Christmas Notebook

I’ve been emailing back and forth with an online friend who is making her own little glitter houses. She is having a problem with glitter loss after the houses are done.

My friend did some experimenting with different kinds of glues and glitter, but hasn’t found a solution yet. I decided to do a glitter test on my own Putz houses to see if they would lose glitter, too. My houses aren’t sprayed with any kind of fixative, clear coat, hair spray, etc.

The little yellow house before testing.

I held the house and faced it down toward the black paper. I gave it a gentle thump on the paper. It didn’t lose very much at all.

This is what it looked like after two heavier thumps. Not bad.

I tried another house and got similar results.

Before any thumping.

After a gentle thump.

After two heavier thumps.

Not bad. It lost a very small amount of the larger glitter that I use on the “snowed” areas, like the roof, the tops of fence posts, etc. It didn’t seem to lose much of the fine glitter that is used on the house and those portions of the roof without snow.

Here’s a shot of the roof of the yellow house. The pink roof has been glittered with Martha Stewart Fine Glitter. The snow has been glittered with Sulyn Crystal Glitter.

These are the results of rubbing my finger along the roof of the house. Some glitter loss, but not much.

Yellow house…

Blue house…even less loss from rubbing the roof with my finger than on the yellow house.

To paint my Putz houses, I use a mixture of acrylic paint and white glue, equal parts, more or less…I don’t measure, just pour and stir together. Then I add a sprinkle of clean white sand to add some texture. After I paint the house, and while the paint is still wet, I sprinkle on the glitter. Perhaps the glue in the paint helps it adhere well.

I was happy with the way the tests turned out. The houses didn’t lose much glitter, which is good to know. And nothing else fell off, either, which is good! LOL!

These houses are two of the thirty little glitter / Putz houses available in my Etsy shop. Stop by and see what else is in the shop. As always, all proceeds benefit ministry to those who live in one of the largest slums in Africa. Thank you for your support! ChristmasNotebook

~~Rhonda