I love playing around with bokeh at Christmas time – or anytime, really. You’ll be seeing a few Holiday Bokeh shots over the next week because I can’t help myself!
One of my vintage putz houses and the tree lights in the background.
This little guy is an ornament on our tree. He graciously agreed to pose for this shot.
Speaking of putz houses, a package arrived on my doorstep yesterday. The return address was unfamiliar. When I opened it up and undid the bubble wrap, this is what I saw:
I gasped! I had no idea who sent this to me until I read the lovely note attached to the present. A reader named Chris wrote that she read my blog every day and was inspired to start making putz houses when I did my first post about the Necco Snow Globe (which has a putz house as part of the snow scene.)
She made this. Oh my goodness!
Simply beautiful. And pink bottlebrush trees! I mean, what could be better?
She included a bulb because….
It lights up!
I’m blown away. Thank you so, so much, Chris!
It’s funny. I haven’t put up the little white tree this year. I don’t know why, but I haven’t felt moved to. I also didn’t put up any of my white bottle brush wreaths. I just wanted ‘simple’ this year. So the only decorations in the living room are the ones in the dollhouse.
After I ran upstairs to show this to Don, he said that this seemed to be the perfect substitute for the little white tree this year. And I think he’s right; it’s the perfect touch for that room. Last night, I turned on the switch and the gentle glow from the light filled the room.
I love it.
I am blessed. For whatever reason, this blog has attracted the most loyal, giving and kind readers. Don thinks I have the best readers in the world.
He’s right.
Happy Wednesday.
That little house is adorable and a PINK bottle brush tree!! Perfect!! Love the bokeh photos also. Enjoy this last week before Christmas!
hugs,
Linda
Have to go out and do some shopping today, Linda! Time is flying by!
Claudia, I love your gift. How very kind of Chris. The pink trees fit with the glittery house. :) Blessings, xoxo,Susie
P.S. How is scout doing with her new run? I hope she’s okay with it.
She has explored it, but it hasn’t snowed enough for her to have to use it yet. We’ll have to see how she does. But, she’s ‘taken care of business’ there, so I think it will be okay.
That is so beautiful all lit up, Claudia. I love your little one on your tree, too. They are my favorite decorations at Christmas. I need to start collecting them, too. Enjoy your week but take time out for yourself, too. Deb
I will, Deb. You, too!
Wow, Chris did a great job on the putz house! The pink trees are a great touch, and look perfect in your cottage.
Love those pink trees!
Such a sweet gift! Your readers are loyal Claudia because you make us feel like friends though we’ve never met. Everyday I look forward to checking your blog to see what’s going on with your family. Since I began reading your blog I feel like I’ve been along on many of your and Don’s adventures. Thank you!
Oh, you’re so welcome, Janie. It’s truly my pleasure.
I am going to have to google “putz houses”. I have seen them but didn’t know anything about them. I just love the one that was sent to you. The pink bottlebrush trees are to die for!
Chris did an amazing job!
Oh, how I wish THIS Chris was so talented. It is wonderful!!! I can imagine those things, but putting it all together seems so daunting. I bet the soft light is wonderful in the evening. The bokeh effect photos are beautiful, too.
Oh, me too! There is no way I could make something like that!
What a lovely gift.
I am constantly amazed and humbled by the talents of others.
Amen, Barbara. I am in awe of the talented craftsmen out there.
Lucky you, Claudia..You are truly blessed…
I am indeed, Missy. I am thankful every day for my blessings – and they are many.
I love bokeh photos too. They’re pretty and festive and magical. If I remember correctly, the first photo I ever saved on my computer was a bokeh picture. Enjoy your day! PS – wasn’t able to stay awake while reading yesterday. But did have a nice rainy day nap… :>)
Oh, those are the best kind, Janet!
Putz houses is a generic term! Can include the Dept. 56 houses too. So interesting. I found the information in Wikipedia. But I think the term is probably used more for the house you showed this morning. Thank you Claudia for an informative morning.
The one in my bokeh shot is a traditional vintage putz house. It might be a generic term, but the originals were Pennsylvania Dutch inspired – just like my little putz lamb in my lamb with the party hat logo.
Thought of you last night, when we watched Jim Parson’s new Christmas animated show. I don’t know if you saw it, but he played the part of Buddy…and did a wonderful job. The part was perfect for him. We love him in The Big Bang Theory….and were looking forward to this production. I hope that it catches on and is played every year.
Balisha
We saw part of it, Balisha. Loved hearing Jim sing!
Well, I just typed a whole comment and must have had a bad keystroke because it wiped out what I said! But it’s good because I then started out from the top and realized from the comments that not everybody…like me!…knew there was a term ‘putz’ for the little holiday village scenes under the tree, or on a tabletop, etc., which has always been something I’ve done and my family did since I was I assume BORN, and I still have one remaining little cardboard house from the 1940s which my parents got when they were newlyweds; it’s thrashed after so many years…we always have to fix the steeple before we set it in place… but I love it. I briefly glanced at the web about ‘putz’ as I lost my previous comment and I thought it said the background was Moravian with ‘putz’ as a term meaning to clean or decorate.
