Christmas Glitter Houses: make your own DIY glitter houses or putz houses from old cereal boxes, paper, paint, glitter and glue.
Today I want to share with you my village of DIY Christmas glitter houses, or Putz houses, as they're sometimes known. I made them last year, and couldn't wait to get them out of the box this year 😉
They're all made out of old cereal boxes. I found a great site with step by step instructions and free patterns! If you'd like to make your own village, check out Big Indoor Trains for the patterns and lots of inspiration.
The houses were originally set up around nativities, train sets, or Christmas trees and sold between 1910-1960 as inexpensive Christmas decor. The original houses are still available at antique stores, or on ebay, but you can also create your own version.
I have to say, this was a very time consuming project. I made several smaller sets for my family and friends last Christmas. They are simple and inexpensive to make, but involve many, many steps, and lots of time waiting for glue, paint or glitter to dry between steps. I just love how they turned out though, and hope to add one more house each year.
Materials:
- old cereal boxes
- exacto knife
- cutting mat
- scissors
- white paper
- white glue
- paint
- glitter
- faux snow
- cellophane
How To Make A Glitter House
First you will need the glitter house pattern. All of the houses I made are based on Howard's "Cottage" plans, which you can get here.
The only variations are with the colours, fences, and door designs. He also includes a pattern to turn the cottage into a church.
I found these little people at Dollarama this year, they're the first I've found that seem the right scale for the houses.
Cutting
Use the pattern to cut out the houses from old cereal boxes, these are the perfect weight of cardboard. I found this great, inexpensive set of exacto-knives at Dollarama, which really helped with the cutting stage. Use a cutting mat underneath your work.
Gluing
After they're all cut out follow the pattern to glue them together.
A tip I can pass on is to use clothes pins to hold the seams of the houses together at various stages, while the glue dries.
Painting
After they are all dry, and the bases have been made and covered in white paper, it's time to paint them. I used various craft paints, again just from the dollar store. I wanted mine to all be quite light, so I lightened the colours by mixing the paint with some plain white. Traditionally the antique putz houses were made in brighter colours usually, but I really liked the idea of using pastels. You can customize them to your taste.
The houses take several coats, and when it's all done, it's time to add glitter!
Glitter
I used Martha Stewart's "crystal coarse glitter" in brillo. It is quite transparent, and doesn't really alter the colour of the paint. I would like to try using some different glitters. Perhaps silver on the roof, or a more coarse glitter on the roof, and maybe a coloured glitter on the house itself. Maybe next time...
Windows
After the houses were glittered I added cellophane to all the windows. For the church, I used red cellophane, reminiscent of stained glass.
Snow
Next, I added the snow. Howard uses white paint, but I went with a textured snow called Snow-Tex. I was pleased to see that the houses hadn't yellowed at all in one year, and I really liked the raised effect the Snow-Tex adds. Try to add it to the places you think snow would actually accumulate on houses. You spread it on with a small knife.
Finishing Touches
After all that, it was time to add a few little finishing touches. I made wreaths for several of the doors with pipe cleaners and fine satin ribbon.
Howard has several suggestions for different fences. I found them quite hard to cut out, so I came up with this variation, using a hole punch.
I also used the cute little picket fence, which I found at the dollar store. My tip to you is, if you're considering this project for next year, get to the dollar store as soon as the Christmas stuff comes out to get the best selection of trees, fences, and people.
After I finished making 21 of these little beauties last year, I made one more, and I have to say it might be my favorite. It's the "Little Charmer" and the pattern can be found here. It lives up to it's name!
I've added various bottle brush trees, and a few bushes that light up at night.
Here it is at night, with the lights on and the candles lit.
Merry Christmas from my village to yours!
Also check out our Glitter House Christmas Tree here.
You might also enjoy How To Make A Fairy Garden House here.
Becki @ Humble Bee says
Do you ever just want to pat yourself on the back? You did amazingly wonderful! No wonder you were so excited to dig them out of the box and set them up. As a child we had these on our tree and they were always my favorite. So glad I found these thanks for sharing and providing us with Howard's link with info. Did not know they were called Putz houses.
We used to live in Ottawa but in order to be closer to family we decided to move and now live in Saint John, NB.
Again, excellent work!
Love, Peace & Joy!
~Becki
Sarah says
I am absolutely in LOVE with these little houses. I wanted some vintage ones but they are hard to find. Making them out of cereal boxes is the perfect solution. I'll get started on my village for next year! Thanks so much for sharing. Happy Holidays!
Sarah
garyandjoannejones@gmail.com says
My husband,gary, has a set of very old putz houses and they are a treasure to him. Thank for sharing your wonderful village. I will certainly try my hand at them.Joanne December 19,2010
Andi says
Oh my goodness!!! I am in love! Awesome job! These are so sparkly and magical looking. I think I will give these a try next year, thanks so much for sharing!
Jeanne says
I saw this on Tatertots and Jello and was blown away! This project is absolutely stunning and I had to pop over and tell you so. What a beautiful project and I love every thing about it. It's hard to believe something so beautiful started from humble beginnings.
Thank you SO much for sharing. I've bookmarked this page and the links you provided. I would love to try this for myself (not sure if I can make it work, but the resources are saved).
Merry Christmas!
Kim says
These are fabulous!!! I was going to make my own set. But I ended up finding some on clearance last year. But I still think it would be fun to make some. You did a fantastic job.
Veronica says
You made all of them out of cereal boxes??!!! WOW, great job! It's a beautiful Christmas Village. Thanks you for sharing!
Cheryl~ZanyMayd says
I Love these Sweet Village houses ~ all the detail & the glitter are such a Delight..... thanks for sharing
Ruth says
I love these houses. They are beautiful. I love how you have accessorized them. What a beautiful setting.
Ruth
Debbie says
O My!! I can't beleive you made these! They are just wonderful! I LOVE them!!
Thanks so much for sharing the site on how to make them!
Merry Christmas!!
Debbie
Emily C. says
First of all thank you for stopping by my blog and for your kind words. Your houses are so lovely! I have plans to make more for sure. I have a feeling I will be stopping by your blog often! Happy Holidays!
Danielle says
I have always love these little paper houses. Yours are adorable.
oneshabbychick says
So impressive! I've always loved these and am especially into the idea of making my own. I found the great info on Big Indoor Trains but just have never gotten my you-know-what together. You've inspired me! Beautiful job!
Howard Lamey says
i'm impressed with what you've done with the free patterns, plans and instructions you found on my site...and on http://www.bigindoortrains.com
you did everything right...especially your own personal touches...now you have got to make some Easter and Halloween theme pieces...same patterns...just different colors...
couldn't help but notice...those led votive lights in baby bottle nipples?...
my very best regards...Howard
Lisa says
You made these?!! I am stunned. This is incredible. WOW. They are so beautiful. You could make money with this. Just gorgeous.