Tag Archives: glitter house

Oh how I love to putz around (and how that relates to crack)

Oh how I love to putz around (and how that relates to crack)
Oh how I love to putz around (and how that relates to crack)

putz-house-betsy-skagen-151827

Long before they were trendy, I treasured my putz houses. As a young girl I took these battered Christmas decorations that my family had abandoned and set up a tiny village. Granted, there were only four or five houses, but I loved them.

I never had the budget to add many authentic putz houses to my collection over the years, but my little village grew nonetheless. Frosted trees and 1940s era cars in a variety of scales joined the village. Mid-century children skating and sledding loomed like giant toddlers about to devour the putz homes.

Perhaps the putz house I most treasure is the one I made this year. I stuck true to the simple mid-century stye adorned with lots of glitter. Read the rest of this entry

Shhhh…the Queen of Halloween confesses to being afraid of haunted houses

Shhhh…the Queen of Halloween confesses to being afraid of haunted houses
Shhhh…the Queen of Halloween confesses to being afraid of haunted houses

It is Halloween time and I have a confession to make. I used to be called the Queen of Halloween. This came about after I designed and implemented a Haunted Library at my kids’ elementary school. For many years, myself along with two incredibly partners dedicated a month of 15 hour back-breaking days, 200 volunteers, miles of extension cord and enough black duct tape to cover the earth to create a professional level haunted house on basically zero budget.

Years later, when I am out and about town, some stranger will still greet me, letting me know that they had helped volunteer at my haunted library.

What almost no one knew was that the Queen of Halloween despised haunted houses. More accurately, I hate the startle factor of haunted  houses.* The creepiness and scary scenes don’t bother me. It’s the unknown psycho clown who suddenly jumps out at me, making me wonder if there is a defibrillator nearby. Read the rest of this entry