When the love of history and Christmas collide this is what happens - My White House Tree.
Each year the White House produces an ornament honoring a past president or tradition. I have only 2 more to collect and I'll have the set. This year it is William Taft, the first President to have a car. Here he is loaded with gifts.
I have one of those funny 1950s pink and grey tiled baths. Let's call is retro - so much more fun than out of date, lol.
My friend, Norma, custom made me this pink ceramic tree - I love it and keep it lit 24/7.
The two shadow boxes I found at Homegoods in two different years. How lucky is that? These would also be fun to make.
Many years ago I started using old Christmas cards as labels on packages. I use patterned craft scissors to cut the edges.
It is fun to match themes with people. Hanna gets the cat cards, Rich the sailing or nature cards and Andrew gets the funny and dog cards. These are going off to some special friends.
This is for my friend, Kelly (Pinkadot), who has a wonderful blog. She commented after my last post that her sewing room was "one hot mess". Well, so is mine! (Our house came with a 3rd floor in-law suite - great for a craft room!)
It is too easy to crop out real life. Here is real life!
and here -
So don't ever be fooled here at Fun with Barb, next to a great photo is a pile of crap that I moved.
So, have you seen these yet? These are melted peppermint candy cookie trays.
These only took a few minutes. Find the directions here. I think I'll cut come cardboard and wrap it with foil before I use them to strengthen the bottom.
Fun and fits my More is More philosophy! ho Ho HO!
Morning Barb - thanks for the laugh this morning. You're house sounds exactly like mine. Love the candy trays - thanks for sharing. I also love the tree decorated with antique ornaments. I have a ceramic tree my grandma made in the '70's. I leave it lit all year - makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays!
OMG I had to laugh at the sewing room I think all of ours look like this right now, I know mine does
ReplyDeleteits used as wrapping central too!
cute idea for the tags, we used to use them in crafts when the girls were little
love those shadow boxes.
Kathie
You are so right, we all move the crap and crop out the rest. Thanks for making me smile :).
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower of the 'move the mess' philosophy also. Love the new blog header and your post made me smile, like Karen said! Have a good weekend!!
ReplyDeleteI love your sewing room - and don't think it looks THAT bad! Love the candy plates too - they made them yesterday on The Chew - such a great idea! I like your White House tree - I buy those ornaments every year for my Mom.
ReplyDeleteMore fun for today. Your White House tree is a great historical collection. Cropping is the best photo
ReplyDeleteediting tool! Wished it worked in real life!
I know when I get here it is going to be all smiles! Thanks for the wonderful start of the day. You should see my hot mess! Suitcases all over.. Brown paper, newspaper, tags, bags.. you name it, I have it.. Real life. A whole lot of that is going around here.
ReplyDeleteI love your wall paper in the bathroom. So retro! I think that little pink tree is perfect where it sits 24/7. How clever to use those old cards for tags. I used to do that with non Christmas cards when I was still in charge of kids' crafty stuff.
Oh and the white house tree is so you!
Have a wonderful weekend. I hope I can still sneak in here while I am away!
Just realized how long of a comment was that! Had to come back and leave another one just to say that! LOL
ReplyDeletegreat sewing space! is that a former kitchen, or are you blessed with a big main floor space? I'm going to try those candy trays. as for cropping, I'd never post any pix if I couldn't cut out the ugly and messy bits.
ReplyDeleteYou have a wonderful sewing area - messy or not. Like Kyle said, wish we could edit in real life too. :)
ReplyDeleteThe White House tree is such a neat idea.
Judy
I remember your post last year about those White House ornaments. I never knew about them before. Your tree is really delightful. Even better is your fabulous sewing room. I'm sure I could create a huge mess if I had that much space. As it is, I just spread my mess into the rest of the house. I've got to save the cards this year so I can make tags next year. Great idea.
ReplyDeleteYou have some great ideas here. I love the shadow boxes! I haven't wrapped a thing yet - I'm still scrambling to get gifts together. Those trays look so cool - my kids would want to eat them though :0)
ReplyDeleteMy sewing room is a creative disaster too. What a lot of fun ideas on your post. What a great way to recycle you Christmas cards.
ReplyDeleteYou're too funny! That room looks beautiful to me! Just a box or two in the way......that's nothing! Love the presidential tree! And thanks for the link to the candy trays! So fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm realising more and more what a fun household you live in and boy would I like a quilt room like that.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the candy trays - look good but my crowns would never stand up to a bite.
Have fun.
Oh I just love that you put all your White house Christmas trees ornaments
ReplyDeleteon their own tree, how many are there in the total collection? I have several and I think they are so nicely detailed and made for the price.
