PUTZES from 2006!
There is a lot of stuff to put in this year, and much of it requires scanning old pictures and reprocessing them so it's going to take quite a while. I hope I can get it all done by Easter! - so keep checking back from time to time.

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Antoinette Stockenberg!

Antoinette has done it again this year - bigger and better than ever with a second putz depicting a harbor scene. (She lives on the New England seashore and is a veteran sailor.) With all the triple closeups you can click on, I simply had to conserve site space and loading time, so this year am providing a click-box to take you to her Christmas Page where you can peruse these and Putzes Past at your leisure, and read her lovely reflections on The season.
The harbor scene, featuring the "new" Lionel #58 lamp posts and several "new" houses.

*VISIT ANTOINETTE'S HOME PAGE*

The secondary mantel putz.
Check out her little microcosmic story scenes between the houses.Antoinette has never lost that wondrous childlike play-acting imagination that putzes are all about.
Bravo!


Carl & Emily Rice

The Rice's have done their putz featuring their earliest "First Period" pieces this year ...

A magnificent collection. Fine pieces all!

Vintage Photos

Tom Hull captured these online for us. The real stuff from "The Day"








"In studying the close up pictures I noticed that they are probably from two different years. Though the set up is very similar I noticed that the small fir branches affixed to the stable are different. Also in the foreground is electric train track and barely visible in the background is part of a tunnel. 1939 and 1940 perhaps? Obviously close in time." Tom








The wide-radius "0-72" track in the foreground came in in the mid-'30's to accomodate the super "Stream-Line" trains so new and fashionable at the time. Every boy just dreamed of getting a "streamliner!" Though still available in the '30s, the huge "standard gauge" track just visible on the right is of 1920s vintage contruction, showing that these people-whoever they were - had been at this for quite some time. Boy, I sure would like to have seen the trains!

No trains this year? Definitely from different years...

LOVE these old photos!

Introducing Jim McLean

Jim's a relative newcomer to the site, but is really into putzing.

That's a German goosefeather tree, by the way.

Some really nice houses, here, - classic Barclay figures, and I expect we'll see more in the future.

Jim says he is getting into making houses of his own. Also, "kit-bashing" of sort. taking old beat-up houses and refashioning them into something new. These appear to be pretty much original, however. Note the balconey-porch and stairwayed "greenspot" in the background. We all love that one!


Another Old Putz Photo:

Found this one on a very nice site displaying a collection of old Christmas pictures.

"Hey, Ted, did you catch this single photo with an under-tree putz from that website that Chris sent and that you forwarded around?
[ http://www.squareamerica.com/sa1.htm ]
Not much, but it's something for the archives. Note, too, the mica spilling over onto that Turkoman oriental rug. Lotsa luck getting that out." - Antoinette


Home Made

I am hearing from more and more folks making their own houses this year. Sue Stewart made these ...


"My real challenge was to make a house resembling my sister's rather modern house with many windows and decks! I think i succceded in giving it that 'putz' style." - Sue


Introducing Ted Howard

Ted is from Callahan, Florida also relative newcomer to the site, but is really into putzing,too. His house gets really filled with Christmas every year.





"Ted. - Another Christmas come and gone. It's the end of January and I almost have all the decorations down. Sixteen trees went up in the house this year along with numerous decorated garlands and all sorts of other fun Christmas goodies. I haven't had much of a chance to build anything else over the past months. But, I hope to start again soon. I thought I'd join everybody else in sending along a few pictures for you to enjoy. These are from a couple of my trees - one in my dining room on a server and one from my living room. As you can tell I find it most enjoying to just put a hodge-podge of things together to make up my little towns.
Keep up the good work and we'll be talking to you again soon."
Ted Howard


Janet Watt

-found these wonderful old snapshots in an antique shop in Columbia, SC - dated January 1941, which means they were most probably from Christmas 1940 ..
That's a 6 foot goosefeather tree!

Let's try a little blow-up "magic" on that putz...
















That little birdhouse up a pole in the second photo is metal. I have one. Also the little doghouse in the third. It's metal, too - Barclay, I think. I wish we could get these clearer, but Mike and I were working with little 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" snapshots. These are blown up from a little strip along the bottom less than 1/2" high.




















Grandma is looking at one one the boy's best gifts. With a bit of computer blow-up trickery, we can see that it is a lavish hard-bound book on flying model airplane construction. This was as hot with boys of the 1930s as video games are today, but differed greatly as something you could learn real skills from - and share with Dad.


Aimee Gomberg

More Home Made


Ted, In 2003 when I was pregnant with my older daughter I found myself with high blood pressure. My doctor told me to find something to do sitting down. I made a couple of putz houses and took them to a local craft fair. I sold out. So the next week I built more and sold out the following weekend. I thought this was a great way to make extra money for my daughter's nursery.
Well after a couple of local craft shows my husband and I decided my little cottages were something special. I made the decision to stop teaching and start a business. I am proud to say that I am a full time mother and full time working artist.
I have enjoyed your website very much. I look forward to seeing the house of the month each month. It has been very informative for me both professionally and personally. This year I wanted to send you photos of not only my vintage cottages but also the putz houses I have personally made.
I make all of the houses and bottle brush trees you see in the photograph.



I am probably a little younger than your average putz collector (although I am pushing 30 now.) I have two small children and Christmas morning is magical in our house. This year I only put out my Haciendas. I am attracted to Hacienda because of the color. Being an artist I love color!

After looking at the houses please let me know if you are interested partnering with me, The Aimee Gomberg Collection. I am now starting production for the 2007 Holiday Season. Last year I made about 2000 houses. In 2004, I introduced a line of putz ornaments. Essentially, they are simple versions of cottages ornament sized. They have been immensely popular.
Thanks, - Aimee




Barbara Healy -

- caught this old putz photo for us on eBay.

Very interesting, this, because it's so formal! Castle. Formal grounds. Neat neat neat! Crisp crisp crisp! Perhaps we had a military family, here. Neat-freaks for sure. Those things do tend to go together. We'll never know, but what we do know is that this is OLD! Are those not gaslight fixtures? And do you see any electric lights on the tree? Just a very few glass ornaments, and check out the toys on the periphery. And the sepia tone of the print. I'd put this anywhere between the "Gay Ninties" and World War I. Not a cardboard house to be seen!
Thank you Barbara!