It all started with this fire station that I found at the Goodwill for only $4.79! It was so detailed and intricate and in perfect condition with no chips or cracks that I can see. The part I love most about this building is the hanging brass bell on top tower! The second house that I found that really set me on my journey, lol, of wanting to find these village houses and its inhabitants was this whimsical Nutcracker house by Department 56 created by Charles Dickens! This one is part of the North Pole Series and looooovvvee all the details on this house! I found this at an estate sale in Rancho Cordova for only $25! The owner of the house was a collector and he had a bunch of other houses as well. At the that time I thought it was a bit much, considering I only paid $5 for the first house. Little did I know that the Charles Dickens Village Series cost quite a bit. At that time, I saw the Nutcracker house and knew I wanted at least 1 of it…since I drove all that way and it was the most magical one to me. I will always remember that estate sale because the seller was really kind. We were talking about how some people can really duped you when placing ads for selling cars and lying about the quality of the car. At least that experience lead me to this estate sale! 🙂 I then found all these village people and the bridge at a local thrift store and it was all %75 off! So I paid less than $10 for all these items. I can’t wait to set up my Christmas Village this year, lol! Yes, I know that’s 11 months away. 🙂
