Happy New Year!
(It’s the last day of January - is it too late to share a HNY greeting?)
As always, I have my fingers in a handful of different pies, and after a busy December, the new year has been flying by. From thoughts on state-run censorship attempts (!) to preparing for another schedule of preservation programming, to new Hangerbee products and yes, even a couple snow days, January truly hit the ground running.
I am still actively working on new preservation guides, though things are going slower than I had planned. I just keep thinking of more things to add and more edits to make. So, thank you for your patience as I work through all the additional writing and edits. I am also editing the Saving Your Family Photos webinar I made just for you, which will be available a la carte sometime soon, too.
If you have ideas about other content (programs, guides, webinars, etc.) I can create to help you Take Control of Your Stuff (heirlooms, etc.) please reach out and let me know. I am always looking for ways to help folks like yourself better understand, appreciate, preserve, store, display, and downsize, your personal treasures. It’s a tall order, but I’m here for it.
New Products at Hangerbee!
And one more thing! As more and more fabric and quilt shops shutter their doors, sewing and quilting basics are harder to source, I’ve been thinking of ways to add more products to Hangerbee’s inventory. To that end we have carried quilt batting and cotton twill tape for many years. Now we are expanding our product line to include one new variety of each: we now offer yardage of The Warm Company’s popular Warm & Natural batting, a high-quality, needle-punched cotton batting, as well as a lightweight 5/8” cotton twill tape. What other preservation, sewing, and/or quilting products would you like Hangerbee to offer? I would love to hear from you so I can help you easily procure the supplies you need to succeed.
Thank You for Your Reviews!
As always, I truly appreciate your feedback. I am so happy to hear from you - and that appreciate our products.
On the Podcast:
Speaking of having too many fingers in too many pies, I was inspired to focus in on one of the many worrisome headlines that have been making the news this month and decided to record a new podcast episode all about it. I’ve been thinking about the President’s House Site in Philadelphia, and why it’s been making headlines this week. I’ve been thinking about it so much, in fact, that I decided to record a podcast episode delving into what I consider the “silver linings” (yes, there are multiple) of 21st Century censorship attempts.
Am I nuts? Perhaps. But let's be real here - I'm not an eternal optimist. I'm actually far from it. However, every so often I read something about a censorship campaign that is just so ridiculous that I can't help but roll my eyes, sigh, and be thankful that I've been made aware of it.
In January 2026, the Trump / Vance Administration ordered exhibit panels about enslaved persons to be removed from The President's House, an outdoor historic site located next to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Because this Administration wishes to erase any evidence of white people being less than perfect, they are going to ridiculous lengths to rewrite history.
Thankfully, they approached the situation the same way I'd imagine that the Three Stooges would, and their attempt to whitewash history is backfiring beautifully. Let's keep up the momentum and find the silver lining amid these ridiculous censorship attempts. Please listen to my musings and then let's discuss!
Find Exhibitsmith the podcast wherever you find your podcasts and at Exhibitsmith.com.
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../exhibitsmith/id1731627364
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3XcFuIaAKcrkScy1mu8ROW
Listen on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/.../a12911f1-9904.../exhibitsmith
Listen on Podbean (& find links to other platforms): https://exhibitsmith.podbean.com/
Photo from my 7/2022 visit to The President's House.
And Another Thing… Here’s a story about the site that I forgot to mention in the episode. The day of my first visit, I took a few photos – but not specifically of the interpretive panels. Instead, I was focused on contrasting the President’s House with the contemporary building behind it, where my husband used to work. When he got the job and we decided to move to the Philly area, I thought it was *so cool* that he could see the Liberty Bell from his office. (And for the record, I still feel it’s cool.) My photos documented our proximity to history, we were only separated by time.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I needed to photograph the site as a way to document the stories presented therein. But in hindsight, I wonder: what else should we be documenting? Even if these changes prove to be temporary (knock on wood, fingers crossed, and other tokens of wishful thinking) what should we create a record of, and how?
Episode Links:
NPS Site - The President's House:
https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/places-presidentshousesite.htm
Read about the City of Philadelphia’s decision to sue the Department of the Interior here.
Here is another local news segment about this situation.
The President's House on Wikipedia
An Idaho College Removes Artwork About Abortion, Citing a State Law: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/13/arts/design/idaho-abortion-lewis-clark-college.html
An Idaho College Censored Their Reproductive Health Care Art, But These Artists Won’t be Silenced: https://www.aclu.org/news/reproductive-freedom/an-idaho-college-censored-their-reproductive-health-care-art-but-these-artists-wont-be-silenced
Preservation Program Updates:
As of today, 1/31/2026, I have a number of programs on my speaking calendar. A couple of these programs are webinars, so I encourage you to check them out no matter where you are located. These programs are all completely FREE and come with a downloadable resource guide (which, if you know me, is pretty comprehensive so you’ll want to grab a copy).
After last week’s Saving Your Family Photos webinar for the Ocean City Public Library here in New Jersey, I received a lovely email from an attendee.
I am sharing her very kind words with her permission. Thank you so much, Mary!
I hope you are saying safe and warm where ever you are. After all, spring is just around the corner.
Regards,
Lindsey @ Exhibitsmith