Your sewing room looks like a dream come true.....mine is torn up right now with packing and painting and we are mostly running away for Christmas to NYC.
Next Christmas will be much different though :0). I enjoy seeing your decorations and lovely home, more is more and all delightful.
Merry Christmas and Happy Sewing
Oh, Barb, you gave me a laugh and I needed that!
ReplyDeleteLove the Presidential tree--cool idea.
Our home has such a suite on the ground floor (our main living space is a flight up--long story), but I wasn't smart enough to commandeer that whole space for sewing--I just took over a bedroom when the last chick flew the coop a few years ago. Hmm, I need to rethink that! : )
Love your "more is more" philosophy. I love everything about Christmas and always want to soak up all of the holiday cheer I can--wait a minute, that didn't sound right. I don't even drink! *LOL*
You showed those White House ornaments before and I was oh so jealous! LOL! I looked online to dream a bit and then decided I would just enjoy the picture of yours.
ReplyDeleteThe "real life" photos made me burst out laughing! Looks like home, only neater. And yeah, cropping in real life would be wonderful - selective seeing!
ReplyDeleteMy mom taught me the top-the-package-with-last-year's-card trick when I was a kid. I still save appropriate cards for that purpose, especially for packages to be mailed where a ribbon bow would be crushed.
What a FUN filled post! How many Christmas trees do you have? Not counting the ones in my village, I have 3. I love them so much I have a small one in my living room all year round. You inspired me to pull out my vintage ceramic tree. Not having anywhere else to put it, it ended up in our powder room. I thought it seemed an odd place to put it, but not so much now that I see you did, too! That is a fabulous bathroom and I love the pink ceramic tree. Your creative space is great - I'd take it mess and all! lol Looks like you have good light in there. What do you use to hang your little quilts?
ReplyDeleteYou're too funny! I have lots of piles of crap next to all my photos -- good thing blogs don't let you look outside the frame LOL. Your sewing room is awesome -- I love that you have a sink in there!
ReplyDeleteYour sewing room is Heaven on a stick. Your Christmas decorating and ideas are fabulous, thanks for sharing. None of us would post photos if we had to show the whole picture! My mess looks a lot worse than your mess. The wallpaper in the bathroom is super cute too.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas.xx
nice blog
ReplyDeletethanks for sharign
Oh Barb thanks for the dose of "reality." Your sewing room looks like Santa's workshop. There's not a lick of Christmas up yet at our house, but William came home yesterday so decorating will ensue.
ReplyDeleteWow, Lady! You have an awesome studio - what a wonderful space and I think it looks just perfect!!
ReplyDeleteThose candy trays are so fun - what a clever idea! And your White House tree is a treasure...
A lovely post filled with so much creativity!
You have the best Christmas Tree collection!! Your bathroom looks wonderful, a pink a grey tiled bath would be so dreamy, and your wall paper goes so well. It's a great idea to recycle cards, its fun hearing the different themes you match up for your family members. Great to see a messy sewing room! It's colourful creative mess and thats a good thing. I have to say I love the sock monkey with all the guitars in the roof of his house, he makes me laugh when I pop over to visit your blog.
ReplyDeleteWOW! You have a beautiful and fun home. What a great sewing space. Love all your trees, very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteFabulous peppermint trays.
Looking forward to 2013 and what creative adventures you share ;-)
Everything is cool here..the space, the trees, the candy tray...so fun!
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Great post Barb,I love seeing all your decorations and love the pink and gray bathroom! You space is wonderful, no wonder we see such beautiful quilts from you. I would go up there every day and not want to leave at all!
ReplyDeletePS Flip flops in December??
Your real life looks just like the rest of ours. And, I agree that more is more, but I'm running out of time and places to put it. Reading your post it reminded me that I have ceramic trees somewhere. You have lots of great Christmas decorations.
ReplyDeleteWow, I've never heard of the White House ornaments; what fun (Taft!?)
ReplyDeleteYour sewing room isn't supposed to be tidy, is it? What a wonderful space you have to create!
Happy to see that you work with the colors of your retro bath. It looks so fun. Beats beige all to heck.
Will be checking out those trays to make, too, although I probably, to be honest, won't get one made. Still finishing doll quilts for the grandnieces.
HA, my sewing room looks similar. Your collection is cute. It is nice they are all in one tree.
ReplyDeleteGood to know we're all tarred with the same brush in the sewing room department! Mine is a constant battle to "keep tidy".....need more storage, but then I'd just accumulate more stuff!! Love your up-cycling of the old Christmas cards.
ReplyDelete