Spend a few minutes on the Retro Christmas Card Company website or see our social media sites and you’ll learn my not-so-secret secret:
I ❤️ all things vintage!
I love the thrill of hunting for vintage Christmas décor and the joy of discovering THE perfect treasure, but it can be so disappointing when I can’t find what I’m looking for, even more so when someone else finds it first! This is one reason I launched the Retro Christmas Card Company. After years of collecting antique Christmas cards with equally antique signatures and getting out-bid on impossible-to-find ornaments, I decided to design my own line of Retro Christmas cards + decor and make it available to everyone who shares my love of all things Vintage Christmas.
It all started with Retro Christmas Cards. Ornaments and Christmas Tree Skirts soon followed. And finally, my desire to have a mid-century themed Christmas Village propelled me into an intense design phase that produced (my pride + joy) The Retro Christmas Village.
It’s always a big day for me and one I look forward to all year, when we get the Christmas dec out of storage. These pieces make my Christmas vintage style decorating day and bright and cheerful. I hope they will do the same for you!
Cheers! Diane
Welcome To My Studio
Hello I’m Diane Dempsey, I am the designer/illustrator that created The Retro Christmas Card Company and all of the artwork that you see here on our site. I have a lot of fun creating all the Retro Christmas cards and home decor for you. As you can see I have set up my very own Retro Christmas Village on top of my work station.
A mid-century modern panorama can be created almost anywhere and the creation and placement of your displays is great fun and hopefully soon a tradition in your home.
There are a few accessories that you may wish to add to your Retro Christmas Village. Here is a handy check list with links on where to purchase these items.
To create the “Magic Hour” lighted effect you will want to have these Bar Shaped Rechargeable LED Lights. These are genius. They work from a charge on USB and will be controlled by a remote, so not that awkward reaching behind your display to turn lights on + off. They also have a cool and warm and combo effect.
Next I like to add tufts of PolyFill “snow” all along the edges of the Village displays to give it a frosted soft focus effect. Tuck these bits along the edges to blend one display into another. You can even place some behind the display for a brightening effect.
Fairy Lights. These are the sparkling effect you will want to add to your trees, hide under the “snow” and just popped in anywhere you need that fairy sparkle. Leave the on + off button out where you can get at it. These are switched. I usually leave mine dangling to the side. Behind a snow bank of course.
Styrofoam, a Village builders best friend! Cut and stack to the height you want your display. Great to create a Cul-de-sac on a slope.
Bottle Brush Trees – I like these in multiple colors. You can get them in plain or with the lights added already. It’s easy to add fairy lights to each tree. Just wrap keeping your control button at the bottom.
Twig Trees add a wintertime touch.
White Headed Dressmaker pins. I use these when I need my snow to defy gravity. Stick a pin through a handful of polyfill snow and attach to the front of the styrofoam hillside.
Add your own unique ideas to your Retro Christmas Village and be sure to take lots of snapshots to share with us on our Facebook page!
