One of my favorite holiday decorations are my Cody Foster houses, but they are expensive! I thought I’d try to make my own from a $5 wooden house from the craft store. If you like the expensive village houses too that are covered in glitter and $100, this project is for you! Let’s create a DIY Christmas House to add some holiday cheer this season!

diy christmas house

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

I thought I’d show you some of the Cody Foster houses I have around my house. These are found on sites like Masionette for $100-$200 a house. Which is very pricey! Let’s make one for much less.

SUPPLIES- what do I need to make a Christmas village

Plain wooden house (this is a small option- I love this larger one and this townhouse option)
Acrylic paint (in your chosen holiday colors)
Paintbrushes (in a variety of sizes)
Champagne or Gold glitter
Elmer’s glue
Miniature holiday decorations (bottle brush trees, wreaths, deer, candy cane, tinsel)
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Faux snow (to cover the house)

step 1- paint the house

Start by, Painting the house.

Select a color scheme that matches your holiday decor.
- Traditional red and green, elegant gold and white, or even a pastel palette for a vintage look all work beautifully. Usually, the Cody Foster houses are a pastel color, but use what ever you like best.

Use acrylic paints to give your house a solid base coat. Start with the house. Then move onto the roof, door, and window panes. Just know that the house won’t look great at this step. It shouldn’t- this is just the first layer! And it doesn’t have to be perfect because the other decor will mostly cover up small issues.

Let the paint dry thoroughly before adding details.

step 2- decorative details

Next, Add Decorative Details

Add glitter to the roof. To do this use a paint brush to paint Elmer’s glue to the roof. Then shake on the glitter. Make sure to work over a paper plate so the excess glitter can be put back in the container.
Use a hot glue gun loaded with some glue sticks to adhere tinsel around the roof line and the top window roof.

Add wreaths to the front of each window. These are easy to add as they are stickers!
Glue on a deer to the front of the house. Each Cody Foster house has a little animal so I think this adds the perfect touch!
The front of the house looks really cute with a bottle brush tree! I added some mini pom poms and a topper to the tree to give it more detail.
Finally, glue on a candy cane next to the front door. This was an ornament, but it works great for house decor too!

step 3

And finally, Sprinkle on Snow

Use a paint brush to paint Elmer’s glue to each section of the house. Then shake faux snow onto the wet glue. This is a really important step to getting that Cody Foster look.

It looks so cute to have the faux snow on the roof, base, and each side of the house!
Shake off the excess snow and let everything set.

after

Here is the finished village house! I had a spot waiting for it and it looks so cute!

This was a really fun craft- it went from looking horrible to looking just like my inspiration!

I think these could be made on a variety of wood houses for a whole village look too!

Display Ideas

If you make a DIY Christmas house too, here are a few ideas for showcasing it:

Arrange it as part of a holiday village on your mantle.
Use it as a centerpiece on your dining table with candles and garlands.
Place it on a bookshelf alongside other seasonal decor.

What is a Putz House?

This house is similar to a Putz house, but here’s some differences-

Putz houses are small, decorative Christmas villages traditionally made from cardboard. Originating in the early 20th century, these houses were often hand-crafted and adorned with glitter, mica snow, and other festive details. The term “putz” comes from the German word “putzen,” meaning “to decorate.”

Families would display these miniature villages under their Christmas trees or as part of holiday mantel displays. Today, Putz houses remain a beloved holiday tradition, inspiring modern interpretations like Cody Foster houses and this DIY Christmas House project (though they were much smaller than this house).

price breakdown

I spent $5 on the Plain wooden house, $6 on glitter, $2 on wreaths.

I had the following supplies on hand- Acrylic paint, Paintbrushes (in a variety of sizes), Elmer’s glue, bottle brush trees, deer, candy cane, tinsel, Hot glue gun, glue sticks, and Faux snow.

That comes to a grand total of $13. Yes, I had tons of supplies on hand. But I think for the look, it’s a great price! And much better than spend $100 on another house!

In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed seeing how to make a DIY Chirstmas house! I’m so happy with how it turned out. This would be a great craft to make at a party too. Is this something you’d make? Do you have any questions on the process, let me know in the comments.

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