I drew the pattern for this church last week. It started as a house, but when I was looking through my stash of Easter cards for one to use to make the base, I found one that would be perfect for a church. I drew some additional pattern pieces to make the bell tower, and I changed the front door and front window of the house to make it look more like a church.
As I worked on this MINI size, Putz church, I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. Not my personal-favorite color of green, but, when it was finished, I was very happy with it.
Pictures don’t do the little Putz houses justice. They are so much cuter in person.
The round window over the doors is a flattened bead cover. It makes the perfect embellishment for a church window.
The bottle brush trees are white plastic trees that I painted to match the roof. They were sprinkled with fine, clear glitter and decorated with handcrafted Easter eggs.
The colors for the Putz church were inspired by the colors of the upcycled greeting card used to make the base for the church.
The white picket fence was made with coffee stirring sticks. I cut the ends off the wooden sticks to make the pickets. The rest of the stick was slivered into three, long pieces to make the horizontal boards.
A gold bell swings freely in the belfry.
The following ORIGINAL size, yellow and green Easter/spring house was made from a pattern I drew in January. The first house I made from it was a Valentine house.
The spring version worked well, too. I do love the shuttered windows.
The house is decorated with velvet forget-me-nots and mulberry-paper flowers.
The upcycled Easter card used to make the base features an Easter basket of spring flowers and Easter eggs.
The fence is made from poster board and cut with a large scallop scissor to mimic the curve of the roof.
You can see my Putz houses and Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.
If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses of your own, check out my Putz tutorials for more information. Putz House Tutorials
I am always happy to answer questions about the process. Please ask, if you are wondering about the details of putzing!
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. They work with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
I just finished this MINI size, Easter church. It was a lot of fun to make and I am very happy with the end result. I thought about keeping it in my own collection, but decided to list it in my Etsy shop instead.
The base measures 4 1/8″ wide x 6″ deep. The Putz is 5″ tall as measured from the bottom of the base to the top of the steeple.
The pattern I drew for this church was inspired by the church pictured on the vintage Easter card I used for the base.
A gold bell hangs freely in the steeple.
The church yard is landscaped with preserved moss and artificial foliage.
You can see my Putz houses and Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.
If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses of your own, check out my Putz tutorials for more information. Putz House Tutorials
I am always happy to answer questions about the process. Please ask, if you are wondering about the details of putzing!
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. They work with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
This MINI size, Valentine Putz house is the last one I am making this season. It’s time to move on to Easter Putz! It was fun to make and fun to landscape. A lot of little details make it fun to look at.
The base measures 4 1/2″ wide x 5 1/2″ deep. The Putz is 3 3/4″ tall as measured from the bottom of the base to the top of the chimneys. As measured from the bottom of the base to the top of the arch, the Putz is 6″ tall.
The base is made from an upcycled Valentine card. I like that it is purple rather than the traditional red and/or pink.
The back of the Putz has the traditional hole that allows for the use of an LED light string for lighting the house.
The wired arch frames the MINI house with pink and red hearts.
The sidewalk is made of tiny heart-shaped stepping stones.
The handcrafted, heart-shaped fence is made from poster board, painted to coordinate with the Putz house, and sprinkled with fine, clear glitter. Pearl beads and velvet flowers nestle in the moss.
The lights are on and the door is open for you and your Valentine.
You can see my Putz houses and Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.
If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses of your own, check out my Putz tutorials for more information. Putz House Tutorials
I am always happy to answer questions about the process. Please ask, if you are wondering about the details of putzing!
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. They work with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
I used a cardboard, candy box to make this ORIGINAL size, Valentine Putz house.
The base is made from an upcycled greeting card. It measures 5 1/2″ wide x 5″ deep. The Putz is 4″ tall as measured from the bottom of the base to the top of the roof.
The back of the Putz has the traditional hole that allows for the use of an LED light string for lighting the house.
The house is made from a heart-shaped, cardboard, candy box. After the parts were painted and the window panes installed, I glued the two pieces together.
