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Elegant Dollar Store Christmas Village Makeover

December 05, 2020

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Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. I love everything about it.

The music, the movies, the shopping and family gatherings. But mostly, I love the decor.

Not a shocker, I'm sure.

Dollar Store Mini Village Makeover

However, over the last several years, all the accessories and decorations that used to feed me, started to overwhelm me instead.

I craved less cluttered spaces, cleaner palettes and less overall.


So I started to simplify. And I was so much happier.

Of course, leaving the decor in bins year after year wasn't doing my psyche any good. It was taking up valuable real estate in my house and in my mind.

And sorting through all those bins each holiday, to pick out the good stuff, wasn't any fun either. A lot of it had to go.

Unfortunately, getting rid of Christmas treasures isn't my strong suit...and let's face it, when it comes to Christmas isn't everything a treasure?

Either someone special gave it to me or made it for me or I was somewhere special when we bought it. 

Then there's always the chance the kids are going to want it. It may not be a treasure now, but it might be, someday.

And they'll say, How could you have thrown my Christmas village away?

Needless to say, I haven't been great with the holiday purging.

Case in point, this box of dollar store Christmas village houses.

Dollar Store Christmas Houses

The little suckers haven't seen the light of day for about a decade and yet, I just couldn't get myself to send them away.

Some of them were given to my girls from my mother in law and some we picked up on our own. We'd go to Dollar Tree every year to buy a few more accessories and a fresh roll of snow.

Then they'd come home and set up their little Christmas town on our piano and, sometimes, they'd even play.

I mean for a buck each, have at it.

Then middle school rolled around and there were all sorts of other holiday activities and that little village never got put up.

And once the aforementioned holiday simplifying kicked in, it just didn't make the cut. But.

But it wasn't just a village, it was a town full of treasured memories. I couldn't just get rid of it.

So I told myself that I would keep most of it in storage and paint a few pieces to go with my new style.

That was about five years ago.

Well, this weekend, I finally got sick of looking at that tangle of trees and houses and got to work.

How To Give A Dollar Tree Village An Elegant Makeover



This is what I started with...a few miniature houses, in a myriad of colors.

I picked out 6 houses and sent my husband outside with a can of matte spray paint- again.

Dollar Store Christmas Village

Once they were fully coated and dry he brought them in the house so I could do my part.

As expected, though, they smelled terrible and my tricky lungs don't do well with strong odors.

So we had to leave them in the basement to cure before I could add some sparkle.

Spray Painted Dollar Tree Village

Once I could breathe near them, I gathered my supplies and got to work. Here's a list of what I used:


DIY Christmas Village Craft Supplies

Now some people say you can never have too much glitter. I am not one of them. I just wanted the tiniest sparkle on my houses. 

So I only put the Mod Podge where the original houses had snow. Of course, if you're a bling-bling kind of crafter, by all means knock yourself out and glitter away.

Either way, the process is the same. Add Mod Podge with a brush to wherever you want the glitter to stick.

Sprinkling Glitter On To Painted Christmas Houses

Then sprinkle the glitter onto those spots and when fully covered, shake the houses a bit, over your paper, to let any excess glitter drop away.

I started with a layer of crystal white and silver glitter since that's what I had in my craft closet

You can use other "snowier" glitter if you like. There are tons to choose from, but I didn't want to buy anything new.

If you want to get really serious about the snow, there are snowy paints, but again, spray paint and I, don't get along. I'm much better going on old school.

Snowy Glitter On Christmas Village DIY

I also decided to give the houses the teeny tiniest dusting of some of the snowy glitter flakes I had on hand.

It added a bit of iridescence to the roofs, without being overwhelming.

DIY Bisque Christmas Village

The combination of the two provided the perfect amount of sparkle for my dollar store Christmas village makeover.

They look right at home in my rustic living room. (This year I have a new Christmas church to add to the mix)

Lined up on the mantel, next to my carved Santa, bottle brush and wooden trees.

Simple. Elegant.

And so much better than sitting in a box.

Simple Christmas Mantel

Plus, since the houses I painted were duplicates, the girls still have a full set to up.

One day.

When they become treasures to them. Again.

Are you a holiday hoarder?



Kim Signature


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  1. I loved your makeover much better than the original paint. I'm just like you - it's so hard to purge stuff for all the reasons that you listed.

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  2. I've done a simpler version of this. My cheap village came from Walmart...a gift from my little boy years ago. I painted glitter paint on all the snow on each one & kept the color.

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  3. Yes, I too hoard Christmas decor! I have so many tubs in our storage building. But I am going to try this year not to put everything out and purge some. (No I have not taken my fall decor down.) It will be hard because a lot of my treasures have come from dear friends!

    I love seeing what you do with your small cottage home. I too have a small home.

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    1. Doris, thank you for your sweet words! I'm so glad you enjoy what I share. It brings me great joy to hear that...and I was slow on the draw with the Christmas decor this year, too. If it weren't for my brood, I think I'd still be looking at pumpkins today! Enjoy the holidays and thanks again for the comment!!

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  4. It does get hard to say goodbye to things. With my girls out on their own and older they like to take the stuff from me now which helps me purge. Your girls will be there some day. In the meantime the village houses looks so pretty re loved. I am keeping everything very simple and serene this year. I just do not want a lot of fuss this year just peace. Happy Weekend. xoxo Kris

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    1. I agree, this year is all about peace...when it comes to everything else, less is more!! xo

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  5. Great makeover for the little house. They looks great painted white with glitter.
    I don't hoard. I pass things on to a family member or friends Happy weekend.

