How do I hide and deal with cords?

Question

I made this little village from Plaid Gallery Glass. I have found a string of bulbs that sort of fits, but my problem is the cord. Does anyone have a creative way for me to hide the cord? Thanks for any suggestions.

Julies1949 · Answer

Buy a sheet of cotton batting or polyester pillow and quilt stuffing. Use that under the buildings to cover the cord and look like snow.

Susan Scherby Casey · Answer

I also use the cotton batting on my foyer table top to create the winter setting. I place a few cheap 'village' Christmas trees between the buildings to hide the cord in between the buildings. Leftover pieces from a long ago snow tipped wreath serve as snow covered bushes between and around the buildings and provide a nice backdrop for the shopkeepers & children at play I've picked up over the years. I enjoy my budget Christmas village every year!

Michele Perri · Answer

If you don't want to use the fake snow or batting on the hearth you can always make cord 'sleeves' out of green, red, gold (whatever!) satin.  Cords will still be there but they will look prettier!

Barbara · Answer

Change to a brown cord, or, paint the cord brown to match the wood so it's less visible.

Barbara Chesser · Answer

I have a large village and I use quilt batting as my backdrop.  The white cords blend with the batting.  Also if you want to make a landscape it hides whatever you put under your pieces

Barbara Bamber · Answer

On a recent trip to Pottery Barn, I noticed that they gather all of their cords and hide them under a vintage wooden box (also used to elevate some items) then only one cord comes out somewhere near the back of the box where you can't see it.

Your Organized Friend · Answer

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, some really great ideas. l should have shown a picture of the back of my buildings to better explain, part of my problem is that the lights are up so high that the cord is also up high. There also isn't a lot of space between lights. I just quickly took a picture, I'm sure the visual will make more sense then I'm. 
 It finally hit me this afternoon that just because the hole for the light is up high doesn't mean I have to use it. So now I'm thinking about using scrap wood and attaching each light to one piece and placing the building over top. If I use cotton batting and sparkles for snow, some little people and trees for distraction, plus put the chord into satin sleeves I think it should look amazing. Also just realized I should have used the expression string of lights instead of cord.

Jan · Answer

@Your Organized Friend - you can still do the 'snow' idea. You would maybe know better than me (rarely get snow here)... but you could always build a sort of 'mound' behind the buildings and have the houses sort of coming from the snow mounds..... thus hiding the high cords....

I also wondered about those little battery operated tea lights. Could you use one, inserting one in each hole, if the snow ideas won't work?

Jan · Answer

Oh! You could also get a piece of art board and ether paint or if you don't paint... print a pretty backdrop/ scene. Pop a hole in the board to thread the lights through and then into the back of the little houses....

That might be really pretty! I wouldn't make it square across the top, personally... I would go for a sort of artsy curve ... just more aesthetically pleasing in a lot of instances.

Have fun! :)

Jan · Answer

Take one your bottle brush trees ( one that is tall enough) and trim off one side making it a flat backed tree.

The base, which is also rounded, will also need to be trimmed on the same side. Use a little hacksaw to do that. (If it breaks, you get to make a new base out of styrofoam!) Your tree should then rest against the back of the building hiding the cord opening is located. (You can leave the top part of the tree intact and just cut the middle and lower area. )

Dianne · Answer

I use cotton batting 'snow' on my table but to save time I do not feed the the cords beneath the batting. Instead I use small wads of 'buffalo snow' which I stretch and place over the cords to hide them. Strategically place trees help as well. I put wisps of the buffalo snow around the base of the houses etc to soften the look and make it look like drifted snow.

How do I hide and deal with cords?

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