The traditional little house

Actually? Not so traditional.

You see little houses everywhere now, and even ones with numbers for Advent, but when I created my first ones in 2008 it wasn’t common at all. I was looking for a non religious alternative to a nativity creche. My son was just one year old, and it was time to create our own traditions for the season.
I wanted something meaningful that could be shared and built upon every year.

I saw some Putz houses (glitter houses) in a vintage stationery shop on Polk street in SF. It was totally kitsch , but it was a good start. The Holidays are a good time to gather together snugly inside, and a celebration of light. What better symbol than a home for that? So I created my first paper house, then the next year added numbers for an advent calendar.

I put them here on my blog, everybody liked it . I even made a whole book of little houses that was published in 2011.

They say it takes a village, this one sure took on, it’s an international city now.

Here is a variation on the 2009 houses, ten years later. I will continue working on it as I would like a smaller, cuter model for my desk. They fit a little light, and are really cheerful.

And of course, here’s a version to colour yourself !