Christmas Notebook

Easter putz house

March 19, 2019 – 10:52 pm

This Easter Putz has been listed in my Etsy shop. The pattern was drawn with inspiration from a little house in town that was torn down last year.

The base is made from an upcycled Easter card. I wish I had a tiny, white bunny to put in the front yard.

The colors for the Putz house are inspired by the colors on the greeting card.

The traditional hole in the back of the house allows for the use of an LED light string to light the little house.

Mulberry paper flowers, velvet flowers, hand-crafted Easter eggs, and preserved moss embellish the Easter house. I always leave the door open on my Putz houses so visitors know they are welcome!

The stepping stones are made from a foam-filled nail file that has been cut to size and shape, then painted and glittered while the paint is wet.

The lights are on! Come on in!

You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.

ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com

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!

~~Rhonda

miniature Easter putz house

March 18, 2019 – 4:22 pm

I love making the miniature Putz houses. Here are two houses and a church I’ve made in the past week or so. I am keeping the one on the left for my own collection. The church, in the middle, and the house to the right have been listed in my Etsy shop. ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com

I plan to make enough of the mini Putz to have my own little, spring village.

I just finished the periwinkle house on the right. This picture gives a sense of scale. There Putz are made at 80% of the size of my regular Putz houses.

Mini Periwinkle and Yellow Spring Putz House

The greeting card I used to make the base features two little Easter bunnies.

The Putz house is decorated with mulberry paper flowers, velvet flowers, preserved moss, and tiny Easter eggs I made from polymer clay.

The Putz house includes an optional puff of smoke for the chimney.

When the lights are on, the house comes to life.

You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.

ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com

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!

~~Rhonda

mini Easter Putz church

March 16, 2019 – 5:49 pm

I enjoy making the miniature versions of these little glitter houses and this one was no exception. It is decorated with mulberry paper flowers, velvet flowers, hand-crafted Easter eggs and preserved moss.

Light Teal and Pale Orange Putz Easter Church

When the lights come on, everything comes to life.

The back has the traditional hole to allow the use of an LED light string for lighting the Putz.

I use upcycled greeting cards to make bases for my Putz houses. This one was a sympathy card, but I decided to use it for an Easter Putz.

The church is modeled after the one pictured on the greeting card. I like to match my Putz to the card when it’s feasible. In color, as well as design

The front steps are made from popsicle sticks.

You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.

ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com

If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses and bottle brush trees 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!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Tagged easter, mini, spring | Comments (0)

last week in pictures / feb 28 ~ mar 2

March 5, 2019 – 7:32 pm

Last week brought winter weather and plunging temps, but inside, I was all about spring and summer.

On Monday, I began the work of landscaping the mini Putz barn. I had to decide on which sheep to use. I found these three in my stash. The two smaller ones came from my mother’s house after she passed away, eight years ago. I brought home a lot of her craft stash and have been using it in my own creations. But this time, I chose the larger lamb. He’s half an inch high and is a craft button from Hobby Lobby. He was part of a shepherd, sheep and angel set. I cut the shank off the back and used him to embellish my spring Putz barn.

He was just the right size. The barn is also embellished with mulberry paper flowers, velvet flowers, and preserved moss.

Wednesday, I enjoyed a video chat with our youngest daughter who is a junior in college. She let Bentley, the house puppy, say hello.

Bentley the pup on video chat — Wednesday

I made some post and board fencing for the barns I made this week. This one was made with square dowels.

IMG_3803making a post and board frence for a putz barn — Thursday

These posts are made from wooden skewers. The boards are thinly cut pieces of light-weight poster board.

making a post and board frence for a putz barn — Thursday

Clark came into the craft room to see me. He is quite fluffy right now. He goes in stages through the year, getting extra fluff in January and February, then thinning a bit as summer goes along. He has amazing, almond-shaped eyes. Deep down, he’s just a big baby.

I finished two Putz barns last week. The mini one, on the left, is the spring version and the larger one on the right is embellished for summer.

