Every holiday season we reserve a weekend afternoon to go to the New York Botanical Gardens to see the Holiday Train Show. My teenage boys still enjoy the visit, but more for it's nostalgic content. It was a real moment of excitement when the boys were little.

This year's new addition is Sarrinen's TWA building..

The creations are made by a low key guy, Paul Busse. I struck up a conversation with him one year at the show. His group of guys come up from Kentucky and stay at the Ardsley Motel. Yes, that was their lodging budget. I told him how inspired I was by his creations. When the kids were little, we made our own nature house. Not at all as impressive as Mr. Busse's creations, but just as fun for us.

Our nature house is part of our Christmas decoration that makes an appearance each season. It is one of many boxes that come down from the attic.

The structure of the house came from a cheap kit dollhouse. The aluminum basin was made by my HVAC guy. We found all the natural materials in our neighbor's and our yard. The siding is from birch tree. The roof is from branch of an oak tree. We found shelf mushrooms and acorns and bittersweets. The fake green moss came from Martha Stewart catalog. The window glass is "antique glass" from a mirror and glass shop. And the fence was purchased at a flea market one hot summer day . Three hours at a flea market in 100 degrees and all I had to show for it, was the fence. The perfect fence for the nature house. I was thrilled!

See you...

Christina