The periwinkle house is placed on a base made from an upcycled Christmas card. The colors for the putz are inspired by the colors of the greeting card. Each putz has a hole on the back to allow the use of small LED light strings to illuminate the putz.
The picket fence for this house is made from slivered, coffee stir sticks. I use a craft knife to cut each stir stick into two long pieces and use wire cutters to cut the point. Then I cut the length of the idividual pickets, using the wire cutters. The fence posts are made from 1/4″ by 1/4″ balsa wood rods. I cut them with the wire cutters.
There are two steps leading to the front door. I made the steps from a 1/8″ balsa wood sheet. For the sidewalk, I painted three stepping stones directly on the base. The bottle brush tree is decorated with faux snow, vintage mercury beads and clear glitter.
The process begins with cutting the pattern pieces and getting them ready to assemble. I draw all the patterns I use. This one was drawn in July of 2025. The pieces are painted, then assembled and glued to the base. The landscaping is the last step. I add a sidewalk and steps if needed, a fence or hedge is usually added, then the individual bits and pieces. Those could be trees, snowmen, animals, etc., for winter houses.
Spring, summer and autumn houses are embellished with seasonal appropriate trees, flowers, and/or vines. The spring house fence is made from poster board, cut with decorative scissors. The Irish cottage has a “stone” fence made from foam core.
Holidays other than Christmas may include decorations for a specific holiday, such as “fireworks” for a Fourth of July house. I made the picket fences for both of these houses.
If you have any questions about my posted putz houses, or about creating your own putz houses, please ask. I am happy to share what I have learned about the art of putzing.
To see more of my putz houses, as well as Christmas ornaments I have made from upcycled holiday cards, please visit my Etsy shop.
Want to try making your own putz houses? Check out my putz tutorials for more information. My blog can be searched, as well. Some of the turorials haven’t been listed on the tutorial page. Working on that!
Tutorials / Putz and Glitter Houses
All proceeds from my Etsy shop benefit Kenya Mercy Ministries. KMM works with the urban poor of Nairobi, Kenya, particularly the children and their families who live in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa. Thank you for your part in helping these children when you purchase items from my shop!
~~Rhonda 🙂