MariannNOVA Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 (edited) Remember that Christmas Village that I wanted to do.......well, today the kids and I finally finished it. I am having difficulty with the photos that dh took, so I don't know if these are going to be any good. We did 'two' places -- NYC on the lower part and The North Pole on the upper part. Definitely alot of fun. All of the buildings were great wins on Ebay. Thanks again to everyone here who shared their photos and suggestions. ETA: It was hard work in the sense that I worked on it at night and I was tired. I don't know why i do things that way, but I do. The most fun, though, was searching and bidding on ebay. The most difficult thing (for me) was figuring out how to manage 'perspective' and constructing/setting everything up so it was not 'flat.' Those kinds of things make me nuts. You all here were so kind and gracious to share your photos and that helped me work it out in my head. Edited December 20, 2011 by MariannNOVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 It's BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susann Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Very, very pretty! Worth all the hard work (I'm sayin' that 'cause I didn't do any of it:D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Wow! Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 It's so lovely! What fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMOm Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Very pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Well Done! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 It is really beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 It's BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :hurray: Very, very pretty! Worth all the hard work (I'm sayin' that 'cause I didn't do any of it:D) Wow! Very nice. It's so lovely! What fun. Beautiful! Very pretty. Love it! Well Done!:hurray: It is really beautiful! Thank you all so much -- it was fun! And, the kids enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbrother Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 We did a village this year too. All of our pieces are North Pole, most of them from Ebay. I did order 2 from Macy's on Black Friday before I thought of Ebay. I also had one stellar find of the Barbershop on Craigslist. I went a little overboard and ended up with 15 buildings, most for a very small fraction of the price. Ebay was a little more addictive than I had expected. Your village looks great. Weren't the cords a pain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Awesome! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 We did a village this year too. All of our pieces are North Pole, most of them from Ebay. I did order 2 from Macy's on Black Friday before I thought of Ebay. I also had one stellar find of the Barbershop on Craigslist. I went a little overboard and ended up with 15 buildings, most for a very small fraction of the price. Ebay was a little more addictive than I had expected. Your village looks great. Weren't the cords a pain? The cord are a pain, but buffalo snow is the BEST to make sure everything is covered. I LOVE the North Pole pieces -- in fact, I have four of them that we couldn't fit; we'll use them next year -- I got a little carried away bidding and winning. Ho-ho-ho........ebay is my achilles heel! ;) I think I actually won some of the NP buildings for less than $10. That makes them SO difficult to resist. Thanks for your kind words! Post a photo of your village. Awesome! :D Awwww, thank you. But, all I did was make a village -- you made a BABY!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I'm impressed! Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Lovely! I especially love the puffy snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amydavis Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Beautiful! I only have 2 buildings, so I haven't started constructing elaborate scenes. But now you've got me all excited to check out Ebay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Beautiful! My MIL has officially given word that I am to start taking pieces of her village and begin setting it up in our home. Your village has inspired me :001_smile:. Unfortunately, I'm certain our village will have a giant cat, or two, sleeping in the middle of it :glare: :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I *love* it! It's absolutely amazing. How do the kids like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 It's so FLUFFY! What is that stuff you used for snow? I wouldn't want to take it down after Christmas...it's so pretty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Your display is so pretty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 it is even cooler than I thought! I was inspired by your prior posts to do this, maybe next year. I have had a lot of fun looking at the houses in stores and online. Maybe this is a separate thread but what are your tips for buying, set up etc.? How did you decide on Department 56? My kids would love this. My younger son would love a Halloween version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 I'm impressed! Very nice! Thank you Lovely! I especially love the puffy snow. Thank you -- the puffy snow hides a multitude of sins. I'm VERY impressed! Ours is just on three different height tables--not near that fancy! Thank you Beautiful! I only have 2 buildings, so I haven't started constructing elaborate scenes. But now you've got me all excited to check out Ebay! We should make certain we are not bidding against each other. ;) Beautiful! My MIL has officially given word that I am to start taking pieces of her village and begin setting it up in our home. Your village has inspired me :001_smile:. Thank you -- and enjoy! Unfortunately, I'm certain our village will have a giant cat, or two, sleeping in the middle of it :glare: :D. I *love* it! It's absolutely amazing. How do the kids like it? Thank you -- the kids are really enamored of it -- dd11 especially -- they are already talking about different tweaks they want to make for next year. It's so FLUFFY! What is that stuff you used for snow? I wouldn't want to take it down after Christmas...it's so pretty! Awww, thanks. Dh said the same thing. I used 'buffalo snow' -- don't know why they call it that, but I used alot of it when I was a classroom teacher. Your display is so pretty! Thank you it is even cooler than I thought! I was inspired by your prior posts to do this, maybe next year. I have had a lot of fun looking at the houses in stores and online. Maybe this is a separate thread but what are your tips for buying, set up etc.? How did you decide on