The wooden picket fence is handcrafted from stir sticks and slivered popsicle sticks. I make a bunch of these ahead of time so I have them ready when a house needs a picket fence.
You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.
If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses of your own, check out my Putz tutorials for more information. Putz House Tutorials
I am always happy to answer questions about the process. Please ask, if you are wondering about the details of putzing!
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. They work with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
I had a lot of fun making this sweet, summertime Putz house. I had planned to make it a Valentine house, but it kept saying “summertime, summertime,” so summertime it is. I found a vintage dollhouse online that I used as inspiration for the Putz house pattern. So sweet. Not my usual design, but I am loving this house.
The base is made from an upcycled greeting card. It measures 6 1/2″ wide x 4 3/4″ deep. The house is 4 3/4″ tall as measured from the bottom of the base to the top of the roof.
The colors of the Putz house echo the colors on the greeting card.
The awning is a piece of striped scrapbook card stock. I pulled it under a ruler to give it a curve, then cut the bottom with a tiny scallop, decorative scissor. To get the drop on the front edge I scored the paper on the back and carefully folded it down. To finish the awning, I used a light coat of glitter glue to give it a little sparkle, glued the awning to the house and then glued a support under each side of the awning.
The wooden picket fence is handcrafted from slivered popsicle sticks. The front sidewalk is light-weight poster board, painted the same color as the porch floor, glittered and glued in place. To finish the sidewalk, I glued tiny bits of dried moss around it and along the spaces between the stones.
You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.
If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses of your own, check out my Putz tutorials for more information. Putz House Tutorials
I am always happy to answer questions about the process. Please ask, if you are wondering about the details of putzing!
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. They work with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
I love these little Irish cottages. The thatched roof on the Putz shown here is my own creation and design. Every time I thatch a cottage, I learn something new and tweak the process to make it better than the last time.
The first time I thatched an Irish cottage, I used rafia. I like the look of the sisal much better for an Irish cottage than the rafia, though the rafia does has a look that I think would be great on a fairy house or other woodland cottage. If you find other fibers you like to use, please share!
Following is a tutorial for making a thatched roof using sisal. This is the way I do it, though it’s not the only way, I’m sure. It’s just my way. Give it a try! If you have any questions about the process, please ask in the comment section, below. I am always happy to help others learn the skill of Putzing.
Supplies List
twisted sisal rope (I use 1/4″ wide roping.)
Scissors
Cutting mat
Carding / Combing tool
Chipboard or poster board
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Paper folding tool (also called a bone folder)
Acrylic ruler
X-acto knife or box cutter
spray bottle of water
NOTE: The first time I bought twisted sisal rope, I bought this one: Wellington Cordage. When I ran out of that, I bought SGT KNOTS. The one I just purchased (SGT KNOTS) hasn’t had the knots the Wellington had, and is easier to work with. I haven’t used much of it yet, but am liking it better than the first brand. The second brand has three stands to make the rope and each of those stands is made of two strands. I bought these on Amazon.com, but you can purchase this kind of rope at any hardware store. Be sure it is labeled “sisal.” And be sure it isn’t coated with anything.
Glue a roof to your Putz to use as a base for gluing down the thatching strips. I use a medium-weight poster board. I painted and glittered it to match the sisal, but that isn’t really necessary. After you’ve thatched a few houses, you will have a feel for how thick the thatching should be so the roof base doesn’t show through the thatch. Painting it just insures that any places that do show the base are much less noticable than if the chipboard or poster board is left plain.
To make the strips that the sisal is glued to, find a piece of poster board (or cardboard) just a bit wider than the width of the roof. It will be trimmed before it is glued to the roof.
Cut the poster board into 1/2″ wide strips. I used a box cutter to do this because the sand in my paint mixture is hard on the X-acto blades. I should have painted it without the sand mixed it, but didn’t think about that until I had it painted.
The sisal rope I used is a 1/4″ twisted rope of three strands, each of which are made up of three strands. Those strands need to be separated.
