The base of each piece is extremely important.
I started out trying to do a Christmas arrangement with a base made of a long board we found by the side of the road on one of our county walks. It had scabrous bits of white paint along its 6 foot length which reminded me of snow. I sanded it and Lee cut and reassembled into a 24x28 base. When I began to play with different bits of metal and other objects, I quickly had a manger, some wise men, and a nativity theme going. It was just too complex to show up well on the white-flecked board, so I talked with Lee and we assembled another similarly sized base out of grating reclaimed wood which felt just right for "Crèche" as it came together.
"Crèche"
Then I turned again to my "snowy" background searching for another Christmas theme. Alas, not to be...it really wanted a stronger presence. When I tried out some objects with more heft, it was clear that the snow was really ash and other wear and tear in an industrial scene. "Factories" developed before my eyes.
"Factories"
Guess the Christmas snow scene will have to wait for the right foundation to come along.