Decorating Tip

We moved things around quite a bit this year when decorating. No plan at all, the kids all brought up boxes and got to decking and we switched things up. We wanted to move the junk tree, but trees take up so much room there aren't many places for them.  Then I thought why not leave off some branches and just put it right up against the wall? 

Now, I'm thinking they should actually sell half trees! More people would have room and less money for the tree.  One is probably available somewhere.

But of course, you make your own half tree by just leaving off branches.  Now my junk tree fits perfectly in a new space and doesn't obstruct the traffic through our dining room.

I thought maybe someone else could use this idea too.  I'm sure it's not original, but it was to us here.

You can see the original junk tree posts here and here.

Off for more baking, wrapping, scurrying....

Book Tree

You may have seen on Instagram my post about all of our Reader's Digest books.  I found more after I posted that! Sooo....there are somewhere around 145 books here.  Give or take. :) 

A few years ago we made a book tree on our fireplace mantle. 

I had no intention of a book tree when I gathered all of these Reader's Digest books together!

  The book tree we made a few years back took FOREVER. Mostly my son built it while I ran around looking for the right books.  

This was easier, but still a bit putzy.  Turns out it's not easy to make a circle with rectangles.  It's a geometry thing which apparently, I'm not as good at as I once thought. Ha!

Then I thought about ornaments.  And these book page people came to be! I developed them from the ornaments I designed for our 4h tree in 2012.  You can see that tree here.

I could have played with these readers for a long time! 

It was like playing with paper dolls, but better.

I have more ideas how I would like to make more of them.

But, it's hard to say if I'll get back to those ideas or not. 

Reading to my kids---favorite memories of mine.

Aren't the covers of these books wonderful?

The top of the tree is made from parts of two books with folded pages and then glued together.

Can you see yourself here at all?  Cozied up with a book?

I see my kids.♥

So now, my conundrum.  I was trying to free up space and get rid of these books.  Now.  I love this tree.  Do I box them back up so I can put this out again next year??  Do I just leave it up for a long time after Christmas and then move the books along??

::~::

I hope your Advent is going well and that in the midst of book trials (tongue in cheek) you are finding space in your heart for the Christ child to be born into.