A simple shoebox can hold a surprising amount of stuff.
No really. When I started saving my kids' "must save" memories, I figured I'd need several printer boxes, but one (or maybe two) shoeboxes seems to really be enough. There's space for that first onesie, the school project, theater tickets, medals, and goodness knows how much more.
I keep control of the boxes, mostly so they don't get destroyed or lost. Every few months, the kids (especially the boys) ask for permission to take these out and look through them again, which was a use I hadn't thought of originally -- I figured I'd save the treasures until the kids were Move-Out-Of-The-House age, and then magically surprise them with long-forgotten trinkets from the past. But I'm glad that the boxes allow for active, frequent remembrance, too.
Here's another recent project I'm happy with: my husband's bike-racing medals. These had been scattered across our wall, hung haphazardly on any nail he could find. Pulling them all together looks a lot better.
To make this display, I used a bunch of stuff I happened to have lying around the home. I took the keyboard table from an old computer desk bound for the garbage. I liked the shape and color of this piece of wood, and particle board is very easy to work with. I laid all the medals out carefully . . .
. . . then I used flat thumbtack to attach them along the top.
Below, I show what the back side looks like. I folded the ribbons flat so that the display would sit nicely against the wall, and I thumbtacked them in place. I think the medals (on the other side) look a lot better when they're on short rather than long ribbons -- a case of less is more.
How did I hang this? In my odds-and-ends drawer, I found a keyring on a canvas strap. I screwed the strap into the board. This works really well; the keyring is large so it's easy to "find" the nail when I'm hanging this on the wall.
A row of shoe boxes and photo boxes, one for each child o' mine. |
J-son's little shoebox holds a boatload of stuff, figuratively. The memory box is just a shoe box I "wrapped" with fabric, held in place by elmer's glue. |
I keep control of the boxes, mostly so they don't get destroyed or lost. Every few months, the kids (especially the boys) ask for permission to take these out and look through them again, which was a use I hadn't thought of originally -- I figured I'd save the treasures until the kids were Move-Out-Of-The-House age, and then magically surprise them with long-forgotten trinkets from the past. But I'm glad that the boxes allow for active, frequent remembrance, too.
Here's another recent project I'm happy with: my husband's bike-racing medals. These had been scattered across our wall, hung haphazardly on any nail he could find. Pulling them all together looks a lot better.
To make this display, I used a bunch of stuff I happened to have lying around the home. I took the keyboard table from an old computer desk bound for the garbage. I liked the shape and color of this piece of wood, and particle board is very easy to work with. I laid all the medals out carefully . . .
. . . then I used flat thumbtack to attach them along the top.
Below, I show what the back side looks like. I folded the ribbons flat so that the display would sit nicely against the wall, and I thumbtacked them in place. I think the medals (on the other side) look a lot better when they're on short rather than long ribbons -- a case of less is more.
How did I hang this? In my odds-and-ends drawer, I found a keyring on a canvas strap. I screwed the strap into the board. This works really well; the keyring is large so it's easy to "find" the nail when I'm hanging this on the wall.
It's obvious that you are naturally organized (which might be why Julie Morgenstern worked for you and did not work for me). I need more beginner books. Love the shoeboxes.
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