My House: The Mug Tree

The History
When I taught school back in the Dark Ages, students frequently gave two gifts: coffee mugs and Christmas ornaments. I had a vast collection of each.

I told Daddy that I wanted to make a mug tree. He asked if I wanted it to hold 4 or 6 mugs. I answered, "A couple dozen."

Pause.

I explained that I had a collection of about 50 and wanted a unique way to store and display my favorite mugs. I literally wanted a tree.

So Dad and I took a walk out into the tree row on the acreage of our Kansas farm. We found a fallen ash tree and cut it to a manageable size. I stripped the bark and sanded the tree. He bore holes and installed heavy duty pegs all round the trunk. Then he had a carpenter design a sturdy base on which the tree stood.

Why I Keep the Mug Tree
Does it save space? Not really.
Does it preserve the mugs or keep them dust free? Nope.
Does it conveniently fit into a small space? In my dreams.

• I keep it because it's unique.
• I keep it because it was a project I did with my Dad.
• I keep it because it's a piece of Kansas.
• I keep it because it looks really cool when we mummify it with Christmas tree lights during the holidays.
• I keep it because it's colorful and fun to look at.

And I'm fairly certain there isn't anything else out there that even compares.

Sometimes you hang on to the unique, the memory-filled, the funky. Just because you love it.


(c) 2009 Sheri Smith Bertolini