Abominable Snowman in Rudolph, but he's holding a house, so it's kind of like he's making a delivery. Plus, he looks friendly.

 

The pink house is one of two that aren't vintage. I made it last year, but it seemed a little unfinished, so this year I added awnings and a Santa coming out the front door. (He's an old gift tag.) I changed the windows, too. I used yellow cellophane, but it was so transparent you could see right through to the lightbulb. It sounds weird, but what really ended up working well was masking tape right over the cellophane, sticky side out. Not only is it helping to hold the cellophane in place, but it gives it just the right amount of transparency. It doesn't look masking-tapey at all.

  

Santa making deliveries. I used bottle brush trees and candles for the evergreens in the village. It was a pretty good season for finding bottle brush trees.

 

The tippy-top of the village. The houses in back needed some elevation to be seen, so they're sitting on old Shiny Brite boxes. The house in the middle has a tree that lights up and blinks and brings me no end of happiness. (You can see an action shot if you scroll down to the end of this post.)

As of about 9 o'clock last night, when I was putting empty plastic bins back in the storage area upstairs, the decorating was officially done. While I'm looking at these pictures, though, I'm thinking of other things I could do.

 

I might put some little snowmen on the shelf that's above Santa. And I have a bell that would be perfect in the steeple of the biggest church. And I think I might swap out a couple of the white buildings for a couple of red brick ones that I had left. Oh, but the thing I really want to do is make a row of icicles to put on the middle shelf. (I bought the Martha icicle paper punch - wicked fun.) If any of that doesn't happen, though, it's no big deal.
 
I never told you which of the other buildings was new - can you tell? I'll put the answer at the end so you can guess. (Because it's three weeks 'til Christmas, and what else could you possibly have to do?)
 
 

I'm hosting our annual cookie exchange tomorrow, and I have got to get busy. I need to pick out some table linens and iron them, and since I haven't done any baking, that's the least of my worries.

(The other reproduction building is the tiny church on the shelf just above the drawers, farthest to the left. I think it was a Martha at K-Mart from a few years back.)  



 

 

 
  
  

Comments

[susan]

how sweet that looks all together! i love your Christmas linen collection! enjoy your cookie exchange :)

[Margaret]

I am just catching up with my Oodles reading. Can't wait to see your decorations tomorrow! In person! And your Thanksgiving postings cracked me up! I don't have a Swanky Swig, but I've been baking all day and am switching from now from water (and too many coffees) to vodka, lemonade and cranberry, with a twist of lime. ...

[Into Vintage]

I have been patiently waiting, not knowing but just guessing, that there are some amazing vintage Christmas linens lurking about at your place. Is that a glimpse of Santa's belt I see there? Is it?!

[Maureen]

Is it me, or does that Santa making deliveries, look like Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants? I think all this holiday stress is getting me loopy! Anyway, love all the houses. I have some vintage plastic "Swiss Village" ones that I really would love to glitter up and embellish. Just never get around to it. Have fun making the cookies. So glad I stopped by for my daily laugh!
Maureen

[Martha]

I can't remember exactly how you had them displayed last year, but they look wonderful all together on the cute white shelves. I wish my neighborhood looked just like that -- giant, friendly snowman included!

[Janelle]

Why am I not surprised that you have a perfect putz house collection all sweet and neat on a shelf?! They look just darling.

Yours are in great shape...the only ones I've found this year have looked like putz crackhouses--and outrageously expensive crackhouses at that!

[Sandy Blaxland]

Can you tell me what putz houses are? Are they the tiny ones that you could put mini lights in? I have a few of those. There's a great thrift shop here that sells bags of misc Xmas stuff for 99 cents and I got them all for 99 cents. I'll have to feature them in my blog soon!

Your village is beautiful. You give me all sorts of great ideas. And I love the abominable snowman!

[Julie]

Dropping in to say hello - everything looks smashing at your house (wish I could say the same for mine) - sorry I missed out on the Great Santa Mug debate (personally I'm okay with them!). Have a lovely weekend. Cheers, Jewels

[Paige]

Village envy!!! I have yet to find a Putz house around here, but I will not stop until I do. Beautiful setup!

[Brenda Kula]

This is just absolutely delightful! I had so much fun gazing at these pretties made with love by you!
Brenda

[tammyCA]

Love the snow houses! I'll be setting mine up this weekend and I just finished bleaching and glittering the bottlebrush trees (can't afford the vintage - today I saw a teeny one at a shop for $10!).

[Elizabeth]

I love your blog so much! I'm having a poopy night, in a foul mood, but then I read your blog with it's beautiful, sunny, organized pictures and it cheered me right up. Thanks!