• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Momcrieff

Recipes | Gardening | DIY | My 1920's house

  • About Me
    • Contact me
  • My 1920's House
  • Recipes
    • Four Ingredients or Less!
    • Appetizers
    • Main Meals & Sides
    • Soups
    • Baked Items
    • Desserts & Treats
  • Gardening
    • Spring Gardening
    • Fall Gardening
    • Gardening And Landscaping
    • Planters / Containers
    • Misc. & Chores
  • DIY
    • DIY
    • Valentine's Day
    • Spring
    • Fabulous Fall!
    • Christmas & Winter
  • Misc.
    • Vacations
      • Family Vacation
      • Girl's Vacation
      • Misc. Vacation
    • My Black Cat
      • Health
    • iPhone/iPad Hints
    • Home Ownership
  • PRINTABLES
  • Nav Social Menu

  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  •  
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • DIY & Hints
  • Gardening And Landscaping
  • Planters / Containers
  • My 1920's House
  • Appetizers
  • Baked Items
  • Beverages
  • Breakfast
  • Desserts & Treats
  • Four Ingredients or Less!
  • Herbs - growing & preserving
  • Main Meals & Sides
  • Salads
  • Soups
  • Subscribe
  • Yum
  • ×

    Home » DIY & Hints » Christmas & Winter

    Use spray paint to update old Christmas villages.

    Published: Dec 1, 2021 · Modified: Mar 10, 2022 by momcrieff · This post may contain affiliate links · 20 Comments

    DIY Christmas village (updated white decor)

    I love white Christmas houses. I've been seeing them everywhere. But, I have more than two dozen colorful ones. I wanted white simple Christmas village houses but didn't really want to spend all that money buying a new set.

    close up of white christmas village homes this to Pinterest

    I love the neutral white look of the homes and have learned a few tricks to stage them.  A white-painted Christmas village helps match your Christmas decorations with your house decor (if you have white and neutral).

    Below are the first three homes that I painted.   I've obviously done more since!

    My three 'new' white Christmas houses.

    My three 'new' white Christmas houses.

    Supplies

    Christmas village homes you are willing to spray paint

    Spray Paint - Rust-oleum satin finish heirloom white spray paint.  And yes, it is a cream color on the lid.  Trust me, it looks like white paint when you stage it.

    I LOVE this paint because the primer is included. No need for priming!  It covered well in 2 coats (the first time it took 3 because I didn't get the 'underneath' areas.

    Instructions to prepare & paint your old houses

    Make the homes are very clean.  There should be no dust or any dirt of any kind on them.

    Make sure you take out the light. Just pinch the two side clamps and pull it out.

    taking lights out of white christmas village homes

    Here is the first house I ever painted.  I chose the brightest colored one.

    White Christmas houses

     

    I have learned (the hard way) that you want to do thin coats. Better 2 or 3 thin coats than trying to do a thick coat.

    white christmas house

    Thin coats don't run and have a nice smooth finish. Also, start spraying before you hit your project. That way you have a nice smooth consistent spray when you are spraying your project.  Sometimes when you start spraying, you may get a 'glob'.

    It took 2 coats and then I had to do a third mainly because I didn't get the 'underneath parts". Like under the roof overhang etc. Thought I got them but I didn't.

    white christmas house.

     

    Oh, I love them, even after a few years!  It's a fun and easy craft! They look so fresh, so bright and clean now. They look new! Especially in the daylight.

    My three 'new' white Christmas houses.

    My three 'new' white Christmas houses.

    Just a note about the houses I painted. They are the Santa's Workshop ones from Joann's. You know, the ones that were only about $10.00.  I don't think they sell them anymore in the stores.

    I love my new white Christmas homes and have had them for years. It was a super easy transformation for less than $5.00!

    I've used them in so many areas!

    white Christmas village

    The above is a dark corner in my family room.  It is on top of a beautiful built-in.  But because of its position and all the dark wood, it's a dark area.

    I LOVE how the village brings just enough light.  And, it's the perfect location to have the lights on during the day!

    Tips for displaying your Christmas Village

    If you don't have old Christmas village homes to paint, watch for them throughout the year at yard sales, your local thrift store or even estate sales.

    Find your ideal location to set them up.  I've put them on a mantel, in deep window frames, on top of dressers and even a coffee table pushed against a wall.  If you have a family room in the basement, these are a perfect holiday season display with gentle glowing lights.

    Place your homes at different heights. Use small boxes or stack some books.
    white Christmas village
    Scatter a string of white lights (with a white cord). It just adds extra sparkle.

    Layer some Christmas snow on top of the lights. A craft store or a store like Walmart, Target, or even Dollar Tree will usually have this.  There are different types of 'snow'.  Use what you like or can find.

    Plug all the homes into one power bar. It makes it so easy to turn the whole village on and off.

    Pull and fluff that 'snow' to hide the cords.
    Add appropriately placed Christmas trees. I've used bottle brush trees and also trees I've found at the dollar store or garage sales.

    white Christmas village
    If you only want these on in the evening, put the powerstrip onto a timer. Because the powerstrip is three-pronged, you probably need to get an outdoor timer.

    Hope I've shown you a new way to update some items so they can be used and cherished again!


    White christmas village

    The reason I love these pretty neutral little Christmas village houses is that they don't scream Christmas.  You can put them up early and leave them up late.

    Spray paint is my favorite way to paint!  It's a great way to create inexpensive Christmas decor!

    Other things I've Spray Painted

    How to make faux ironstone pitchers with thrifted finds.

    Here is how I created dried silver Christmas hydrangeas.

    And another time I decided I needed dried blue hydrangeas!

    Spray paint can be fun!