I worked with someone who would mention putzing as a meditative thing on weekends when she’d go around her house, tidying up, putting things in their places, reorganizing a shelf, putting out seasonal decor, etc. Very calming. In a somewhat similar way, my grandmother would refer to it as ‘boiling down.’ You know, when you clean and organize a makeup tray or a pantry drawer. Get rid of all the odds & ends in the frig. Rearrange the sewing basket. Put fresh flowers in a vase. Bring order and beauty to the forefront. A good feeling afterward. Funny, the things we learn after you’d think you’d be old enough to have heard a word…putz house! Now I need to look up bokeh! Have I been living in a cave?
Well, you know, it comes to pass that your readers are attracted to you and your blog because of lots of things, not the least of which is kindred spirit. Your reader sent you that beautiful lighted house because she knows how much you’ll love it just as she probably loved making it. So artistic, the both of you!! Probably a decade ago, I picked up a snow globe at Target which is so beautiful…it has a white deer in it with a pink tree. It was back when Rachel Ashwell had such an extensive Simply Shabby Chic line there, to where she even had a large array of stuff for Christmas if you could just get there before it was all grabbed up. I would run (obsessed!) to three Targets in the larger cities near my small town (which has NO stores, basically!), trying to find things of hers at those times. I swore the employees bought the things up before the rest of us ever had a chance to retail shop it ourselves and a lot of it wasn’t available online. Anyway, I can remember back in the 1960s when we’d laugh at aluminum-y-looking fake trees with all blue balls or things with pastel colors…it had to be red and green and gold and ‘real; nothing artificial for a lot of us…but now I love my fake snow-dusted teeny Christmas trees and my fake white tree filled with pinks and soft greens, Just feels gentle and hushed with warm white lights.
I was in my local hardware store for something and in their skimpy garden section, they had a sale going from I guess spring/summer of leftover gnome-house furniture. Ittybitty metal patio furniture that looked like wrought-iron, either black or white. An arbor, table, chairs, wheelbarrow; so diminutive. I grabbed up the white, even though I don’t have a dollhouse yet and I’m sure ‘scale’ needs to be consistent. Oh well, it’s a start! The detail was exceptional. I’ve always loved miniatures. I used to make those shoebox scenes when I was a kid, where you put together a tiny theme and then look at it thru a hole in the side. There’s a word for what they are but I can’t think of it right now…maybe diorama. My folks wanted me to ‘have religion’ so would send me to summer Vacation Bible School at whatever church offered it…mostly to keep me busy…and we picked Washington DC as our subject, so my shoebox was of the monument with reflecting pool and I was very proud of it. If you held it up near window light, the foil piece which was the pool would seem to shimmer like water. That and kaleidoscopes…I wonder what the fascination is with contained, perfect little worlds, often for our eyes only, something we can ‘escape’ to, like a safe and beautiful place…just like a postcard-perfect snow village under a tree…
Putz houses and putz sheep – I have a lot of them here at the cottage. Pennsylvania Dutch and/or Moravian.
I say “I’m gonna putz around” all the time!
Thanks for the beautiful Christmas photography, Claudia. The little winter scene is adorable. Is it on a hatbox? I can’t get a sense of the size. Maybe you could photograph it with a quarter or a ruler or something, for scale. Or just tell us the diameter of the box lid? Anyway, it’s very appealing, and it looks like you could put little surprises or treasures in the box.
It is on a hatbox – also decorated by Chris. It’s on the smallish side – about 7 1/2 inches in diameter.
As I sit here in my living room with just the glow of the lights from our little Christmas tree, I’m enjoying seeing your photographs of light. What a beautiful gift that Chris made and sent to you – love it!
I do too, Melanie. And isn’t sitting in the living room with just the tree lights the most magical and peaceful thing?
How pretty!..great job Chris..tempted to try this myself now..I also like your Bokeh photos Claudia..the Christmas ones are always so pretty because of the lights..I have a little vintage putz village myself..I hate when it comes time to put it away..
I forgot to tell you I also have a few of the pine cone figure ornaments..They are so cute!
These are reproductions. We had some of these same guys on our tree when I was a little girl.
They’re so charming!
How wonderful of Chris to send you that putz house! What a funny name when you think about it…don’t you think? You and your blog attract genuine people because you are genuine…I think it’s as simple as that! I just finished sending out our Christmas cards. I enjoy doing that, but today, it was hard to get started….so it was more of a chore today! Enjoy your evening! ;)
What an amazing gift from Chris. It’s hard to believe she made it! Really beautiful.
What a beautiful gift! I am new to your blog–finding my way here from the lovely blog of Susan Branch. I enjoy visiting everyday and just love the photos. Have a wonderful Holiday season.
Darling putz house, I love all the shimmering glitter on it. It’s perfect for your cottage.