A small house will hold as much happiness as a big one.
-Anonymous
-Anonymous
Hi! My name is Amber Archer and I am thrilled to become part of The Jewel Box® team. No stranger to small home living, I love my tiny 1,100 square foot home! In winter it is our cozy gingerbread cottage and when warmer weather comes, it is our sun-filled bungalow. I have always lived in smaller homes. Growing up in homes less than 1,500 square feet has taught me to utilize every square inch of storage and economize simply because there is so little room to keep things!
I have been a full time Mom for 11 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. I have two girls, 8 and 11 and have been married for 14 years to my husband, Jason. I also currently run a small graphic design/website design business called "Sprinkles On Top". One of the many joys of my design work is being the tool for creative women around the world to express themselves online. I fully believe that our homes are also a reflection of the unique individual inside each one of us.
Speaking of small...one of the biggest quandaries in The Archer Christmas Cottage is where to put the tree each year! Let's face it, the tree is the symbol of all things Christmas! Every house guest is drawn to the tree each holiday season and if you declined to put one up, would surely ask, appalled "Where is your Christmas tree??" However, those of us residing in a small home know the perils of finding the perfect spot for that special Christmas tree. In our house, it requires much furniture moving, lighting adjustments, and dragging of rugs to accommodate our minuscule tree, but it is so worth it.
My dear friend, Cindy who blogs about her life in her own Jewel Box of a home at My Romantic Home has the most darling tree in her dining room with (of all things!) beautiful blue and white chin and transferware hanging from it! Small and slim, this pencil tree takes up a minimal amount of space, but adds so much whimsy and charm. The perfect accompaniment to any dining room!
Photo Courtesy of Cindy at My Romantic Home
Dining room trees can also grace tables and buffets and be used as your Christmas centerpiece.
I am also in love with the kitchen tree. Nothing says Christmas to me like family and friends gathered in the kitchen to talk, laugh, eat and bake!
String some popcorn and cranberries, bake some good old fashioned gingerbread ornaments, even hang mittens and cooking utensils on your tiny counter top tree and you can spread the Christmas cheer to each room of the house!
I also love to see trees tucked into each nook and cranny of your home. Paired in groups of two or three, small trees can bring big punch to your Jewel Box!
Christmas trees need not be huge to make an impact or generate the true meaning of the holiday season. Trees, along with homes, don't have to be overwhelming. After all, have you ever seen anything more cozy than a little gingerbread cottage in the snow?
I love your post and all of these beautiful photos of great smaller version trees. Christmas trees and decorations can be a challenge in our smaller homes. I know now, after six years, that the huge prelit tree my husband and I purchased early on is really too big for this house. We have high ceilings so that's not a problem. But the width of it makes it difficult for company and for us to navigate around sofas. I'm thinking of putting it on Craig's list next year and getting a much slimmer tree that would be more to scale for this house.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your great insight.
Very nice post Amber! I love all those beautiful smaller trees...thanks so much for including mine!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful surprise to see you here Amber! I loved this post and laughed at your description of trying to find space for the tree by moving everything around. I had to move four pieces of furniture and find another spot for them to get our tree in the corner of the living room. You should have seen my husband trying to get lights on it! We also had to measure the corner and every tree we looked at, to find a skinny enough one that would fit, but it was all worth it :)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and sweet Genevieve!
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