On Sunday, we had snow. Not as much as forecasted, so we were happy with that. But it was a snowy, cold and grey day.

In the craft room, I was happy to use this spring-themed card for my next Putz house. We’ve been seeing robins in the yard, but, like us, they’ll be happier when the fruit trees are blooming!

Robin greeting card and new putz house — Sunday

You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.

ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com

If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses and bottle brush trees 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!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in this week in pictures | Comments (0)

summer putz barn

March 2, 2019 – 12:22 pm

The latest listing to my Etsy shop is this summer Putz barn in dark red and light blue. Daisy, the cow, waits in the front yard to greet you.

The base is 6″ wide and 3 1/4″ deep. The Putz is 4 1/4″ tall, as measured from the bottom of the base to the top of the chimney.

I use upcycled greeting cards to make bases for my Putz creations. The colors I use to paint the building and the base are taken from the colors of the picture on the greeting card.

In this case, the colors are the dark red of the sheds, the blue of the sky and the roofs of a few of the sheds, and the green of the grass.

I like to add the traditional hole in the back to allow the use of an LED light string to light my little, glitter buildings.

Aglow with light, the Putz comes to life.

You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.

ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com

If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses and bottle brush trees 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!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Tagged barn, summer | Comments (0)

spring putz barn

February 27, 2019 – 4:51 pm

I just finished this sweet, little spring Putz barn. It has been listed to my Etsy shop.

Daffodil, the spring lamb, stands on a bed of grass made from preserved moss. Mulberry paper flowers embellish the scene.

The base for the Putz is made from an upcycled greeting card. Aren’t these little lambs cute?

The greeting card picture adds a nice surprise when the Putz is tilted.

The back of the Putz barn has the traditional hole to allow the use of an LED light string to light this little barn and other houses in your little glitter village.

The rope wreath is made from jute twine with a tiny flower and an itty bitty blossom nestled inside.

The roof is made from corrugated cardboard to simulate ridged metal roofing.

The lights are on…come on in! Daffodil loves company!

You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.

ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com

If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses and bottle brush trees 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!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Tagged barn, spring | Comments (2)

this week in pictures / feb 18 ~ 24

February 24, 2019 – 5:03 pm

I spent most of the week working on Putz houses. On Monday, this church was fully assembled and ready for embellishments.

I made the pattern in two sizes. The church on the left is the full-size pattern. The one on the right was reduced to 80% of the original size.

In addition to the churches, I made a couple of spring Putz houses. This is the mini version.

When it was done, I decided I like the mini one so much that I am keeping it for my own collection.

The second springtime Putz house is larger than the first. I was able to use the same yellow, but the green was less blue and the blue was more lilac than on the first house.

The house is embellished with mulberry paper flowers, velvet flowers and preserved moss.

DH took this picture of Clark, king of the upstairs banister. He looks pretty noble, doesn’t he? By the way, he is standing over the staircase. It is a twelve foot drop to the first floor. But he doesn’t mind. This railing is one of his favorite places to hang out, even for a nap.

We had asparagus at lunchtime. With our cold temperatures and very windy day, I was reminded that somewhere out there, it is warm enough for asparagus to grow. It won’t be long before spring is in full bloom here, as well.

DH just brought in a picture he took in the back yard. Our first spring blossoms. Tiny crocus in the grass. This counts for spring!

He also brought in some daffodils he dug up in the back yard. We should have blossoms soon!

And soon, they will be blooming outside!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in this week in pictures | Comments (0)

miniature, spring putz house

February 22, 2019 – 8:10 am

I love the miniature Putz houses and this one is a particular favorite. I love these colors and the pattern, as well. Pictures don’t do this little house justice.

Mini Yellow and Light Teal Spring Putz House

The base is made from an upcycled greeting card. As soon as I saw this card, I knew I had to make a Putz for it. Lily of the Valley are one of my favorite flowers and it is also the flower of May, my birth month. May 24. Me and Queen Victoria. And Bob Dylan…DH is a fan. Me, not so much.

