department 56 centerpieces

Create a Portable Department 56 Centerpiece

The practical side of entertaining sometimes means that your tabletop decorations just won't cut it for dining. You don't want your guests straining to peer at each other over top of your large, tall, but beautifully arranged centerpiece!

Here's an idea that combines the delight of Department 56 collecting and displaying with the practicality of entertaining: a portable centerpiece. Just move it to the kitchen or side board when it's time to eat.

You will need:

A serving tray. I prefer ones with handles because they are easy to pick up and move around. Many trays are approximately 1' x 2'.

One to three Dept 56 village buildings depending on the size of your tray, or an assortment of figurines. The best village buildings for this project I think are the pieces that use the new Long-Life Cordless Lighting technology. The technology uses 4 AA batteries and lasts up to 200 hours! See below for a list of the villages that feature this lighting.

Artificial snow, white rice, or batting.

Arrange Village Buildings on the Tray

Here are some guidelines for arranging village buildings on your tray:

Arrange pieces in groups of three or five.

Choose one building to be the focal point. It may be the largest piece, for example. Arrange the remaining buildings or accessories around it.

When in doubt, remember that less is more. Too many accessories in a small area like a tray can look cluttered.

Opt for a simple look and use sprigs of holly or cedar to fill in the "holes" if necessary.

If using AC lighted buildings, run the cord on the side furthest from the side your guests are most likely to be viewing the display.

If you don't have a Long-Life Cordless Lighting set and don't want have the cord showing, opt for using one or two small tea lights or votives to illuminate the display.

Sprinkle snow or rice appropriately. The nice thing about using a tray is that it has edges to contain your snow (more or less) so you won't have to contend with any messes when moving the tray around.

Village Buildings that Use Long-Life Cordless Lighting

Krinkles Christmas Ornament Design Studio

St. Stephens Church

St. Nick's Toy Land

Mrs. Clause Handmade Christmas Stockings

Thanksgiving at Grandmother's House

Christmas Treasures

Chalk Cottage\

Weihnachten Glashutte Glass Ornament Factory

Royal Flush Casino

Russian Tea Room

Admiral's House, Queens Port

NASCAR® Café

Cupid's Cardshop

Easter Egg Painting Studio

D56 Display Ideas

Plans for small, medium and large Christmas villages

Tips for displaying Dept 56 villages


Department 56 Snow Village, Christmas Miniature Villages, and Halloween Village Displays
home :: ideas :: department 56 centerpiece Create a Portable Department 56 Centerpiece The practical side of entertaining sometimes means that your tabletop decorations just won't cut it for dining. You don't want your guests straining to peer at each other over top of your large, tall, but beautifully arranged centerpiece! Here's an idea that combines the delight of Department 56 collecting and displaying with the practicality of entertaining: a portable centerpiece. Just move it to the kitchen or side board when it's time to eat. You will need: A serving tray. I prefer ones with handles because they are easy to pick up and move around. Many trays are approximately 1' x 2'. One to three Dept 56 village buildings depending on the size of your tray, or an assortment of figurines. The best village buildings for this project I think are the pieces that use the new Long-Life Cordless Lighting technology. The technology uses 4 AA batteries and lasts up to 200 hours! See below for a list of the villages that feature this lighting. Artificial snow, white rice, or batting. Arrange Village Buildings on the Tray Here are some guidelines for arranging village buildings on your tray: Arrange pieces in groups of three or five. Choose one building to be the focal point. It may be the largest piece, for example. Arrange the remaining buildings or accessories around it. When in doubt, remember that less is more. Too many accessories in a small area like a tray can look cluttered. Opt for a simple look and use sprigs of holly or cedar to fill in the "holes" if necessary. If using AC lighted buildings, run the cord on the side furthest from the side your guests are most likely to be viewing the display. If you don't have a Long-Life Cordless Lighting set and don't want have the cord showing, opt for using one or two small tea lights or votives to illuminate the display. Sprinkle snow or rice appropriately. The nice thing about using a tray is that it has edges to contain your snow (more or less) so you won't have to contend with any messes when moving the tray around. Village Buildings that Use Long-Life Cordless Lighting Krinkles Christmas Ornament Design Studio St. Stephens Church St. Nick's Toy Land Mrs. Clause Handmade Christmas Stockings Thanksgiving at Grandmother's House Christmas Treasures Chalk Cottage\ Weihnachten Glashutte Glass Ornament Factory Royal Flush Casino Russian Tea Room Admiral's House, Queens Port NASCAR® Café Cupid's Cardshop Easter Egg Painting Studio more ideas...	Main Menu D56 Display Ideas Christmas Villages Halloween Villages Dickens Villages Figurines & Accessories Village Backdrops Retired Dept 56 bookmark this site D56 Display Ideas Plans for small, medium and large Christmas villages Tips for displaying Dept 56 villages
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