Tea Light Village - Basic Building Tutorial

Project Description: 

Tea Light Village is a series of tiny buildings designed specifically to fit over small LED Tea Lights so readily available these days.  The lights provide a warm glow which brings life to the village display.

Warning: Only use LED Tea Lights. DO NOT use regular candle tea lights.

This specific tutorial is for the assembly of  all the basic buildings including the cottage, barn, town house and store. 

There are many tutorials for the Tea Light series including:

• Tea Light Village Academy 2021

• Tea Light Village American Gothic House and Wishing Well • 2019

• Tea Light Village Basic Buildings (Cottage, Tall house, Store 1, Barn)

• Tea Light Village Barber Shop

• Tea Light Village Covered Bridge and Sleigh

• Tea Light Village Church, School, Gambrel House, Salt Box

• Tea Light Village Clock Tower 2017

• Tea Light Village Dormer House

• Tea Light Village Gazebo

• Tea Light Village Grocery Store and Apple Cart • 2019

• Tea Light Village Hexagon and Pentagon Bases 2017- updated 2020

• Tea Light Village Lighthouse with Keeper’s Cottage • 2020

• Tea Light Village Lobster Shack with Picnic Table • 2020

• Tea Light Village Meeting Hall

• Tea Light Village Rose Arbor

• Tea Light Village Tree

• Tea Light Village Tudor House 2017

• Tea Light Village Windmill and Well House 2021

Supplies Needed:

• Cutting Files - Available here.

• Glue dots 3/16", ScorTape

• Card Stock

• Wax paper - Tracing paper works as well.

• Glue

• Scissors

Parts sizes: (For those importing into Design Space) - in inches

• Town House - All Pieces together - 6.350" w X 8.960"h

  • Town House Building - 5.795"w X 8.360"h

  • Town House Roof - 4.025"w X 2.555"h

• Store - 6.275" w X 8.620"h

  • Store Building - 5.895"w X 8.360"h

  • Store Roof - 2.555"w X 4.025"h

• Cottage - 5.315" w X 8.530"h

  • Cottage Building - 4.960"w X 8.375"h

  • Cottage Roof - 2.555"w X 4.025"h

• Barn - 5.270"w X 8.585"h

  • Barn Building - 4.920"w X 8.360"h

  • Barn Roof - 2.540"w X 3.975"h

Steps for completing the Buildings:

Special Note: I update the instructions online. Check here for adjustments and additional information.

1. Download the cutting files for your cutting machine here from the 3dcuts.com store. https://3dcuts.com/tea-light-village . For those of you that are reading this as a pdf I recommend viewing it online at my tutorials page at this url - https://3dcuts.com/tutorial-tea-light-village-basic-building . There all the links will be live.

2. Load the files into your cutting software following the steps for your cutting machine.

3. Prepare the files:.

• For the Silhouette:

• SIL Files from upload SVG purchased from 3dcuts.com:

  • The SVG files may need to be turned into cutting files. Click here for detailed steps on how to use SVG files on your Silhouette. http://www.3dcuts.com/tutorial-upload-svg-silhouette

  • DXF files can be opened in the basic edition of Silhouette Design Studio but often require modifications. I recommend using the Designer Edition and using svg files. DXF files do not always maintain file sizes and you may need to adjust according to sizes noted above.

• For Cricut Explore: Here is a guide for importing into Cricut Design Space. http://www.3dcuts.com/tutorial-adding-3dcuts-files-to-cricut. Remember to ATTACH files before cutting in Cricut.

• For Brother ScanNCut: The svg files will need to be transferred to files for your particular machine. You can change SVG files to FCM files at http://www.canvasworkspace.com/ or Google "How to import SVG files into a ScanNCut" for links to tutorials. Some models of Brother Scan N Cut can directly import the SVG files.

4.  Cut the files.

• It is best to have good quality card stock and a good blade and clean, sticky mat. I use the Premium blade and the Nicapa mat. These files do have intricate cuts and you need to know which settings your machine works best with.

5. Add wax paper scraps to the inside of all the windows. This will allow the candle light to have a more natural glow.

• I cut rectangles of wax paper to fit the windows on each side.

6. Assemble the building. 

• First fold all dotted lines in ( toward the wax paper side).

• Using glue dots, connect the side walls together.

• Work to keep things square. Bottom edges should line up.

• Place glue dots along the tabs for the roof. Apply then to the portion closest to the fold first and press the roof in place.

• And then continue to the other side of the roof including gluing the tab that slides down by the side wall.

• Add glue dots to the first roof and then glue on the roof cover which adds the overhangs.

• Work to center the roof.

• Now, make additional buildings and trees to make a complete village scene.

• This same set of instructions applies to other Tea Village buildings as well including the town house and village shops.

© 2014 3DCuts.com, Marji Roy