It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas—soon the bells will start! Today I am thrilled to be expanding my own little Christmas village with a design that is sure to get those holiday bells ringing. If you like the toy store I shared last week, then you’re going to love my newest addition—a Christmas village church!
A beautiful church building is always a centerpiece to any Christmas village, so, when considering which structure to go with next, it just made sense. Plus, I couldn’t wait to try my hand at making a cool steeple!
The bell was almost an afterthought when I was sketching my ideas, but I’m so glad I went with it!
Like my toy store, this Christmas village church design came with it’s own array of challenges! Luckily, I was able to remember just enough trigonometry to be able to figure out how to match up the pitches of the various roof levels with their accessories (who knew I would actually need higher level math in my career? Mrs. Berger would be proud).
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Vellum (optional)
- Hot Glue
- Bone Folder (optional)
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- Metalic Marker (optional)
- Foam Tape (optional)
- My Free Template
How to Make
1. Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of the pieces of the church.
Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the numerous score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re not using the SVG file that includes score lines, you can use the PDF version as a reference to know where your folds need to go.
2. Fold and glue your two base pieces. Attach the stone details to the smaller base and the snow drifts to the larger one. DO NOT attach the base section together yet.
3. If you are lining your windows with vellum, adhere those pieces on the backside of your front and side sections.
4. Glue your window, snow, and other structural details onto your walls and roof. Fold and attach your “pop-out” door section to the front. I used a gold paint marker to add details to the door.
5. Add the small roof, garland, and bow to your “pop-out” section.
6. Fold the side wall tabs, and attach to your front piece.
7. Assemble your three steeple sections like so.
8. Create your 3D bell by folding all four pieces in half. Then, use hot glue to stick each of the folded edges together. Once the glue has dried, bend your bell into shape. Use a nice dab of hot glue in the top, center notch and attach it to the post. Glue the post into the top steeple piece.
9. Slide your base steeple section into place and glue the tabs to the inside of the roof.
10. Attach the back of your church.
11. Next, glue your roof piece to the top of the building. Then, carefully attach each of the other steeple pieces, as shown. Then adhere the white roof accents to the front and back overhangs.
Note: Full disclosure—I accidentally attached my steeple before my roof (whoops!). If you happen to do the same, it’s no big deal. I just cut the small, folded section at the front apex and slipped it around the base of the steeple—easy peasy!
12. Slip the tabs on the bottom of the building into the previously assembled smaller base (making sure that it’s lined up so that the side with extra space is aligned with the front of the building). Fold and glue. Then, repeat with the bottom base.
13. Fold your stairs accordion style and attach them so that the staircase narrows as it approaches the door.
14. Finally, assemble your fun embellishment pieces!
Make the trees similarly to the way you did the bell. With two of the same size, fold one in half. Then line the folded edge with hot glue and attach it to the center of an unfolded tree of the same size.
For the carolers, attach the face, book, and hat accessories like so. I also used a paint marker and black pen to add in some extra fun details like fluffy white fringe, a scarf, and singing mouths.
Use hot glue, command tape, or a combination of the two to attach your trees and carolers and give the overall piece even more depth!
The carolers were even more of an afterthought than the bell, but they wound up being what brings this whole design together, in my opinion. So cute!
P.S. I’ve included an opening in the back wall so that you can place an electric tea-light or two inside if you want to see it lit up.
I use Adobe Illustrator for all of my designs, and a Cricut Maker to bring my creations to life. For tips on creating fun paper cuts like this one, see the FAQ section on my website. Also, be sure to check out the other awesome Christmas freebies available on my blog!
I hope you’re enjoying these unique and more complex designs I’ve been sharing for Christmas! Have fun adding this Christmas village church to your totally awesome, 3D collection!
*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through my links to make a purchase, you are supporting this blog and the hard work that goes into providing free, quality designs.
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 28 Comments on Christmas Village Church – 3D Cut File
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Mary Ellen Torres
December 11, 2019 at 6:08 am (1 year ago)your church is beautiful !!!! thanks so much
Mandee
December 11, 2019 at 8:34 am (1 year ago)Thank you Mary Ellen!! I’m so pleased that you like it. ❤️
Donna Modzelewski
December 11, 2019 at 9:45 am (1 year ago)I LOVE IT!!! Thank you so much.
Kathy
December 11, 2019 at 10:00 am (1 year ago)Thank you so much for sharing your adorable church! You are keeping me in a constant state of awe. Your talent and generosity are beyond compare. I cannot imagine how you come up with and document these over the top designs. Thank you again!
