Christmas Notebook

I have taken quite a bit of time off blog writing. Not intentionally. It just seemed to work out that way. I do enjoy writing my blog and have no desire to give it up. Sometimes, though, other than a few faithful commenters, I wonder if anyone else is listening. The other day someone I just met told me he has followed my blog for a long time (thank you, Clinton!). That makes me think there are surely others out there that enjoy reading this little blog. You never know who’s listening. But knowing someone is, gives me some energy to get back at it.

I have made quite a few Putz houses in the past six weeks or so. I’m going to share some pictures. I hope they inspire other Putzers out there to continue to create, hone their craft, and share what they’re doing.

This little dusky rose and medium brown Putz house is one I designed last week. The bottle brush trees are decorated with pearl beads in shades of pink and brown. The fence was cut with large-scallop decorative scissors.

I make the bases for my Putz houses from greeting cards. This one, for the base of the dusky rose house, has a Victorian theme. I chose the dusky rose to match the shading on the angel’s wings.

I wasn’t sure about the color scheme for this Putz house until I finished it. I love the way it turned out. The trees are decorated with vintage mercury beads.

The base is one of my favorite Christmas cards. It has tiny metallic gold dots over the entire picture.

This little house reminds me of a Swiss chalet. I kept the decorations as simple as possible. Two undecorated trees and lots of snow. After I made the pattern, I realized the inspiration picture I used for the design was not of a vintage house, so this particular pattern won’t show up in my Etsy shop. I’ll put it in my personal collection.

Its base is another card I love.

Isn’t this house lovely? It evokes nostalgia for me. I can just imagine the family gathered around the Christmas tree, happy and delighted.

The card is a simple design with the gold done in foil.

Next time I make this pattern, I will make the window frame for the four windows in one piece.

The small blue and green Putz house is a favorite. I like the bump-out doorway.

The base is a cute little teddy bear and his toy sheep.

Here’s another small and traditional design…

…with a sweet Christmas card as the base.

I have seven more Putz to share. I’ll do that in another post.

My Putz houses are available for purchase in my Etsy shop ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com.

All proceeds from my shop support Kenya Mercy Ministries. This organization provides help to the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families of Kibera, the largest slum in Africa.

I appreciate each person who helps me provide for these children by purchasing items from my shop! A big shout-out goes to all those who donate greeting cards to me for the crafts I make to sell in the shop. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the donations of Christmas cards and other greeting cards.

If you are interested in making your own Putz houses, you can find a lot of information, how-tos and tips in my Putz tutorials. Putz Tutorial List
I am always happy to help with advice, if you have questions. Just ask!

~~Rhonda