Author Archives: ~~Rhonda

Living in a small town, I share my life with my husband Russell (married in 1977), five children (one still at home), and six cats (one indoors, the others outside).

I teach an online class called “The Christmas Notebook” which is about all things holiday prep. The many facets of celebrating Christmas comprises one of my favorite hobbies. Other favorite things include gardening, reading, cooking, and scrapbooking.

Easter church with a tiny bird’s nest

With other things that needed to be done, I wasn’t able to finish the Easter church until yesterday. The Putz measures 6 1/2″ wide by 4 1/2″ deep. The Putz is 8″ tall as measured from the bottom of the base to the top of the steeple. The base is made from an upcycled, Easter […]

catio weather in february

Yesterday brought a high temp of 71°. It was a beautiful day to work on the catio for the first time in a long time. I took my notebook and my computer and my lunch outside and sat on the screened porch all afternoon. The cats came along. Clark amused himself by sniffing furniture. Riley […]

valentine putz with a candy heart sidewalk

This little house features a sidewalk made of wooden “candy” hearts. Mulberry paper flowers and pearl beads embellish the yard. The fence is made of poster board punched with little hearts. You can find the tutorial here: Heart-punched Fence I found the wooden “candy” hearts on Etsy. The love letters are also from Etsy. The […]

lovely little valentine house

I cut my patterns by hand. After cutting, the pieces are painted, then assembled. This Valentine house is decoupaged with tissue paper. Some of the pictures make the house look pink, but it is white with pink hearts. The base is made from an upcycled greeting card that features two raccoons exchanging Valentine cards. The […]

warm welcome on Christmas Eve

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 […]

going home to a Christmas mid-century

This is the third mid-century pattern I’ve drawn. The card used to make the base is from the Retro Christmas Card Company. I bought the wide ones last year. They measure 4″ by 9 1/4″. I checked this year and they have only one style in this size listed. They do have the same pictures […]

framed by snow-lined winter trees

This winter putz house features two bare winter trees, outlined with snow. I make the trees from model tree armatures. The base is made from an upcycled greeting card. It measures 6 1/2″ wide by 4 1/2″ deep. The putz is 5 1/8″ tall as measured from the bottom of the base to the top […]

it may be winter, but i see spring

Last Tuesday afternoon, when the temps reached 64°, we toured the yard. We found some signs of spring. The daffodils are coming up. For reference, I’m writing this Sunday afternoon and the temp is 25°. I’m staying in today, but it’s good to know spring is ready and waiting for the right time to show […]

the cows enjoy a christmas treat

Two cows and three evergreen trees are featured on this putz. A post and board fence surrounds the barnyard. Click the link below to see how I make the fence. Tutorial for making a post and board fence. The base is made from an upcycled Christmas card. The back has a hole that allows the […]

holiday hearth bakery

The first putz bakery that I made was the green and pink one on the left. It found a home in Texas. The bakery on the right is the second bakery I’ve made. It is dark red with a green roof. The putz is 6 1/2″ wide and 4 3/4″ deep. It is 4 3/4″ […]