Memory Keepers

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

~From the television show The Wonder Years~

And holding we do!... Shells from our last vacation, jewelry with a special meaning, the feather our child picked up at the park, pretty vintage buttons from an estate sale, little pieces from our life that remind us of happy times and people we treasure....More often than not, all those special trinkets, not pretty enough to be displayed by themselves, sadly end up in the "kitchen drawer". Yeap! "that" drawer, the one that we all have, the one with the batteries, with the old pens, the one with the paper pad from where your "neighborhood realtor" smiles at you.


Well, it's time to bring all these little treasures out and make a beautiful, inexpensive display that we bet will be your next party conversation piece!

We have used a large reproduction glass candy or aphotecary jar to make our "Memory Keeper".
We stuffed it with a vintage linen with a few holes but with a killer monogram that made it worth keeping and here's when the fun part started!....We found a rhinestone earring that lost it's partner a long time ago, a ceramic souvenir bought on the streets of Florence, a beautiful shell from South Beach, a small black and white picture, Grandma's necklace and measuring tape and lots more! We placed all our treasures between the glass wall and the linen. There is no right or wrong here, no pattern to follow, just a pretty way to "contain your memories".

Our other example was made using a glass dome and a pretty plate as its base. Inside, we displayed an antique silver plated compote housing a nest we found on the ground of the Sequoia National Park about ten years ago and a sweet crowned bird. All items that, if not in a group, will never be displayed. Because of their small size, these items would had been lost. We decorated the top with a "Dream" tag made by a fellow artist for a touch of color and inspiration.

Domes also look fab when filled with rolls of old letters tied with a pretty ribbon, they could be Grandpa's love letters to Grandma or music pages of a favorite song.

Look in your jewelry box, your child baby box or in the closet for inspiration, you will be amazed of how many pretties you have. The jars and domes are sold everywhere. Michael's has them in different shapes and sizes from under $20.00. Think Christmas or Birthdays....perfect gift! Try it, you'll be surprised!!


When thinking and collecting items for this post we came across a piece of family history that didn't make it in the "Memory Keeper" because it's used every day....Our Dad's scissors! As old as they are, all metal, with no plastic to "protect" her fingers, they became Clara's favorite tool when working on her paper crafts. We can remember being kids, seeing our Dad using them and thinking: it's time for new scissors!!!
Years later, (about 35 to be more precise), even in a different country, here they are!... what makes us think that sometimes it's true....

"People seem to get nostalgic about a lot of things

they weren't so crazy about the first time around."

Author Unknown