Beginner's Guide to Halloween Villages - Lemax Spooky Town & Department 56 Halloween

Today I have a much requested video- tips for the newbie villager or potential villager that wants to get into Halloween villages. I talk about and compare Lemax Spooky Town and Department 56 Halloween pieces, discuss where to get them and give several other general tips for the prospective villager. Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for watching,
- Doug

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[bobross]

I put $10 bucks a week away in an envelope all year. I buy the whole Spooky Town collection each year at Michaels using the coupons. That way I already have the money to pay for them. I've also bought cheap Christmas buildings at yard sales and thrift shops and reworked them for my Halloween village. I buy the resin or non glazed kind, they are easier to work with. Things like wreaths, snow or icicles can be sanded off, then paint them with darker "spooky" colors. You can also add things like pumpkins, cats or skeletons. Place them in the back ground for "filler" and put the good buildings in the front. Sometimes they come out as good or better than the purchased ones.

[elanaRDH]

Okay I was expecting this video to be done by a little old lady and her collectibles, not a handsome young man! This was really well done!

[Martin-gzqn]

I have been collecting Lemax for years and didn't even know there were communities for this stuff! I am so excited to have just found it! I go crazy every year buying so many Lemax Spooky Town items! I just can't help myself.

[lorainer]

Thanks so much for the video. My mom just gave me her spooky town collection from back in 2005. Now im adding to it and getting into it. So much fun.

[vegasmobydick]

Put the larger "out of scale" pieces in the foreground of your diorama, and elevate the structures and in them as if the were "across the street" and at the foot of a hill.  If you have the space create another elevated row behind that, keeping your largest structures on the middle level and smaller ones on that top/3rd level.  This will create a "forced perspective" that will add depth and make your diorama appear larger than it is.  Also, angle the buildings randomly as opposed to facing front which will create even more depth to the viewer's eye.

[andrewzvideos]

Great video Doug! Hope all you Village newbies out there learned a thing or two about starting your own village!

[CassidysWorkshop]

Doug, I got my first Lemax product when I saw the Creepy Barn at Michael's in 2005 and had to have it. I didn't know about villiging or Spooky Town at the time. Now I'm waist deep in it, and STILL I learned from your video. You have a succinct way of pulling all the loose threads together and presenting it in a clear manner to help us all. Great video. Thanks.

[darkhorse]

Yeah good guide I started with one Lemax pice in 2013 and now I have about 40 50 of them

[CraftsFromTheCrypt]

This video is the reason why I decided to start my Halloween village, thank you! 👻🎃🕸

[SpiffyDot]

I am VERY late, but I had inflatables and I threw away three of their boxes, then I realized I was collecting them, and I just save the boxes of all the stuff I collect now.

[CeliaAWhite]

This video made my whole day! I can't wait for Halloween and I am so looking forward to more videos from you. Thanks so much!

[darrellboggess]

back in the early 2000s i would get some sweet Halloween building from Walmart of all places...fiber optics combined with sounds, and animations...their Christmas ones were the bomb too...then they stopped those nicer ones...those pieces would be considered rare/collectible these days

[arsinehkeshishi]

Great video! When I started collecting 2 years ago I just got the houses that looked good to me. So it was a mix of stuff. Now I’m going to try to stick to more of the pumpkin patch theme and witch theme, my top two favorite.

[pvpsaandopefresh]

I’m a member of the Facebook group, and I can advocate to say it is a great community! Not only are people showing off how to make custom pieces and rehabs, and even platforms! But they will also hook it up by leaving links to great pieces for decent prices!! Definitely join if you’re interesting in starting a collection!

[sumar]

The gift shop at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park has an outstanding Dept. 56 display and selection. Open year ‘round.

[Vlogsoup]

Fantastic video! You are a fountain of information. I love the Lemax I got last year so much!
I would really love to collect witch themes I think they are so fun. I hope I can get a piece this year, I look forward to what Lemax and Dept 56 will put out.
Thanks Doug!

[breadguy]

Great video again!! I will direct any people who want to get into this hobby to this video.

[jillheise]

My mother in law had an entire Christmas Village from 56. Little did I know she also had a decent Halloween collection (56 as well). She passed away a while back, and now my daughter has them in her house. We had fun putting up the Halloween collection for this year! I am hooked.

[tracycorcoran]

Thank you for this video, i've been doing a christmas villiage for years its my first year of Halloween villiaging i'm starting with Meow mansion and building from there

[kaileydavis]

I am so glad the Halloween village have gotten more popular. I have gotten a few family friends into the Halloween villages! I really want Department 56 to do a Hocus Pocus series