I have found that three rows of thatching works well for most of my cottages, but this pattern, which I drew recently, needed an extra strip on top. More about that later. Cut at least six strips to start with.
NOTE: The thatching could be made on one long strip, then cut as needed. For reference, I made 15 inches of thatching with 30 inches of rope. Fifteen inches of thatching made three strips for the front of the cottage. Length needed depends, of course, on how big your cottage is. This particular one is five inches wide.
I originally drew the pattern for this cottage so that the sides of the roof extended 1/4″ past the walls of the house.
I decided later that the house would look better if the side walls were not obstructed by those overhangs. I cut the 1/4″ overhangs off and was happier with the cleaner look. I think it shows off the shape of the chimney better than it had before. I changed the pattern to reflect that. I mention it here, so there is no confusion about overhangs in some pics and no overhangs in others.
Cut a 10″ length of rope. This is a comfortable length for me to work with. As you work with the rope you have, try different lengths to see what works best for you.
Separate the strands that make up the rope.
Depending on the rope you are using, the strands that make up the rope may be made of two or three stands themselves. Those need to be separated, too.
You could even leave the rope on the roll, unwrap a section that is comfortable to work with and cut it off the roll after it has been combed. Find a way that works for you.
The next step is to “card” or comb the strands to separate the individual fibers. I have what I assume is a carding tool. It came from my mother. I don’t know what it’s use is supposed to be, but it works great for this process. I am not sure what else would work, but perhaps a felting tool? Or a wool or flax carding tool? If you’re handy, you could possibly make your own carding tool using a board and long nails. If you have other suggestions, please post them below.
Pull the tool through the strands of sisal. You can work with as many strands at a time as you are able to comb through. Sometimes sisal rope has lumps or knots in a strand and those have to be worked out. Be careful. Work slowly until you get the hang of it. It’s not fun to bring those spikes down on your thumb or fingers. Also, this is hard on your cutting mat. Use an old one if you have one handy.
The following picture shows the results of the beginning of the combing process. The fibers on the end of the strands are becoming unraveled from each other.
I work on each end, and when they are done, I work out the middle. It’s easier to comb the strands in two or three-inch sections than to try to do the entire length at one time.
When the entire length has been combed, put all the strands in a tray or on a cookie sheet. Spritz the strands with a light mist of water. This will quickly relax the sisal and the strands will become straighter than if not misted.
When it is completely dry, I fold it in half so I have a nice chunk to work with. Don’t trim the ends yet. The trim is more even if the entire length of thatching is trimmed at the same time.
Put enough hot glue on the chipboard strip to match the width of the fiber bundle. Cover the area completely.
Set the fibers on the glued strip, leaving plenty to trim later.
Trim the looped fibers along the strip of poster board. Continue gluing down fibers until the strip is covered. I use the paper folding tool (bone folder) to hold the fibers down as the glue hardens.
Moving it back and forth slightly as the glue cures keeps the folding tool from sticking. Any glue that does adhere to it comes right off the plastic.
If you look closely at the photo, you can see the pressed line where the folding tool was used.
Trim the fibers to a straight line.
The back of the strips will look like the following. Note that since I took this picture, I have learned to trim the top of the fibers very close to the strip. It will help the strips fit together more tightly when glued to the roof. Fewer gaps.
Trim each end of the strip so it is about 3/8″ short of either side of the roof. Glue the strip to the bottom of the roof. Set the poster board strip just above the edge of the long side of the roof.
Make more strips. 🙂 Glue the second strip so the trimmed thatching on strip #2 overlaps the thatching of the first row. I find the 1/2″ strips can be glued right up against the one below it. But the placement will depend on how high the roof is and how thick the thatch is. Sometimes you have to eyeball it.
Thatching row #3 may need to be trimmed a bit shorter to fit against the chimney.
You can see the raw edges that were left when I trimmed the extra 1/4″ overhang off the sides of the roof.
I painted and glittered them. All better.
Time to do the back of the Putz.
Here is the first strip for the back, prior to trimming.
And now, trimmed and glued down.
