A NEW CHRISTMAS PUTZ HOUSE BY HOWARD LAMEY, MICA VS. GLITTER & MORE

As many of you know, Howard Lamey of littleglitterhouses.com has set out to make all the putz houses from the patterns offered in the 1968 PACK-O-FUN MAGAZINE. Click on the photo to see his latest effort--no glitter here, just old fashioned mica flakes.

Paul Race obtained permission to place the PACK-O-FUN patterns online; and high resolution copies too--thanks Paul---go here now! http://bigindoortrains.com/primer/glitterhouses/pack_o_fun/pack_o_fun.htm

Looking for a mica source--mica was what was used originally on vintage putz houses--here's a source for it and in colors too. Go here http://bit.ly/1rHdwYY

Want to use "coconut" like the real deal vintage Made in Japan houses? You can buy it ready made from Pete Oehmen http://cardboardputzhouses.com/marketplace/coconut/coconut.html

Or you can make your own--http://www.cardboardchristmas.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=19

Just want to use glitter? You can use poly or glass; some observations:

--Recently someone asked over at the CardboardChristmas.com about glass glitter versus the poly varieties. Well glass glitter, depending on the grit or shard size, does have superior sparkle in our opinion, but must be worked with carefully--it is ground glass after all. The best glass glitter supposedly comes from Germany, isn't cheap, and has amazing refractive qualities. A friend buys only from Meyer Imports, but you may have your own favorite supplier. You can read an FAQ from Meyer on their glass glitter here: http://www.meyer-imports.com/extra_info_pages.php?pages_id=15

Now there is a product called Diamond Dust by Sulyn--not glass but poly--there is also a Twinklets Diamond Dust that is glass--both have beautiful sparkle; you can get them at Michaels and other craft stores. Poly glitters tend to be cheaper.

All glitter, glass or poly, has its drawbacks; it seems to get everywhere but the poly varieties--being lighter--are especially prone to migration! It takes a full month to vacuum out the last bit of sparkle from the rugs after the Christmas putz villages have been put away!