Woman Transforms Rotting Tree In Her Front Yard Into Neighborhood Library – See Inside


Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is home to an artist who has really made a splash online when she repurposed a rotting tree in her front yard.

The cotton tree that was outside of her home was well over 100 years old. Sharalee Armitage Howard was concerned about the tree, feeling that it was dangerous but she didn’t want to cut it down completely. She decided to make something from it.

“We had to remove a huge tree that was over 110 years old, so I decided to turn it into a little free library (which I’ve always wanted),” Sharalee wrote on her Facebook page. “Here it is (minus some cleanup, vegetation, and trim work)!”

Ok, this project isn’t quite finished… but I can’t wait to share it. We had to remove a huge tree that was over 110…

Posted by Sharalee Armitage Howard on Monday, December 10, 2018

The tree is now known as the “Little Free (Tree) Library” and it is open to anyone who would like to take a book. The rules are simple, you can either take a book or share a book. It isn’t a simple bookcase, however, it is a transformed stump that really makes a difference.

The tree library has a light on the outside as well as on the inside so it is easy to see where you are going and what you are getting.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Posted by Sharalee Armitage Howard on Thursday, December 13, 2018

Stone steps are upfront and lead the path that goes to the little reading nook. There is a swinging glass door that allows people to look inside without having to open it.

“A fun detail that didn’t show up in my first picture, is that the dental moulding above the door, is actually little, titled, wooden books,” she writes.

Posted by Sharalee Armitage Howard on Tuesday, December 18, 2018

The books are engraved with the titles of famous books.

Posted by Sharalee Armitage Howard on Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Posted by Sharalee Armitage Howard on Tuesday, December 18, 2018

A local news outlet stopped by to take a closer look at the library and they made this video.

The Little Free (Tree) Library

This is an awesome project. A Coeur d'Alene artist found a unique way to repurpose an old and decaying tree in her front yard. She's turned the tree's stump into a Little Free Library. It's a free book exchange designed to encourage reading. A Facebook post from the woman has since been shared close to 30,000 times!https://www.krem.com/mobile/article/news/local/kootenai-county/artist-turns-100-year-old-tree-in-coeur-dalene-into-little-library/293-3fa730c4-2ccf-4771-bed9-0176fb334083

Posted by Taylor Viydo on Tuesday, December 18, 2018

There is a group of people that support these free libraries nationwide. She has become one of the charter members.


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