Christmas Notebook

green gabled Putz house

March 19, 2016 – 1:05 pm

I pulled out some of my Putz houses I made a few years ago. They need bases and embellishments. As you can see, I like the vintage style. Simple design and a smaller size than many being made currently. The larger ones are beautiful, too, and I hope to make some one day, but I do love the small ones.

This green gabled house is the one I decided to work on next.

This can give you an idea of how large it is. The house, with roof overhang, is five inches wide and an inch deep with a roof width of one and a half inches. It’s three inches tall. You can also see how bowed the front is. That will be an easy fix when I glue it down to the base.

The back…

Inside construction…

Now I’m going to experiment with printing on acetate for the windows. The yellow cellophane I have isn’t quite the right color. I’m going to try printing some. Will let you know how that turns out.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Comments (2)

another putz church

March 18, 2016 – 10:47 pm

This little Putz church is like the one I just finished (you can see it here: little Putz church, continued), though this one is trimmed in blue instead of yellow. This one also has the addition of a bell in the tower. I made both the church and the base last year. I pulled them out yesterday and decided to finish the project.

Cute, huh? I love this fence. It is so easy to make. If you are interested, here is a tutorial for making these fence posts. tutorial for making fence posts for putz houses

I still have part of the acetate window from a Christmas card that I used in the previous church. You can see that application here: little putz church

I cut the acetate to the correct size and attached it to the inside of the church with hot glue.

Close-up…

When pinning the building to the base, I sometimes put the pin through the building in several places, especially if the buildings walls are bowed at all. Once the hot glue is set, the pins can be twisted out of the glue and the walls will be straight.

When pinned, it’s time to glue.

Once the glue is set, it’s time to paint and glitter the glue. I mix paint and white glue 1:1 and add a sprinkle of clean white sand for texture. No need for measuring. I just pour a nickel-sized glob of paint and the same of glue, then add a bit of sand, mixing well. When painting over the bead of hot glue, I try to camouflage it best I can by spreading the paint out, filling seams, etc. While the paint is still wet, I sprinkle it with glitter.

On to embellishments. I am out of the right size of green bottle brush trees (ordered more), and I didn’t want to use a cream colored tree. Didn’t look right. I decided to try some of my silver bits and bobs. This is where I left it Thursday evening. I wasn’t happy with the direction it was taking, so decided to set it aside overnight and try again on Friday.

When I got back to it on Friday, I knew I just had to start over. I pulled the embellishments off and began again, trying to keep it less dense this time. I liked the little blue bottle brush trees, so used them, too.

When the embellishments made me happy, I quit adding more. That’s the hard part. Edit! I brushed some white glue on the bottle brush trees and on some of the bits and bobs and sprinkled the glue with glitter. Here’s the right side of the church yard…

And the left side…

For a sidewalk, I cut small pieces of cardboard and sanded the corners.

I gave them a base coat of white paint. Handling small pieces can be hard. Needle-nosed tweezers make this job easier.

Glued them down with hot glue.

To finish them, I gave them a coat of my glue/paint/sand mixture and, while they were still wet, I sprinkled them with glitter.

Front…

Back…

And a surprise on the bottom…

Which one do you like best? The blue trimmed church?

Or the yellow trimmed church?

Would you like to see another little Putz house brought to glittery life?

My Putz houses and churches are featured in my Etsy shop. ChristmasNotebook

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Comments (6)

thank you, God, for spring

March 17, 2016 – 11:51 am

January and February are the hardest months of the year for me. Dark and cold. Depressing. March and April always save me. The way the garden greens and the flowers pop up and extra light brightens the days as the sun gets closer and the days get longer…surely everyone feels it to some degree. During the end of winter, I just hang on till spring gets here. It always lifts my spirits. This week, on Tuesday, I got outside and met spring face to face. It was wonderful.

We had a cat at every open window. They love spring, too.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in our garden | Comments (1)

little putz church…continued

March 16, 2016 – 9:08 pm

When we last visited the little Putz church, it had been affixed to its base.

The next step was to add some bottle brush trees. I decorated the larger tree with a sunburst topper (a charm turned upside down) and a garland of gold beads. I cut a few beads off the beaded garland and glued them to the smaller tree.

I felt it needed more glam, so I added tinsel to the roof line and over the door and windows.

Hot glue made a good sidewalk. After it dried, I painted it white and sprinkled it with fine glitter.

I added a third bottle brush tree and embellished the church yard with gold colored bits and bobs.

