Pastel Holiday Village

Using a foam base and your favorite holiday scrapbook paper or wrapping paper, you can create this playful pastel Christmas village. It makes a lovely, tiny town that will look just like all the expensive Christmas village displays you see on sale for big bucks in stores.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam:
  • Balls: two 2"; three 1"
  • Block, 12" x 10" x 1"
  • Cones: one 9" x 4"; two 3" x 2"
  • Disc, 10" x 1"
• Acrylic paint, Orange
• Coordinating decorative papers, 12" x 12", several sheets
• Ruler
• Star sequins or beads, two
• White glitter crystals
• Ultrafine glitter: pink; lime green
• Glitter glue: black; crystal; orange; pink; green
• Serrated knife
• Candle stub or paraffin
• Fine-line black permanent marker
• Pencil
• Six red brads
• Round wooden toothpicks
• Paintbrushes: foam; small round
• Disposable palette
• Water basin
• Paper towels
• Scissors: straight blade; decorative-edge
• Circle templates, 1" to 4"
• Paper glue
• Low temperature glue gun and glue sticks
• Patterns
   

Steps:

1. Wax serrated knife with candle stub or paraffin. Cut each house pattern from foam block.
    
2. Trace front, back and sides of foam house shapes onto assorted papers. Cut out pieces and adhere to foam using paper glue.
    
3. Refer to patterns to cut house roofs from papers; crease and glue roofs to houses. Cut various doors and windows from contrasting papers and adhere to houses. Detail roofs, doors and windows with glitter glues; let dry.
    
4. Use foam brush to apply white glue to 3" foam cones. Sprinkle cones with lime green glitter; shake off excess and let dry. Detail trees with glitter glues; let dry.
    
5. Use wooden toothpick dipped in glue to attach one 1" foam ball to top of one 2" foam ball, creating a snowman shape. Repeat to make second snowman. Apply white glue to balls and sprinkle with white glitter crystals; shake off excess and let dry.
    
6. Use black glitter glue to make "coal" eyes and mouth on each snowman. Dot cheeks with pink glitter glue. Glue and insert three red brads in each tummy for buttons.
    
7. Paint tips of two toothpicks orange for noses; let dry and cut to size. Glue noses into faces; let dry completely.
    
8. Cut tree pattern from green decorative paper and glue around large foam cone; let dry.
    
9. Draw following circles on backs of decorative papers: 4"; 3 1/2"; 3"; 2 1/2"; 2". Cut out circles using decorative-edge scissors. Cut center from each circle, 1" smaller in diameter than original circle, creating five rings. Place rings on tree as shown. Detail tree with glitter glues; let dry.
    
10. Apply white glue to remaining 1" foam ball and sprinkle with pink ultrafine glitter; shake off excess and let dry. Glue ball to tip of tree.
    
     
11. Trace foam disc twice onto decorative paper; cut out and glue to front and back of disc. Cut several long, 1"-wide strips from same paper. Glue strips around disc edge, piecing together as needed; trim excess. Let dry.
     
12. Adhere large tree to disc center, houses to four opposite sides, and snowmen and small trees between houses. Detail disc edges with glitter glue; let dry.

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For more project ideas, please see styrofoamstyle.com.