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    1. Thanks Linda! Your plan sounds perfect, right there in the spirit of Christmas giving!

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  6. Yep! Holiday hoarder here of the first order. lol. I went though a few years ago and gave each of my kids 3 BINS and let them pick stuff out that I didn't want anymore. However, that means I still have multi-multi bins left of stuff I couldn't bear to part with. I gave away all my houses...and next year my 'will-be-married-by-then' grandgirl can come and shop my bins to her heart's content for her first Christmas in her new home. So...hang on-the grands will be coming someday. xo Diana

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    1. Wow, you have a lot of stuff!! I don't know how I accumulated so much. I think the majority of what I have now is what I truly treasure, but for a long time I just bought anything and everything Christmas. Then there were the years of teacher gifts I received...all with a Christmas theme...and too cute to toss.

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  7. Love this as I did the same thing myself a few years back... I did white ones and pink ones...I also did some crafting that I wanted to do for years and finally was able to get it done!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

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    1. The pink ones sound darling, Deb. I may have to try that next year. Goodness knows, I have enough of them!! Hugs!

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  8. What a great idea to paint the houses white with glitter to match you decor. I have a candy land village that I put out every year on my mantle and I just love it. Have fun decorating the house Kim!

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    1. Candyland!! That’s my favorite. I think I’ve seen a bit of it on your blog. So sweet- if you’ll pardon the pun!

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  9. Oh my word! This is so me this year. I've been simplifying too and keep thinking I need to purge some things - but they are Christmas things! It's so hard. I love, love what you did with these. They turned out beautifullly!

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    1. It is so hard, Mari! It’s even harder when the kids are over your shoulder saying, don’t throw that away, I might want that! Haha!!

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  10. That's exactly what I would have done with them, Kim. I'm on the lookout for one to go with the ceramic tree I found last year.

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    1. Thanks Ann! And if anyone can find them, you can!!

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  11. Love the new look you gave to the houses.

    I purged Christmas stuff when we move into this. Kept things in a pile. After two years of no use they got donated.

    Enjoy your new houses.

    Cindy

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    1. That sounds like an awesome plan, Cindy. My sisters both purged when they moved recently. It's a great time to reevaluate.

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  12. Yes, yes I am a Christmas hoarder :-) I have stuff from grandmothers, Mom, mother-in-law, 3 kiddos, and ME :-)
    I love to decorate for Christmas and have a hard time not dragging out EVERYTHING!! I have been VERY judicious this year! Hubby and I have both had the dreaded virus, so while he spent Thanksgiving week in the hospital, I dragged out what little I could not live without, and filled in all of the holes with existing RED accessories that were already in the house. It took me a looooooong time, but it looks okay considering the circumstances!!
    Love your little houses.....now I have something ELSE to look for ;^)
    Blessings to you, J

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    1. Oh gosh, J, really?? I’m so sorry to hear that, but so happy to hear that you’re both well now. It’s pretty bad here again, lots of friends have it, more now than in the spring, I think. Ugh. At least we have our Christmas decor to brighten the days, I’m glad you were able to put some out. We’ve been having a tug of war here. I want less, the girls want more. So I said if you want to take it all out and put it all away, knock yourselves out! Please take care my friend and enjoy these December days. Blessings…

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  13. I love your idea of simplifying the Christmas decor. I've been very selective about decor ever since we moved into our tiny home. Now that our daughter is married, she has been getting a lot of extras that we have in storage. I think its wonderful to re-love items that otherwise would sit in a box or dust on a shelf in a thrift store. You are always inspirational in your creativity, the glittery white village house are just darling now!

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    1. Oh, it must be great to be able to give some of those treasures away and watch them be re-loved in your daughter’s home. And thank you for your kind words, my friend. Happy Wednesday!

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  14. Hi,
    I hoard Christmas items too. I did clean out one tote last year and gave to Goodwill.
    I really like the idea that you did with the village.
    I have a hand painted village that my mom painted for us. She would gift us a couple new pieces each year.
    Love, Carla

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    1. That sounds like a real treasure, Carla. Nothing beats a handmade keepsake. Your mom sounds so crafty...too bad we don't live closer, I think I could learn a lot from you ladies! xo

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  15. Much much better than the original paint Kim! I saw this idea on someone's blog a few years ago, and I said to myself...gotta do this bc I just loved it. I didn't have the Dollar Store village like you did though. I gathered a few things like trees & a couple of houses & lost interest, so I'm selling a few things on Etsy now. But I loved the way it looked so easy that even I could do it.

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    1. I remember seeing it a few years ago, too, Florence and I was hooked. It was easy, but yes, it took me a long, long time to get to it. Glad you liked it!!

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  16. I have all my houses, too, but haven't put them up for years. I don't have a good spot for them. But my daughter in law uses some of them every year and that makes me happy!

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    1. I think it’s great that your daughter in law uses them, Deanna. Much better than sitting in a box!

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  17. Yep, Christmas hoarder. You never know when a pandemic will come along and we won't be able to shop or they will never make them again. For instance, the dollar store has plastic houses now.
    I love the all white with glitter. Great job.
    Myrna

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    1. Oh Myrna, how right you are! And plastic houses, huh? I guess it was only a matter of time...

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