I like the way it turned out. I wish I could find more of the little charms like the one I used as a star on the larger bottle brush tree. I spent time today searching the internet, but can’t find a source. I don’t know where I got the one I used. I’ve had it in my stash for years. It was in a set of six charms in three different styles. It was probably bought for scrapbooking.

Here are links to the other two posts about this little Putz church.

#1 A fence for the little Putz church
#2 Little Putz church

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Putz / glitter houses | Comments (5)

soldered nativity ornaments

March 15, 2016 – 9:34 pm

The past few days I have been working on seventeen soldered nativity ornaments. I enjoy the entire process.

I finished the soldering today and will add the dangles in a day or so.

I appreciate all the Christmas cards people have shared with me. I am making good use of them! Christmas cards and all occasion cards are still welcomed if you have any you don’t want! I will give them a good home.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Christmas, ornaments | Comments (0)

menu plan monday ~ march 14, 2016

March 14, 2016 – 11:22 am

Thanks to all who have kept my Dad in mind this week as he is recovering from shoulder replacement surgery. He is doing well and has started physical therapy. Please continue to pray for his continued recovery and freedom from pain.

We are enjoying spring! The Star Magnolia is beautiful right now.

The daffodils are popping all over the yard. We are picking bouquets for others to enjoy.

On Sunday the apricot trees burst into bloom. The honeybees were all over them. Before we know it, the columbine and lilacs will be blooming.

Here’s the menu for the week.

Monday
Maple Garlic Glazed Chicken
Rice
Roasted Cauliflower
Peas

Tuesday
Taco Bake
Tortilla Chips
Lettuce, Cheese, Sour Cream

Wednesday
Ham/Turkey Sandwiches

Thursday
Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta
Garden Salad
Garlic Bread

Friday
Mongolian Beef with Broccoli
Rice

Saturday
Sloppy Joes
Homemade Buns
Celery and Carrot Sticks

Sunday
Browned Butter Myzithra Spaghetti
Garden Salad
Garlic Bread

You can find many menu ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Comments (0)

beefy (or chicken) cheesy tomato soup

March 12, 2016 – 3:41 pm

A few weeks ago, I included in my week’s menu the link to Beefy Tomato Soup. When it came time to make the recipe, I didn’t have a few items, so I revised the recipe. As I often do. And, of course, I used a small amount of dry onion rather than fresh due to DH’s allergy to onion. Everyone liked it. Following is my own version.

beefy (or chicken) cheesy tomato soupbeefy (or chicken) cheesy tomato soup

Beefy Cheesy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

2 T. olive oil
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 T. dry onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced / or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dry basil
10 drops or more hot sauce (I used Tobasco.)
1 lb. spiral pasta
29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
4 cups of chicken stock
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (Reserve some fresh basil/parsley for garnish, if desired.)

Heat a skillet, adding the olive oil. Brown the hamburger in the hot oil. When almost done, add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, dry basil and hot sauce. Cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large pot, cook the pasta as directed. Drain, reserving pasta water. Return pasta to large pot. Add the meat, tomatoes, and chicken stock.

Heat to a simmer, then turn off. Add cheese, basil and parsley. Stir till cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Reserved pasta water can be used to thin the soup if needed. Pasta will continue to absorb water and leftovers may need the extra pasta water before storage in the fridge.

This soup got even better after a day or two in the fridge. It was great for a quick lunch with some toasted sourdough bread. It would be great made without any meat at all.

Today I made the same soup, but made it with chicken instead of beef. I like this even better. I cooked two boneless chicken breasts and six boneless/skinless chicken thighs in just enough water to cover them. To the chicken, I added:

1 T. dry onion
2 tsp. dry basil
1 tsp. celery seed
a dash of ground thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. Remove meat to a bowl and let the chicken rest 10-15 minutes before dicing. Use two to three cups diced chicken for the soup and reserve the rest for another meal.

Cook the pasta in the water the chicken was cooked in. When the pasta is done, add the chicken, hot sauce and tomatoes. Return to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Add the cheese and the fresh basil and parsley. No need to add the spices from the first list as they have been cooked with the chicken. Taste and adjust as needed. Stir and serve. Delicious!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in cooking, Recipes | Comments (0)

little Putz church

March 11, 2016 – 2:01 pm

In my last post, I left the little Putz church fenced and ready to be affixed to the base.

I had planned to glue the church to the base, but decided to add some window panes first. I found this Christmas card that had a piece of transparent acetate as the window pane.

I removed the acetate for use as the windows in the church.

