with a dusty old box of tiny houses I found “exploring” my grandparents’ attic one rainy afternoon. They were in sad shape with only a few surviving spots of glitter, but to me they were magical!

When my stern German grandfather caught me playing with them, instead of scolding me for “getting into things”, he offered to help repair them!

While we patched, painted & glittered those little houses around the kitchen table, my grandfather became a totally different person. Smiling and laughing, he and my grandmother shared stories of long ago Christmas celebrations when they were young and those putz houses had been magical to them too.    

Those houses disappeared years ago & my grandparents have passed, but their memories sparked my desire to recreate the magic of those houses to share with you.

I hope you’ll try crafting these handmade decorations & make some wonderful holiday memories! —Carol