This year I’m starting my holiday decorating projects early with a simple scene of snowy village houses in a jar. Have you ever created a snowscape in a jar? Well if you have, you know how fun they are to make, and if you haven’t then you can follow along and make one too.
Pinterest Challenge
The idea of making a village house snow scene started with this months Pinterest challenge. Just in case you’re new here…every month our amazing host Cindy of County Road 407, selects an inspiration photo for us to recreate. Each participant puts their own spin on the photo according to our individual style of decorating.
The best part is seeing how everyone interprets the image, and we always have an interesting variety. To see last months Pinterest challenge click on How To Create A Cozy Reading Nook.
Whether I’m your first stop or you’re hoping over from Lora B. Create & Ponder, I want to welcome you to Thistle Key Lane. Lora’s little Christmas village is so cute, and I can’t wait to continue the tour to see the rest.
Our PC inspiration photo is from Katrin of Northern Feeling, spotlighting her Simple Holiday Village In A Jar. Katrin’s minimalist style is like a breath of fresh air.
Snowy Village Houses In A Jar
If you’re like me then you’ll appreciate the simplicity of this sweet project and the short list of supplies to gather.
- glass jar
- artificial snow
- bottle brush trees
- mini fairy lights
- village house cutouts
The hardest part of this project was deciding on what kind of materials to use to make the houses. After lots of brainstorming, I ended up going the easy route by drawing and painting my houses on watercolor paper.
I’m offering my village house as a free printable, but if you want to make your own they’re easy. Houses are basically squares and triangles. As you can tell, I drew these freehand, outlining each one in ink then filled in with a little watercolor.
My house collection consists of four styles, tudor, modern brownstone, colonial, and cottage. Instead of using all white or all green bottle brush trees, (which is my usual choice), I’m using red, pink and yellow too.
Please note this free printable is for your personal use only. To print or down load click on Snowy Village Houses.
Assembling A Snowy Village
Start with a very clean glass jar to really show off the snowscape. One of my best tips of cleaning glass is to use a combination of vinegar and water to remove water spots and residue.
Cover the bottom of the jar with about an inch and a half of artificial snow, then add fairy lights, bottle brush trees and finally the house cutouts.
Depending on the size of jar you’re using you may want to look for fairy lights that are a shorter length. The string of lights I’m using is about 5 feet.
My trees and houses were leaning in every direction, so I used a chop stick to carefully straighten each one. You can also use a pencil or a wood skewer.
The backdrop for the snowy village houses in a jar are two faux green trees with ticking wraps sitting in white bowls. Their wavy rims remind me of snow drifts.
Extra tip: Arranging everything on a tray makes moving the holiday vignette from the table much easier.
The multi colored bottle brush trees are so cute, I have them outside the jar too. Those pink and yellow ones are my favorites! For more ideas see my post Bottle Brush Tree Vignette.
Be sure to follow Thistle Key Lane on Pinterest, where the boards are up to date with seasonal inspiration that you can use right now!
Up next on our Pinterest challenge hop is Carol of Bluesky At Home, sharing her sweet Christmas Tree Village. Be sure to click through all the links below, so you can start planning your holiday projects.
Cheers!
©2020 Snowy Village Houses In A Jar post first appeared on Thistle Key Lane.
Hi Michelle, Oh my you did a great job on your houses! They are beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
It looks great, laura
Thank you so much Laura! Love these Pinterest challenges!
Michelle, we definitely think alike. Unfortunately, I do not have you artistic skills. Your houses are so sweet. Love your little bottle brush trees. Your entire setting is precious.
Yes we do Carol! Thank you for your sweet comments my friend!
I am SO impressed with your drawing abilities. This is a truly charming vignette.
Thank you Laura, this was such a fun project and I’m always looking for excuses to play with watercolors!
wow! I love your idea… you did a fabulous job with your houses.. bravo!! Pinning!
Thank you Kori, the houses were so much fun and I want to make more!
Your house printable is adorable, Michelle! Pinned:) I love the whimsical style of your whole vignette, and love those happy-colored little bottle brush trees!
