I’m bringing nostalgia back today with an easy Snow Village upcycle! Do you collect Snow Village pieces? I remember my mom always setting up a special table with each piece. When I was older, setting up the village became my job. I loved arranging the town and the people, imagining that they lived some sort of magical life of their own every holiday season. I could just see them coming alive once everyone went to sleep — strolling down the snowy streets, window shopping, carolling. It was my own little Toy Story-esque fantasy.

I always feel a sense of nostalgia and comfort when I see these sets and surprisingly, I haven’t owned any village pieces for several years. So, when I found a set from the early nineties pop up on an online auction, I nabbed it! The houses were in good shape but I wanted to freshen them up and modernize them a little bit. Here’s my quick and easy Snow Village Upcycle!

Select Paint for that Perfect Look!

First up, paint selection. I decided on a spray paint purely because it’s quick. I like quick! I wanted the houses to be a fairly bright, pure white. I prefer a matte finish for this project but a semi or even high gloss paint would work just fine — it’s really a matter of personal preference, here. I usually pick up a can or two from my local hardware store but also head over to Amazon if I’m looking for a specific color/finish. I used a mix between Rust-Oleum Chalked and Ultra Matte. See what I used for this project, here!

Steps for an Easy Snow Village Upcycle

• Lay out a section of cardboard, scrap wood, or newspaper in a well-ventilated space (garage for me)
• Arrange houses on your ready-to-paint surface
• Spray one coat over all sides of each house
• Let paint dry
• Repeat coats until all nooks and crannies are fully coated (it took five coats for my set!)

I love how these little houses turned out! I found the perfect spot for them on top of one of our recent Marketplace finds. This little village brings back that sense of holiday magic and that spirit of anticipation that I remember so well.

I also love that my little monsters immediately gravitated towards them. They were quick to look them over, touch them, and imagine. I hope this village becomes as much of a staple of their holiday memories as it has been for mine. Though I will say that I found little monster number four trying to squirrel away a couple pieces of candy inside one of them this afternoon. I didn’t imagine that being something we would encounter here, but, whatever! Happy Upcycling my friends!