Corinne
December 11, 2019 at 11:19 am (1 year ago)What a lovely scene, beautifully made 👏🏻
Mandee
December 12, 2019 at 8:23 am (1 year ago)Thank you Corinne!! 😊
Priscila
December 11, 2019 at 12:14 pm (1 year ago)Hermosa casita!!.. Muchas gracias :*
Mandee
December 12, 2019 at 8:23 am (1 year ago)So glad you like it!! 😊
Coleena
December 11, 2019 at 1:33 pm (1 year ago)Oh so adorable! I can only imagine the time spent on your beautiful designs! Thank you for sharing your amazing talent!
Mandee
December 12, 2019 at 8:24 am (1 year ago)Thank you for your kind words! It’s a labor of love. ❤️
Rowena Camacho
December 11, 2019 at 1:34 pm (1 year ago)Thank you for sharing this…Ive always wanted a Christmas village but they can be quite costly…Now i can make some buildings and place them around the house without breaking the bank…Thank you again and Happy Holidays..
Mandee
December 12, 2019 at 8:26 am (1 year ago)That’s very true! With just a couple dollars worth of paper and some hot glue, you can make your own. Plus, think of how proud you’ll be to be able to say “I made that!” 😀
Happy Holidays to you as well!
Dee
December 11, 2019 at 2:47 pm (1 year ago)Oh my gosh. I loved the toy store and this church is a beautiful addition. I’m excited to begin building these for a Christmas Village at my house. Thank you so much. Not that I’m greedy (ok I am) but I sure hope that you continue making more buildings. Can hardly wait. AWESOME!!
Mandee
December 12, 2019 at 8:30 am (1 year ago)Thanks Dee! Haha, no need to feel greedy, I’m just glad you’re as excited about these as I am! 😊
I definitely plan to continue the series! If not this year, then I’ll certainly make a few more next December, so stick around.
Veri Whitaker
December 11, 2019 at 6:22 pm (1 year ago)Oh my gosh it’s just so adorable! I can’t wait to make this. And I really hope you keep them coming.
Mandee
December 12, 2019 at 8:31 am (1 year ago)Aww, thanks Veri!! Definitely stick around, I do intend to make more (if not this year, then next Christmas season for sure). 😊
Lisa
December 12, 2019 at 4:53 am (1 year ago)The Christmas house was already finished yesterday. Many many thanks! Is there a possibility to show you our creations?
Mandee
December 12, 2019 at 8:32 am (1 year ago)Yay! I’m so glad you’re making good use of my designs. I would absolutely LOVE to see it! Feel free to email pics to mandee@designsbymissmandee.com. 😀
Sandra A. de Campos Vargas
December 12, 2019 at 7:22 am (1 year ago)Que dia maravilhoso abrir meu e-mail e ver esse presente tão generoso e tão lindo.!!! que o Pai celestial te abençoe sempre e que ao fazermos as suas criações possamos abençoas os outros também! Obrigada .
Mandee
December 12, 2019 at 8:33 am (1 year ago)You are so sweet! Thank you Sandra! Merry Christmas!!
nina
December 14, 2019 at 4:16 am (1 year ago)Beautiful! Your attention to detail is loved and appreciated. Thank you.
Mandee
December 16, 2019 at 9:16 am (1 year ago)Thank you very much Nina! 😊
Sofia
December 23, 2019 at 7:18 am (1 year ago)Beautiful work! Thanks!
Mandee
December 23, 2019 at 8:34 am (1 year ago)Thanks Sofia! 😊
Dee
December 24, 2019 at 11:44 am (1 year ago)This is an amazing design (as you are wont to make) . Thank you so much for your generosity.
Mandee
December 30, 2019 at 8:40 am (1 year ago)You’re very welcome Dee! Glad you like it. 😊
Lauren
January 11, 2021 at 11:18 am (1 week ago)I just finished making this project and it was so fun to make! It looks so good now on my shelf (just in time to put it away for next Christmas). Certain things didn’t turn out perfectly (too much wet glue made some pieces warp etc) but I’m looking at it now from across the room and I can’t tell at all. The only thing I did differently was to cut out smaller pieces of the vellum with scissors so as to save more of it (need to get my hands on more) and I didn’t have some of the same colors of cardstock so my bricks are light purple, which looks nice. This was my first big Cricut project and I learned so much. Thank you for making this!
Mandee
January 13, 2021 at 10:56 am (6 days ago)This makes me so happy! Thanks for taking the time to tell me your story!!
I’m so glad you were able to get crafty and have fun while making this project. And you should be proud of the results—it’s handmade, so imperfections are to be celebrated. 🙂