I love it that you take time to reply to everyone who writes in and I think you are a very generous soul to share your techniques,- this video is very clear and easy to follow and I am sure many a novice would find a wealth of good useful information by watching it many times over. Personally, I prefer a more open, less busy display, with lots of home-built content, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate your hard work and attention to detail. Thanks for sharing !
@pammyj100 I just watched your new video where your village has everything working...all I can say is...AMAZING!!!!!!! I smiled the entire time! It's a "must watch" for everyone on youtube! Just wonderful!!!!
I love the way you use the blue fabric with lights behind them to simulate the sky. I was surfing the internet to get inspired for my Christmas Village and I'm going to give that a try this year. I love the way yours came out
Seeing all the work that went into constructing the under structure is nothing short of mind boggling! I think I'd leave it up all year long! This is quite an investment of both time and money. It's beautiful! Such a labor of love! Thanks for taking the time to make this video! Happy holly!
Thank you Martie! I have learned that "Villaging" is a true labor of love. It is my way of relaxing after a long day at work. I find it quite peaceful to saw 2 x 2 's, tote lumber and crawl around the floor underneath the platform. I'm glad you enjoyed. Check out my latest video. It is even larger this year and is housed on a separate floor of my home. Merry Christmas!
Stunning!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Absolutely top-shelf! Well done!👍🏻👍🏻I especially love the zoo,the amusement park and the skiers on the slopes. Amazing! I sure hope you have plenty of grandchildren to amaze with this. Lol
I am soooo smiling at this!!! My villages take me days to put up and I am now waaay behind! Thanks so much for sharing--I wish I had found this in July---I would be on track with my own 200 houses.
This is definately a passion and an addiction for those of us that build villages, wouldn't you say! I consider it therapy and usually lose all track of time when I'm wrapped up in it. I've already started planning the layout ..LOL. I have so many ideas floating around in my head...Thanks for the inspiration!
This is incredible! My husband would quiver at the cords, he worries about overload. I am up to 12 houses and bought a bunch of trees today. November 1 I'm setting up, thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you Donna. I don't use the individual cords that come with the houses. I use a string of c7 Christmas lights. I loosen the bulbs that aren't in use (DO NOT REMOVE THE BULBS THAT ARE NOT IN USE, JUST LOOSEN THEM SO THEY DON"T LIGHT). I also had an electrician wire me outlets for my village. Good luck with your village.
+Ziggy1951August Thank you Ziggy, setting up a village is my way to relax after a long, busy day at work. Oh and no husband assist, this is all me. Merry Christmas
I love your Christmas village display "how to" ideas and video. I think the overall look of your village and waterways, ponds, cars, monorail and amusement park are really well executed. I collect Dept 56 as well and I have only a very small space to do my Dickens village in. I trade out my Dickens with New England depending on where I am living. I really like your ideas on the night starry sky and the finished look of the velvet skirt with the garland... really nice details. Thank you.
Wow!!! That's gorgeous. This coming Christmas will be the first that I will have a Christmas village display. You gave me some good ideas. And "how to" ways :) And that night sky with the stars in the background absolutely FANTASTIC! Thanks for posting :D
I really enjoy collecting and planning my village. I like to talk to others to get ideas as well as share mine with them. I'm humbled by people writing me with comments about my videos. I've also enjoyed your videos and thank you for sharing.
Hi David, I purchased the drill on ebay. It is called Mansfield cordless dual head drill. I paid around $70 for it a few years ago. I just looked on ebay and there are a couple for sale from $39 to $128. It is the BEST money I ever spent on a tool. Easy to use, convenient, and has great power. Good luck!
Thank you xmas lover 1000, I'm glad the sky description helped you and you are more than welcome to copy it. I viewed you videos...great job! (I like the people riding the top of the train) Villaging is addictive! I too am planning for Christmas already. Good luck with the sky!
Hi Sherry, Thank you so much for your great comments. I'm so glad you found the video! I do take the frame apart, it is so easy to store by doing so. Also, I reuse the fabric for years, I even save my snow and reuse it lol! I always moved my furniture to set up my village but several years ago, I put an addition on my house. I use it as my dining room during the year, but come September, it houses my village, matter of fact, I started working on it this past week. Good luck, ask ??? any time
Beautiful village! I very much enjoyed your step by step slides. I would love to see a video of your finished display with everything working. I bet that would be fantastic! Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Thank you Jolanda, the rollercoaster seems to be everyone's favorite! I'm glad you liked the video. I hope it gave you some ideas. Have a Wonderful Holiday.
This is really beautifull, but I don`t have the place to put this big of a village and for me it is also a little bit to much, but you did a great job and nice of you for showing it to us, how you can fix it, with normal materials.
