Wouldn’t you like to honor loved ones by not only holding on to memorabilia, but by displaying sentimental items in your home?

It’s hard to know what to do with sentimental items. We usually work our most cherished heirlooms into our home décor, but it’s harder to display other nostalgia items. Beloved knick-knacks wind up confined to a shelf in the basement—or worse: a box. Only on rare occasions do we bring them out to bask in fond memories.

It’s a shame. You probably don’t want to erect a shrine to grandma—especially if she still lives next door. However, being able to see and touch objects that are emotionally significant to you can make your home even more like home.

Displaying Sentimental Items by Making Them into Memory Crafts

Memory crafts help you share your memories while displaying sentimental items, but you can share those memories as well. With that in mind, I’ve been book-marking great ideas for crafts and displays using sentimental things. They’re in my Sharing Memories Pinterest board. Here are some of my favorites.

Broken Treasures into Art

Do you have broken sentimental items?

Did you accidentally break one of Grandma’s plates? Rather than throwing those pieces away, you can make a stepping stone. How to Make Stepping Stones with A Cake Pan gives step-by-step instructions.

Making mosaics out of broken tiles or plates is fun. A simple Google search will yield tons of ideas. Consider incorporating items from different places or homes, or sentimental things from various people. These also make a meaningful gift for that niece or nephew who is getting married or moving into their first home.

In Not Your Grandma’s Jewelry Box, Abby Wilk describes how she used her grandma’s broken china to make herself a jewelry holder.

I’ve also seen great jewelry holders made from unbroken candle sticks and china.

Displaying Sentimental Items out of Grandma’s Jewelry Box

Women often write about their fond memories of exploring their grandmother’s jewelry box. They write about it in such glowing terms; I wish I had the experience myself. (I enjoyed my mom’s though!)

Once I was at a Christmas party where the homeowner had made a beautifully lighted Christmas tree display out of jewelry he inherited from his grandmother. I didn’t take a photo of it (This was before smart phones.), but Marnie of The Vintage Chick has a great exemplar. Hint: You can do the same thing with buttons.

Similarly, last year my sister-in-law made a quilted door hanging with a Christmas tree on it. She used family jewelry to decorate the tree.

You can use the same technique to make a beautiful frame or bookmarks.

Outgrown Toys or Travel Trophies

Sometimes we’re just loathe to throw away toys our kids have out-grown or nostalgic things from a previous home or adventure. Growing up, we had a lamp filled with my father’s childhood marbles. Now I have one on my hearth. (Unfortunately, I dropped the original one.)

You can also fill a lamp, vase, or shadow box with sentimental items and childhood artifacts. For instance, this post from Arcados de Decoraco shows how to decorate frames with those precious treasures.

Maps

Don’t overlook making maps into wonderful crafts. See Repurposing Memories: DIY Projects Using Maps.

Repurposing and Displaying other Sentimental Items

Do you have items that have a lot more nostalgic value than monetary worth? Think of ways to use them around the house. Maybe the old no-longer-to-code highchair can hold plants. The foot-pumped sewing machine can work as a side table.

Of course, if it will fit in a frame, display it on the wall!

Your Turn

What ideas do you have for displaying sentimental items in your home? Please comment below!

Note: This is an updated post. It was originally published as How to Display Sentimental Things: 4 Great Ideas

https://www.treasurechestofmemories.com/display-sentimental-things-4-great-ideas/