I’m not sure what I was more excited about the houses or the colored trees LOL! Thanks so much for pinning Lora!
How perfect is this. I love that you created your own paper village and colored it. So creative.
Thank you Marty, sharing my artwork is always a little scary but I’m so pleased when I hear that someone enjoys it.
First of all, you amaze me with your hand drawing skills! I am terrible at that. Second, I love that you used pink! Everything is adorable and I love that you turned your challenge into a printable. Again, I am terrible at that. Thanks so much for joining in! Pinned
Thank you so much Cindy! It is fun departure from my normal monochromatic look, and I’m really smitten with those pink and yellow trees. Thanks so much for hosting the challenge. I look forward to it every month!
Michelle, your snowy village is sublime! Thanks so much for showing us how you created it and how kind of you to offer the printable to all of us! Yay!!!! I love your houses and I’m thinking of making them into wrapping paper and gift tags. You are so talented!
You are so sweet Yvonne and yes please enjoy the printable however you wish! I don’t get to paint near as much as I would like, so creating these little houses for the PC was lots of fun for me. This is just the boost I needed to start on Christmas projects!
These are super cute, Michelle. I love how you did your houses, too. I haven’t done an arrangement in a jar in ages. This might have to be the one I do!
Thank you so much Jeanie! I love any excuse to paint and thinking about making more houses.
That is SO nice that your shared your talent with us in the form of a printable! Super kind and generous! I love how they look in your Christmas jar, and so smart to put everything on a tray! I love Yvonne’s idea of using your lovely houses as gift tags! Pinned, twice… put the printables image in my Christmas printable board!
Printables are great timesavers for spur of the moment decorating and the holiday are going to be busy! Thank you so much Julie for pinning! Hugs!
this is so cute! I love your little houses!
Thank you so much!!
I have been looking forward to seeing your version of our inspiration picture to see your artwork. Your houses are so pretty and I love Yvonne’s idea of using them as gift tags. Great job on this challenge!
Thank you Paula, I’m liking Yvonne’s idea too. Maybe I should make another printable with more houses per page. Future post coming up!
Oh Michelle, this is just pure perfection! As you know, I started a beginner watercolor lesson earlier this year but then fell off track. You inspire me to try again because it looks so fun! What an outstanding job you did with the houses and the other details like the multicolored bottle brushes, ticking-wrapped trees and tray arrangement. Bravo!
I have no doubt you will not only excel at watercolor but will love it too! Thank you for your sweet comments Crissy!
Those colorful trees are so cute. Love the paper houses you created for your jar. Looks adorable all put together.
Thank you Terrie, I enjoy the Pinterest challenges so much, because I’m motivated to try new things!
Michelle, I love how your houses turned out and how wonderful that you shared a printable for all of us! It was such a cute idea to use colorful bottle brush trees too!
Thank you Kristin! I’m so used to decorating with just green and white like our inspiration, so this little departure was a lot of fun!
It’s so fun to see how everyone took the original and made it their own. I am so in love with your version Michelle. And I love your printables! I would love to feature this on my Saturday weekly blog post.
That is so sweet Kim, any shares or mentions are always appreciated! Hugs!!
Christmas village jars are one of my favorite crafts to do each Christmas season! Your houses look adorable and I love the little colorful trees you used 🙂
Thank you Tiffany! Christmas villages are full of magic and make me feel like a kid again!
Thanks for sharing this adorable DIY with us at Charming HOmes & Gardens link party. Look for your feature on Wednesday.
What a wonderful surprise Rachel, thank you so much!
Hi Michelle! I wanted to let you know that I am featuring you at Charming Homes and Gardens tomorrow.
That is so sweet Kim! Thank you so much!
This is just the cutest! I love anything in a jar!
Thank you Danielle! Jars and cloches can make almost anything look magical!
Those houses are so adorable, Michelle – I always love your watercolor creations!
Thank you so much Janet!
Michelle, you must have had fun making these. I really want to try it. Thanks for the free printable homes – they can be used in many different ways
Thank you Rachelle, I hope you’ll enjoy the printable! Hugs!