To finish the edges of the roof, I use intact rope, cut to length. Use sharp, heavy-duty scissors and cut slowly to get a clean cut that doesn’t unravel the rope.
This piece of rope will give the edge of the thatching a finished look. The 1/4″ wide rope works very well for this step. Just the right size. I haven’t found it necessary to put glue on the ends of the strands on this piece, but that can be done with white glue if it looks like the rope may unravel.
Check the top of the roof. If a piece of rope will cover the remaining gap and the glue line, you can glue that piece of trim down. If the gap is too wide to cover with one piece of rope, you can fill it with more thatching.
Cut a piece of poster board to fit inside the remaining gap. Glue thatching across it, so it extends the same width on either side of the post board.
It will look like this from the bottom.
Glue the strip into the gap, poster board down, thatch on top.
Glue a piece of rope on top the thatching.
Any spots that don’t look their best can be covered with dried moss, artificial foliage or flowers.
If you have a cottage with the chimneys set on the ridge of the roof, you will need to make some adjustments to thatch around those chimneys. In this example, five separate pieces of thatch were used: to the outside of each chimney, between the chimneys and under the chimneys.
When the first three patches were on, I went back and set a bit of thatching under each chimney.
When all the pieces are glued down, trim the bottom of the thatching row to a clean, straight line.
To add the rope trim, I glued it next to the chimney before I cut it.
Because the trim piece is so short, it unravels less if already glued to the roof before cutting.
A short piece in the middle and the trim along the sides of the roof, and it’s ready for landscaping.
How cute is that?? I find them so appealing. And the landscaping is so much fun.
If you look closely, you may be able to see that I brushed the thatch with gold glitter glue for a light shine and a tiny bit of glitter. It IS a Putz house, after all! I didn’t want a heavy hand of glitter that might mask the charm of the thatch, but I did like the effect the glitter glue gave it. Just a nice shimmer that ties the thatching to the rest of the glitter on the Putz.
For a very light glitter finish, I like this brand. I have it in gold, silver, green, red, blue and opalescent. It contains a very fine glitter. They all flow well from the bottle except the silver. I think I’m on my third bottle of silver, and they’ve all been thicker and more sluggish than the other colors. I just use a paint brush to dip out the silver glue and apply it.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the tutorial. I would love to see pictures of what you create! If you have any questions about the art of Putzing, please ask. I am happy to help.
If you have suggestions or other supplies you like to use for this process, please share!
Last year, beginning in December and going forward about six months, I had a lot of trouble with my blog. Many things weren’t posted last Christmas, including the chalkboard tree for 2018. After posting the start of this year’s tree, I realized I never posted last year’s tree. I’ll fix that now!
The theme for last year, 2018, was “I’ll be home for Christmas.” This was our seventh chalkboard Christmas tree and may have been our most ambitious tree yet.
I began the process of finding pictures we could use. I searched online and found printable coloring pages that I thought would work. My sister Genny and I laid them out in the order that made sense to us.
Then the tracing began. We use white graphite paper to trace the pictures onto the chalkboard. And it all takes time…!
The tree was going to tell the story of a family gathering for the holidays, using the song “I’ll be Home for Christmas” as our inspiration.
Beginning at the bottom of the tree, the story unfolded, one panel at a time. By the lamp post, in the front yard, children are building a snowman and a young boy greets you from the gate, along with our cat Clark.
The next level up the tree features the car, piled with gifts and holiday cheer, as they head home for Christmas.
There’s the excitement of arriving home, with all the joyful greetings!
The children are counting down the days with their Advent calendar. I thought the branches, with the multiple kinds of greenery, were particularly pretty on this tree.
And Dad is putting up the lights!
Grandma is baking our favorite Christmas cookies!
Everyone pitches in wrapping the special gifts.
The Christmas Eve service puts the focus where it should be…the birth of Christ, our Savior.
Everyone enjoys the children’s Christmas program.
And then it’s Christmas morning and time to unwrap the presents!
Our cat Winston enjoys the warm fire while the snow piles up outside.