I cut pieces to fit the windows, making one long enough to cover the door and the hole above it and the other to fit the window and the hole above it. A separate piece was cut to cover the window in the bell tower.

I used hot glue to attach these to the inside of the building. I like the way it turned out.

The next step was to attach the church to the base. I started by pinning the church in place. I set it to the back of the base to leave plenty of room for adding a bottle brush tree and any other embellishments I want to add.

I put hot glue all around the base of the church.

After the glue dried completely, I pulled the pins, painted the glue white and then gave it a second coat with paint mixed with white glue and a little sand. While the paint was still wet, I sprinkled it with fine glitter.

Now the church is ready to embellish.

Here are links to tutorials I’ve written regarding fences for Putz houses, also called little glitter houses.

Making Fences for Putz Houses

Making Fence Posts for Putz Houses

Attaching Putz Fences and Fence Posts to the Base

My Putz houses and churches are featured in my Etsy shop. ChristmasNotebook

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Christmas, Putz / glitter houses | Comments (2)

a fence for the little Putz church

March 10, 2016 – 6:44 am

Putz houses are a favorite of mine. They are fun to make and lend themselves to many different interpretations, depending on the crafter’s personal style. Yesterday I pulled out a little church and a base I made in the past. I wanted to make a fence for the church.

Before I proceed, here are links to tutorials I’ve written regarding fences for Putz houses, also called little glitter houses.

Making Fences for Putz Houses

Making Fence Posts for Putz Houses

Attaching Putz Fences and Fence Posts to the Base

Back to today’s project…here is the church and base I used.

To make the fence, I used a sheet of cardboard that I had saved from a new shirt package. I marked and cut half inch wide pieces from the cardboard, along the long edge.

I used a small diamond-shaped, hand-held punch for the fence design.

To make the holes along an even line, I drew a line down the middle of the cardboard strip and lined up the hole of the punch with the line. Using a punch upside down gives more control over where the punch is placed.

I’ll save the extra cardboard strips for future fences.

I gave both strips a base coat of white.

The next step was to cut the length of the fence to fit the base by placing the church on the base and bending the fence at the corners. At this stage, take into consideration where the door to the building is. To the left? To the right? In the center? I like the opening of the fence to be in front of the door. Personal preference. Make your own little houses to fit your own aesthetic.

When it’s time to paint the second coat, I add a little clean sand to the paint to give the painted surface some texture. While the paint is wet, take time to clean out the little holes in the fence design if there are any. Use a toothpick or a straight pin.

Once the fence was the right length, I pinned it into place before gluing. I set most of the pins next to the fence, but a few (like the one at the right side of the opening) were pushed right through the fence to hold it in place. A little twist of the pin, rather than pulling straight out, helps these come out just fine when the gluing is done.

After putting a line of hot glue along both sides of the fence, I gave the fence and the hot glue a coat of paint and used the sandy paint to fill in and blend any odd looking hot glue clumps. While it was still wet, I sprinkled it with fine glitter. It now looks like snow piled along the fence.

I started to pin the church down to the base to hot glue it, but then decided I want to add cellophane windows before I glue the church down, so that’s going to be another post. I set the church to the back of the base to leave plenty of room for a bottle brush tree and any other embellishments I decide to add.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Christmas, Putz / glitter houses | Comments (2)

spring garden

March 9, 2016 – 8:32 pm

The garden is bursting into yellow patches of daffodils along with other garden goodies. Today we got outside to get a close up look.

‘Tete-a-Tete’ is a miniature daffodil. It only grows six to eight inches tall. The blossoms are about an inch wide.

Hosta ‘Invincible’ is always the first one up in our garden, often weeks before many others dare to take a peek.

‘Spring Beauties’ in the fresh green grass…

These crocus come up a week or two after the other crocus in our garden.

Lenten Rose

The Star Magnolia has sweetly scented blossoms.

We have been adopted by another cat. How do they find us?? Tiger-Tee has been hanging around our back yard since last fall, but it has only been in the past few weeks that he decided we’re OK. Now he can’t get enough pets and pats. He will be visiting the vet next week. Think he’ll still like us after that?

I now believe spring is really here. I saw it in my yard today.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in our garden, spring | Comments (2)

Christmas Notebook

green gabled Putz house

another putz church

thank you, God, for spring

little putz church…continued

soldered nativity ornaments

menu plan monday ~ march 14, 2016

beefy (or chicken) cheesy tomato soup

little Putz church

a fence for the little Putz church

spring garden

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