The little house is embellished with mulberry paper flowers, preserved sheet moss, and artificial foliage. The front steps are made from balsa wood.

The back of the Putz house has the traditional hole for the use of an LED light string to light the Putz.

A puff of smoke is included with the Putz houses that have chimneys. Smoke is optional, so it is just tucked into the chimney. Removable if it isn’t wanted. The polyester fluff I use for the smoke stands up well, so it doesn’t need to be glued or supported in any way. A pair of tweezers or other pointy object works well for tucking the smoke into the hole on the top of the chimney.

I plan to keep this house for my own collection. It appeals to me on many levels. A mini Putz. Springtime Lily of the Valley. Beautiful colors. It’s a keeper.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Tagged spring | Comments (0)

Easter Putz churches

February 21, 2019 – 10:55 am

I have listed two Easter Putz churches to my Etsy shop. They were a refreshing change from making snowy, winter Putz houses.

The first one is a miniature version of the church. I copied the pattern at 80% of the original size.

It’s always fun to see the Putz with the lights on. It brings out their personality, adding some life to the scene.

The base is made from an upcycled Easter greeting card.

The mulberry paper flowers pop against the dark green of the preserved sheet moss. Hand-crafted Easter eggs nestle among the flowers.

The second Easter church is made in the original pattern size.

The colors for the Putz church are taken from the colors on the card.

You can see my Putz houses and other Christmas ornaments in my Etsy shop.

ChristmasNotebook.etsy.com

If you are interested in crafting some Putz houses and bottle brush trees 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!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Tagged easter, spring | Comments (0)

last week in pictures / feb 11 – 17, 2019

February 19, 2019 – 11:10 am

Another week has flown by. I managed to finish a couple of Irish cottage Putz to list to my Etsy shop.

The second cottage included some shamrocks.

Wednesday morning started with the sunrise shining on my Santa and Mrs. Santa paper doll cutouts that hang on the side of the cabinet in the craft room.

Later that day, I cut out two Putz churches.

After window panes were added, I glued the pieces together, to the point where they were ready for painting.

DH and I drove to the nearest sushi establishment (25 miles away) later that day and bought sushi for Valentine’s Day. While outside we got a picture that proves spring is coming. The daffodils are up about four inches. We’ve had tulips and daffs blooming by now in previous years, but it is still early. We’ll wait.

My Valentine tulips brightened my Valentine’s Day.

As did Clark and Winston. Brothers and good buddies, they love to be where their people are.

In the craft room. On Thursday afternoon, a friend came over for a crafting session. She worked on making cards, while I cut more Putz house patterns.

There are three starlings that sit on the same branch outside the craft room window every day. I call them the three amigos…or should that be the “tree” amigos? I’ve been watching them for five or six weeks. Can birds have buddies? Favorite friends to hang out with?

Saturday brought sunshine. The shadow from the pins on the windowsill caught my eye. I love this magnetic pin holder, by the way.

The pencils caught my eye, too. So colorful!

DH sent me a picture from the garden that made me happy. Can’t argue with that!

And indoors, the forsythia is still blooming cheerfully. If you have access to a forsythia bush, pick a few branches and bring them in for a spring preview.

This week, I am finishing the two Putz churches that I cut out this past week. The mini one is done and I’ll finish the larger one today. Stay tuned for a post with pictures of those. They are done with an Easter theme, which is fresh and springtime-y. I hope you are seeing signs of spring in your world!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in this week in pictures | Tagged Irish cottage, spring, St. Patrick's Day | Comments (0)

Christmas Notebook

Easter putz house

miniature Easter putz house

mini Easter Putz church

last week in pictures / feb 28 ~ mar 2

summer putz barn

spring putz barn

this week in pictures / feb 18 ~ 24

miniature, spring putz house

Easter Putz churches

last week in pictures / feb 11 – 17, 2019

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