This year, along with the lights around the chalkboard, we added popcorn and cranberry strings to each branch. They are a tradition in our family!
The ceilings are 12′ high. The chalkboard is about 8 1/2′ tall.
We hope you have the joy of going home for Christmas!
You can find the other chalkboard Christmas trees we’ve made by searching this blog for “chalkboard Christmas tree.”
It’s that time of year at our house…we begin prep for the holidays, including baking cookies for the freezer to serve at our annual Christmas Open House and we also start some decorating the first part of October. Too soon for many, I know, but we have our open house on the first Sunday in December each year and that means starting early so we are ready for the big day.
Last weekend, my sister came down to begin work on this year’s Christmas chalkboard tree. I decided to use the song “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S” as the theme for this year’s tree. I searched online for coloring pages and clip art of the images I wanted for the tree. The pictures can’t be too detailed as that makes them difficult to execute in chalk.
I do the design work and my sister does the chalking. Here she is making the first strokes of what will be hours of chalk work.
Winston is our most sociable cat and he likes to be where the action is. He is also partial to ladders, so takes an opportunity to inspect our work when he can.
The color is off in this picture, but here’s a preview of what’s to come.
We will chalk in the branches as we go along. And there will be other additions…stars to fill in space, candles, etc.
The pattern for this Putz was drawn with inspiration from the house pictured on the Christmas card that I used to make the base.
The card features a snowy front yard, perfect for making snow angels.
To make the snow angels for the Putz house, I used a thin nail file, cut straight across on one end. It was about 1/4″ wide. I pivoted it to make fan shapes for the arms and legs, then used a blunt wooden pick to make the head. I brushed the snow angels with barely-there, pale periwinkle to suggest shadows and to make the angels easier to see. When the faux snow dried, it shrank a bit, so I outlined the angels, using a syringe filled with faux snow. It took some practice, but I was happy with the way they turned out.
I also like the front porch on this house. The doors of my Putz are always open, so visitors know they are welcome to drop by any time!
The two bottle brush trees are decorated with faux snow, periwinkle pearl beads, and iridescent glitter flakes.
Lots of windows let the light shine through!
You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.
If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses of your own, check out my Putz tutorials for more information. Putz House Tutorials
I am always happy to answer questions about the process. Please ask, if you are wondering about the details of putzing!
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. They work with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
I made this MINI Putz house a few weeks ago. It just sold and is on its way to a new home in Michigan. I’m very happy with the way it turned out. I have always liked this card and decided to make a base from it, then see what I could do with it.
I decided to make a “Santa house” and had the perfect polar bear to add to the Putz. The bear sports a red scarf that, thanks to being wired, can blow in the breeze. Santa stands nearby, with his arms full of Christmas goodies. This is the first time I used faux silver leaf on the roof. I will be doing that again.
I love this MINI church. The ivory color is one I like to use. The light green is a mixture I made myself to get the shade I wanted.
Another sweet card.
Two lambs frolic in the church yard, giving a hint to what’s pictured on the Christmas card I used to make the base.
This TINY MINI house was fun to make. I decided to add an arch of evergreen to give the house something special. The arch is lined with a green bead string for some subtle sparkle.
Another card I loved and wanted to use as a base.
The arch over the door and the decoration under the gable eaves, as well as the fence, are made from wired candy canes. I added plenty of trees to the front yard. They are made from pieces of the same garland used to make the arch that frames the house. I cut the garland to the height I wanted for the trees, then trimmed the pieces to a point at one end. Instant trees that don’t take up as much room as bottle brush trees do.
The barn is an ORIGINAL size. I haven’t made a barn for a while, so decided it was time.
All the barnyard animals are ready for Christmas!
The horse and the cow are animals meant to be used for the HO scale in model railroading. Perfect for the barn.
I hope you enjoyed the tour of my new Putz. You can see my Putz houses, churches and barns and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.
If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses of your own, check out my Putz tutorials for more information. Putz House Tutorials
I am always happy to answer questions about the process. Please ask, if you are wondering about the details of putzing!
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. They work with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
