How to create beautiful family memories and collections

Memory Collections II

I just love the idea of creating Memory Collections and have already shared some of my favorite ideas with Busy Bee readers. Here’s a new take on family memory collections that can actually become works of art to be displayed on the walls of your home! When decorating your home with items like artwork, artifacts, flea market finds, photographs or posters, try to choose pieces that mean something to you! Choose things to hang on the walls of your home not just because they “match,” but because they say something about you or your family!

For a Kitchen

Choose six matching frames that are at least 8” x 10”. Hang these symmetrically (two across and three down) on a wall in your kitchen.
Choose frames that allow for easy exchange of the artwork. (See Pottery Barn Kids for a good example.)
Fill the frames with menus from special restaurants that you have dined at with your partner, spouse or family. Use a color copier and either enlarge or reduce the original menu to fit into the frame.
Make your display fluid – add and subtract menus as new restaurants are found! The more exotic the locale, the better!
If you are really practical AND eat a lot of take-out food, consider framing your favorite take-out menus!

For a Girl’s Bedroom

Consider creating a window valance that will display a sentimental collection of tiny infant dresses. Using rope or wooden clothes pins, string these darling dresses “clothes line” style across the top of a window!

For a Boy’s Bedroom

Create a similar valance done boy-style using a collection of baseball caps. Hang the caps with clothes pins across the top of a window!

For a Living Room

Martha Stewart’s new magazine for the young married set, Blueprint, offered a clever idea for decorating blank walls. The magazine suggested enlarging photos of everyday objects into a gigantic size. (Think large enough to be hung over the couch!) Some Blueprint examples included a family pet, both sides of a playing card and a vintage envelope.

This idea really appealed to me and set me thinking about ways that it could be personalized! Here’s what I came up with:

The airline tickets from your honeymoon
The receipt from a special and expensive meal (I’ve been saving a receipt from Harry’s Bar in Venice for years!
Theatre tickets from a special date
The play bill from a memorable Broadway play
Vintage family memories from your parents or grandparents - photos, birth announcements, love letters, postcards, or something silly like your dad’s kindergarten diploma!

The sky is the limit! Choose items for their aesthetic appeal as well as sentimentality and coordinate the frame to the background of the item. You want the ”memory” to stand out, not the frame! Also, don’t feel compelled to enlarge memorabilia to the extent described in Blueprint- even an 8” x 10” or 11” x 14” will create an impressive look.

Take a quick trip down memory lane and enhance your décor at the same time! What would you frame? I’d love to hear!

Creating Family Memory Collections II