Putz House Perfection

Santa's arrival is looming near. Almost all the decorations have been put into place and yet the temperature still sits in the balmy 70's here. It hasn't hastened the boxes of mail that have been arriving like snowflakes should.  Last week was no exception.

Chris of Perfectly Printed was my swap partner for the Putz House Swap. 

I let it sit in the cellophane a few days before I broke open the sweet ribbons and vintage tin tape container she had tied up in them.

It is amazing. Big and full of glamorous details. 

Even Santa is making his way down the chimney above the glistening glittered roof.

The stockings ar hung through the peek in the door.

Vintage trees and jingle bells sit among the snowmen.

Even the tape measures...

scissors and buttons decorate the trees out front.

Chris I love it...it is magical...Thank you.

Putzing around...

I cannot help but see vintage Christmas items and wonder why on earth they stopped making them. For instance, little ten cent Putz houses. Paper mache at its finest. Painted thick with holiday colors, dripping in glitter and tiny little film window panes. What year did they decide these little treasures were no longer worthy of selling?  Perhaps that is part of the charm.  Having to find them in murky basements could be part of it too.

When Erica of Golden Egg Vintage offered up a swap with them, I couldn't help but play along.

Taking my cues from Magpie Ethel...I set off to decorate a trio perfect for any little display.

Corners that curled were redone with modge podge. Broken ornaments and light reflectors dotted the edges. Hints of glitter on the roofs and snow on the ground finished them off.

Having seen all the other fabulous houses that everyone has made I wonder if I dressed these enough. Well, I could always make more!

Chris my partner at Perfectly Printed these have been place in the mail along with a few other goodies...Merry Christmas and Happy Thanksgiving.

Overexposed

Some of my favorite Christmas card images are the ones from war time. When they slid red, white and blue into each one. The idea that the entire country came together even for their Christmas greetings makes me feel patriotic.

Elizabeth is hosting a candy box swap this year and I was eager to jump in...until I was completely stumped with not an idea to be found.

No matter how many vintage Christmas bits and bobs I poured out onto the table I couldn't get the ideas to flow.

Until I went right back to my favorite greeting card images.

Pop dots for depth and plastic greenery for detail.

I was heavy handed with the snow glitter.

Even heavier with the vintage tinsel.

All the boxes were first wrapped in vintage Christmas Carol paper.

Each one sweetly hung from pencil coiled wire.

And no matter how perfect I tried to make them be...I clearly didn't pay attention to the direction of the notes...Handmade for sure.

All photos have been overexposed...thanks to instagram for the ability to play.

Hello Santa...

Santa...something so jovial about those cheeks. 

That grin that melts the snow.

A suit that warms the coldest of hearts. 

I have missed you so. 

A set of tags to start the season. 

Vintage card images that hinge to open and reveal...

book pages that were salvaged from an estate.

Freshly harvested vintage trims and some classic jingle bells.

Just a touch of needlework to remind the recipient who crafted them.

Signed and sealed with wrapping paper on the back.

Christmas gifts already finished and headed out into the mail.

Just a taste of the crafting I have been busy working on.

If the hat fits...

Almost two months ago I pulled out some Halloween crafts and began to work on Viv's Halloween Witch Hat Swap. What a treat when my swap partner's hat (Viv) arrived in the mail recently. This has quickly become one of my favorite swaps. 

Decked in Halloween finery and trimmed to creepy perfection. I adore the skeleton hanging off the edge.

Perched atop my spooky tree it is right at home.

New ornaments paired with old ones. 

Favorite artist and friends combined.

Shadow boxes and paper clay spiders.

Each with a face more sweet than scary.

A great vignette of fall color...

Waiting for this Halloween Eve.

Thank you to Viv, Kim K. and all the artists that contributed to a wonderful swap.

Halloween already!

WARNING....Vivian do not go any further unless you want to spoil your own surprise!

Viv is obviously my swap partner and I am so excited to be a part of this. Something different to play with for a bit. Viv's Halloween Swap involves a witch hat that holds Halloween goodies and she invited  me into a small ornament swap as well. For those of you who only see the picture worthy projects I will let you know now that this Halloween ornament took 4 fails before I came up with the final product.

A vintage tally card image is combined with crepe paper and a cup cake liner. I used a few vintage game pieces to add a caption and dimension.

On the back I placed a vintage seal and some old gold Dennison letters. 

All of these were glued to a paper mache disc that I painted black and ran a glittery black pipe cleaner around.

Now I know this doesn't quite look like the witch hat but I am getting there. It is the bottom of a paper mache round box that I decoupaged with Halloween paper.

Because I couldn't figure out how to fill the hat and keep things in it I affixed it to the box and made the hat part of the lid.

The very best part...a show ribbon any goblin would wear set in a tulle skirt.  Anagrams spelling out the word of the spooky day.

Why yes that is a Christmas light reflector. Some hat pins in felted balls make perfect pumpkins too.

Black glitter paper on the base of the hat make it shimmer. (Before anything was put on the hat I painted the hat black.) I simply pinked the edge of the paper and wrapped it around the hat on an angle at the back.

This one is very hard to let go but I know it is going to the perfect Halloween home right after I fill it will all the goodies.  Thanks Viv for hosting.

I will leave you with this photo....I almost had it made this morning. When I went to curl my hair, I came back to find this at the foot of the bed.  One of these days it will be a proper made bed...maybe?