Hi Kelly, glad you found a roller coaster...those are far and few between! The Jailbirds are Homies. I found them on ebay. The handcuffs (chains) are a key chain like one that is on a rabbits foot, I opened up the one end and put in into the Homie's arm or leg. Good Luck & Happy Holidays!
Thank you for the nice comments. The roller coaster is Disney's and I purchased on ebay about 3 years ago. It's Call Screamin Roller Coaster Model by Disney. They sold them in their Parks several years ago for about $100. I think I paid about that for it. It is a kit that you put together.The coaster cars are battery operated. It sticks in a couple places, but overall is a really neat piece and a great visual. Good luck finding!
We have only just started our little collection of Dept. 56 and I was looking for inspriation on how to set it up. I certainly stumbled onto the right video. Your village is stunning and I LOVE the blue fabric with the icicle lights. I want to use that idea in a smaller scale. Thank you! & Merry Christmas! ~Christina
Hi Christina, I'm glad the video gave you the right encouragement! I too started with a couple pieces and this year my village has it's own floor in my home lol. If you have any questions and I can help you let me know. I love to share my ideas. Merry Christmas, Pam
What a wonderful job you did! I noticed the football players wearing black and gold and I thought maybe that's just the colors they were available in. But then I saw the Steeler Water Tower and my heart warmed. I live in Shadyside this is the perfect Village! I love it love it love it
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It was very helpful and gave me lots of ideas. Your village is amazing and you have some very unique pieces. I agree that you should leave it up all year long. It's too beautiful to put into storage.
Thank you for the nice comments Winsunn. I'm glad it gave you ideas. I am always searching ebay for things that are different. And I love to "tweak" some of my pieces to make them unique. The only problem with keeping it up is it gets so dusty and that would drive me nuts lol. Thanks for viewing.
Thank you Tracy! I start my village the first week of September and have it finished by Thanksgiving. I pack it all away about the middle of January. The mountains are Lemax and Dept 56. They are made of foam. I'm glad it gave you ideas. Please let me know when you post photos or videos of yours. Thanks for the nice comments
Hi Kary, it's called "starry night" . JoAnn Fabric Store special ordered it in for me, however, you may be able to find it on line. It is a cotton fabric so it wrinkles when folded or stored but I steam iron it before I hang it. Good luck....don't forget the lights...they really make it!
Yes, I do agree! I just started my "head layout" also. I've been checking out d56 and lemax sites to see what is new, not that I need or have room for anymore lol.
Thank you for your nice comments. I'm glad you got some ideas from this video. I have been villaging for over 30 years. I start setting it up in September and depending on my work schedule, it takes me about 4 to 5 weeks to complete. I will look forward to seeing your video this year. Drop me a line if I can help you with any questions.
@BonnieJean437 thank you> I really have fun setting up my village. It's relaxing to me after a long day at work. Thank you for your nice comments and I look forward to seeing your video some day soon. Happy Holidays
Hello again dmestan, I tried the balancing act only to have one or two of the buckets slip so now I put a screw through the bottoms of the buckets to hold them together. Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for viewing.
Greetings from Monster Hobbies in High River, Alberta, Canada. Love the Christmas Village! Would really like to see a video of everything running, especially the Roller Coaster and the Monorail!
Very nice. I also put up and take my Marx train Christmas village every year. So I appreciate the amount of work involved. I'm glad to know there are other crazy people in the world. P.S. I may have to borrow (steal) your blue sky and lights idea. Crazy in Kentucky.
I used a cotton fabric that was purchased at our local fabric store "JoAnn Fabric". I had to special order a bolt to fit the room size. They usually have several racks of holiday fabrics. Good Luck!!
Thank you! It is my therapy to relax when I get home from work. I will be posting the final video soon. Happy Holidays!. P.S. I love the video of you cute puppy
That's So Neat! I Love To Do The Mini Christmas Villages. :) You Helped me Out ALOT. Just Giving Better ideas Out. Every Year Insted Of A Table ( Witch Most People use ) I Use A Grand piano. And I ALWAYS Haft To Extend. So This Helped Me Out A lot. And I'm guessing You Love Christmas Because This Was Posted Nov 5th! Great Job! :)
Thank you Shabri for viewing. I am lucky I have a lot of space to set this up....I wish I had more space to make it bigger. A lot of people set up smaller villages which can be just as nice as a larger one. I wish you a Happy Holiday Season.
Thats quite impessive! We have some very similar displays and some of the pieces too! My sky and stars are done same way and in my dining room..with abay window no less. Pretty soon Ill have to clear out my furniture also :-)
Hi Julia, Thank you for your nice comment. Villaging can be a very expensive hobby or maybe I should say habit,lol. I stopped counting at $5000. The houses and accessories are mostly Department 56 with some Lemax. Both can be purchased second hand on ebay. Are you planning to set up a village? It can be very addictive....but very fun. Happy Holiday to you. Thanks for watching.