     

    « Easy Vegetable Soup with cabbage
    Pretzels and Hershey Kisses - Chocolate Pretzel Bites! »
    7.8K shares
    • Share221
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susan Stevenson

      December 21, 2021 at 5:10 am

      So much better in white! Love the one with the greenhouse!! Merry Christmas!!

    2. Brenda Becker

      December 03, 2021 at 11:52 pm

      Looks beautiful! I recently painted my Christmas Village which was very vibrant and bright colors and no longer matched my holiday decor. I used Rustoleum White Linen Chalk Spray Paint. One light coat softened the bright colors into muted pale colors. Now my village houses make me think of a costal home on a frosty, wintery morning! After using white glitter on all of the rooftops and mounts of snow it is really beautiful and ready for many more years of enjoyment.

    3. Kristina Perez

      December 22, 2020 at 9:39 pm

      I'm glad you mentioned that these were the cheapies that you were painting. I was aghast at the idea of painting Grandma's village. 😉 Some of those are so expensive.

    4. Paula Cook

      January 13, 2018 at 8:30 am

      Love them I'm changing my Christmas decor next year was looking for ways to salvage my old villages ,which both of them were purchased at thrift stores... Just packed up all my Christmas, But now I'd like to get started painting for next year .
      Thanks

    5. Mary-The Boondocks Blog

      November 26, 2016 at 4:02 pm

      What a smart makeover. I want to go and buy some cheap ones at the dollar store and paint them. You have convinced me. Pinning.

    6. Mike

      November 07, 2016 at 1:43 am

      Nice job! Think I'm going to try it!

    7. momcrieff

      January 15, 2016 at 9:28 am

      I'm sorry I didn't see your message until today. Rustoleum did update their packaging recently. The Satin Heirloom White is an off-white. But, it looks great for these houses. You don't really want a total white which will have a bit of a blue tinge in it. My opinion : ).

    8. Renna Hanlon

      December 13, 2015 at 7:26 pm

      I recently found this post on Pinterest, and fell in love with the idea. I have some old village houses I bought on clearance at Dollar General several years ago, which aren't all that pretty (dollar store quality).

      I love how yours look, and wanted to duplicate them exactly. When I looked at Walmart, they didn't have that exact paint. The cans looked the same, but didn't have 'painter's touch' on the label. I've not yet checked with my local hardware store, but will do so.

      The thing that concerns me, though, is that the Rustoleum Satin Heirloom White that Walmart did have looked more tan than white on the lids which display the content's color. I wouldn't call white at all. Did your can's lid look that color?

      Thanks!

    9. momcrieff

      November 28, 2014 at 1:39 pm

      It is so easy and they look awesome! I painted 3 last year and 5 more last week! My only suggestion is not to use a super, bright white. They tend to look a little blue. Have fun painting!

    10. Mary Vitullo

      November 28, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      I've been wanting to paint my village houses too and now can see exactly how they will turn out. Thanks for sharing this lovely project.
      Mary @ Orphans With Makeup

    11. Patti

      October 23, 2014 at 8:46 am

      What a great way to repurpose things you already have. They turned out great.

    12. amy @ commona-my house

      December 09, 2013 at 12:06 pm

      LOVE how you changed it up! I love when gals use what they have and figure out a way to make something marvelous!!! Great Job and really inspiring! I featured you at Give Me the Goods Monday Link Party and you were the most viewed link this week!
      http://commona-myhouse.blogspot.com/2013/12/give-me-goods-37-sunday-features.html#.UqX3r8RDtxQ

      Keep linking up with us! Love to see your ideas!
      XXXOOO.

    13. Kayla @ Home Coming

      December 02, 2013 at 2:24 pm

      SUCH a great idea. It really makes them look more modern! I'd love if you'd link up to The DIYers. http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-diyers-40.html

    14. momcrieff

      December 02, 2013 at 11:48 am

      So glad they turned out! I was sure they would. Also, thanks for the invite to your blog hop. I did jump over and linked these spray painted Christmas houses.

    15. Carrie From Carrie This Home

      December 02, 2013 at 8:11 am

      These turned out great! I would love it if you'd link this up to my blog hop. We love crafty transformations like this!

    16. momcrieff

      December 01, 2013 at 10:05 pm

      No, didn't have any problems with the windows. My main advice is to do thin coats and all should work out well. Hope you love them!

    17. Hope

      November 29, 2013 at 5:46 pm

      Hi,
      Went to Goodwills half off sale today for Black Friday and picked up 2 houses to paint and 1 lighthouse. I will be starting soon, so excited. I wonder though did you have any problems with it going on too thick on the window openings?

    18. momcrieff

      November 26, 2013 at 7:29 am

      Thank you! I've been trying to repurpose and have discovered the joy of spray painting these last few months. This satisfies both :).

    19. Michelle

      November 25, 2013 at 1:30 am

      What a great idea!

    20. Marie

      November 20, 2013 at 7:18 pm

      I love the white! This would look great with the houses I have.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Subscribe to Momcrieff

    Hi, I'm Susan! Welcome to Momcrieff.com. I love sharing easy recipes (especially those that take less than 30 minutes and/or have less than 5 ingredients). I also enjoy gardening and creating flower | container gardens. Plus, I share about renovations and updates of my 100-year-old house!.

    More about me →

    Trending Articles...

    • How to Keep Water IN your Hanging Basket.
    • Get the ironstone look with thrift store finds
    • 25 Outdoor Planter Ideas
    • My house had knob and tube wiring (I updated because of safety issues!).
    • Banana chocolate muffins - 3 ingredients.
    • Three Ingredient Peach Cobbler

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertising and Disclosures
    • Cookie Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021

    © Copyright 2020 Momcrieff · All Rights Reserved ·

    7.8K shares
    • 221