Department 56? I did really well price wise on ebay. I didn't so much decide on Dept 56 as it became clear when I won the first building I decided to bid on, that it would be wise to stick with dept 56 for reasons of scale and design. I made that decision b/'c using ebay, I didn't have the benefit of being able to compare side by side each physical piece. I later learned that if I wasn't so reluctant to brave crowds and traffic, I could have picked up tons of stuff in home depot and Michael's. I will say, though, that looking around Michael's right after Thanksgiving when they had all their Lemax stuff at 50% off, I still did better on ebay - as long as I stayed away from exorbitant shipping prices. I splurged on one piece -- I bid it up the wazoo b/c that particular auction was the one that was the most reasonably priced and the piece was a cafe that my dad took me to in NYC when I was a kid. The other pieces were really excellent bargains. My kids would love this. My younger son would love a Halloween version. I think I did this more for the kid;)s than for me Or maybe the same amount for all of us -- I wanted us to have something besides the tree to set up, and something that would be easy to divide and give to each of them when I am finished with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 WOW!!! Beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprimis Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I love it! You did a beautiful job---and your snow looks amazing! I really enjoy my village and look forward to "building" it each Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 It is lovely! I have had lifelong fascination with miniatures. Have you ever had a chance to visit miniatures exhibit at Art Institute of Chicago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 It is lovely! I have had lifelong fascination with miniatures. Have you ever had a chance to visit miniatures exhibit at Art Institute of Chicago? I've never visited that exhibit -- but I will make note of it. I LOVE miniature train exhibits and I think that next year I will somehow have to add a train. I love dollhouses too. Go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 The most difficult thing (for me) was figuring out how to manage 'perspective' and constructing/setting everything up so it was not 'flat.' :iagree:. This was hard for me at first also. You did a wonderful job and it turned out beautifully! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 So pretty! Well done! Love the backround--is that pretty sky painted as a backdrop, or on your wall, or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 :iagree:. This was hard for me at first also. Glad to know I am not the only one who has an issue with that. ;) You did a wonderful job and it turned out beautifully! Beautiful! Awwww, Thank you. So pretty! Well done! Love the backround--is that pretty sky painted as a backdrop, or on your wall, or what? Thank you. :001_smile: The sky is actually three pieces of cardboard with the scene already on it -- I searched 'background' in ebay and found it.; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Great job! I've always wanted to do one, myself. Maybe next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Oohh! Love it!! I decided to plan for next year so I can take my time and look for what I want. Are your pieces all the same set/brand? I have only been to two stores to see some pieces (Sears, Kohl's) so I'm still not sure what I'm looking for/what I want to buy. I plan to take my holiday break and wander around a bit. Thanks for sharing~~ it's great. Are you planning to add to it or is your village finished? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 That is so nice. Love it! It is so much fun hunting for good finds on ebay. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 So magical and cozy! I want to live there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mombygrace Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Beautiful and very impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Wow! Very cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Oohh! Love it!! I decided to plan for next year so I can take my time and look for what I want. Are your pieces all the same set/brand? I have only been to two stores to see some pieces (Sears, Kohl's) so I'm still not sure what I'm looking for/what I want to buy. I plan to take my holiday break and wander around a bit. Thanks for sharing~~ it's great. Are you planning to add to it or is your village finished? Yes, pieces are all the same brand -- Department 56 -- two series from that line: The North Pole and Christmas in the City. I tried to buy people from the Lemax houses anbd they were not the right scale for Dept 56. Walmart, though, has some no name brand of holiday people that are small and perfect for Dept 56. I ended with D56 b/c the first piece I bid on and won from ebay was D56 - for no other reason than it was a piece that I really really liked and I wanted to have it -- I think it was Hollydale's Department Store. That 'married' me to Dept 56 (b/c I am a nut about scale and size). As I continued to look on ebay, I noticed that I had a bit of D56-North Pole Village in my watch list and I decided to do both: Christmas in the City and North Pole Village - just on different levels on the same table -- and that's what I did. It is basically finished as far as buildings go -- there are 4 Christmas in the City buildings that are not displayed - they are in boxes waiting for next year -- just no room. I will likely watch and splurge during the year on certain special pieces with meaning for me and my family (that's how Ferrara's Cafe is in my city) -- like Yankee Stadium and Radio City Music Hall. Those pieces are very $$$, so perhaps I will purchase one a year as I see them -- again on ebay. Cannot beat the prices on ebay -- people around here want tons of $ on Craigslist. I may end up blogging about how I started and go through the process -- I will put a note in my sig line if I devote some of my blog space to it. FTR, if you are near a JoAnn fabric store, their line of houses and people, trees, etc are all 70% off this week -- I picked up some battery operated street lights that are normally $17. - so that was a huge savings. I also bought landscaping stuff like trees and shrubs on ebay. So magical and cozy! I want to live there! Me too -- I want to go into Ferrara's cafe and sit at the window and eat.:) DD11 apparently has that same touch of 'whatever' because she loves looking into the lighted windows and imagining herself there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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