Hi Junken, thanks for the nice comments. I have a lot of Lemax pieces, they are very natural looking and well priced. I also collect Department 56. Google both of those and when you get on their web page, you should be able to ask them where you can purchase in New Zealand. You will also be able to view their gallery of houses, people, scenery. Also, I buy on ebay. Good luck with your new (expensive) hobby. I look forward to seeing photos of your village.
Thank you for your opinion, you're right "what is the point of viewing it if it's going to fast." I will keep it as it is. Well I have some catching up to do as far as the mountains go. I will definitely post it this Christmas for you, before Christmas actually. As of now still formulating a plan. Thank you so much for everything. Talk to you soon, have a great day.
Thank you Gina, the mountains are mostly Lemax with a few Dept. 56. They are made of styrofoam so I trim some to fit into the landscape. I purchase on line from a company called ehobbytools , sometimes they give a 10 % discount and ship for only $7. Also, I often find them on ebay or Michael's Craft Store. Good luck in your search
Hi Spike, the creek is dept 56 they come in 10inch sections..straight and curved and other pieces like a small waterfall, a fork or split section, and the bridge with the fishermen. the mountains are Lemax & D56. The monorail is from Disney, I found it on ebay. The cable car is d56 and the two houses that flank the cable car wires are attached to mountains. I purchas alot on ebay. No real water. Check out my 2012 video too...I just posted it today. Good luck on setting up your display
I can only imagine what something like this costs. Probably 6 months of my rent. Still beautiful and amazing. I can only wish to be able to have a hobby like this one day. 👏🏻👏🏻
They say Rome wasn't built in a day lol. I have been collecting for 40 plus years. I started out with homemade ceramic houses that my grandmother made for me. once dept 56 came on the market, I couldn't help myself....I started buying everything. at last count my complete collection has been appraised at over $15,000. YIKES....I'm out of control lol
Thank you tolebear for your nice comments. I would love to see photos or video of your village. The burning building is easy to do. I purchased flickering candle bulbs. Then, I took a building (Al's TV Shop) and busted out 3 of the windows with nose pliers and a little out of the base to fit the candle bulbs and cord into the building (I used three candle bulbs). Next, I hot glued the cord to the inside walls of the building close to the three windows. Use black paint to make burn marks.
Hi Chris, The buckets are screwed together and screwed to the base. I'm careful to balance everything prior to building up another level. I find the buckets to be easier for me to do so many different levels....need it higher add a bucket, need it lower take one away.
In a word Pammyj .."GORGEOUS!"...Love it!..Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with all of us "Village Addicts"..LOL...The biggest and nicest compliment a village creator can receive is "I'd love to live there"...so when can I move in? (:
@tolebear the McDonald's is Department 56. I purchased on ebay several years ago for about $50. There is also a really cute McDonald's arch sign sold seperate-lights with a d56 adaptor. Also purchased it on ebay for about $15. Good luch in your search!
Hi Tracy, I have the older version the speed you see it going at in the video is the true speed. I'm not aware of a newer model. I like the speed it travels at. I don't like when trains, cars, etc. travel so fast that you can't even view them . As far as the mountain count goes....my guess is 40. I have cut some to fit the layout and I have pieced some that I have cut. Good luck and please post your village, I would love to see it.
Hi, thanks for the quick reply. I have made my NE village little video last year with my Dad but I have not posted it. I have to find it first LOL! I am working on a Disney themed village for about two years now and hope to at least display it this year for the first time although it is not near finished. I will write you if I have a chance to post a video. Thanks again for all your great ideas - you have inspired me for the holiday season to come for 2012!
LOL, your town will be up and running again in October...can you wait till then??? lol. Thank you for your great comments! I find Villaging to be so relaxing, you too? I have also enjoyed your videos. Great job!
WOW....you have a big collection! Setting it up is so much work, but so rewarding. Do you post a video of your village? Please let me know if you do. Thanks, Happy Holidays!
Thank you for your great comments. I really enjoyed making this video. If you have time, please check out my videos of my finished product. Do you have any posted? I would like to see yours also.
Hi Twitchster77, I do not keep it up year round. I start to set it up September 1 (usually takes me til mid November with my work schedule), and I take it down the first or second week of January. The waterfall was one of my favorites too. Be sure to check out this years video to see what I did with the duck pond and let me know what you think. I'm working on it now and it is turning out pretty good. I usually post the video by Thanksgiving. Thanks for you nice comments.
