DIY Ways To Display Collections and Mementos Without Clutter
April 14, 2025
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Beautiful DIY ways to display mementos and keepsakes around your home.
Framing photos or filling photo albums isn't the only way to display memorabilia -- these are simple ways honor your special memories and create some fun conversation starters as well!
It's been a sentimental few months for our family! Our son is graduating high school in a soon and we're experiencing a lot of "lasts" with him lately. (I know many firsts are to come too, it is very bittersweet!)
And as I shared in my last post, we recently had to say goodbye to our sweet dog of 14 years, Peanut. Needless to say, I've been a bit emotional. 💙
Early this year I started decluttering like crazy -- it's been years since I've purged our home like that. This process included sorting through a lot of old bins and paperwork that have been stored away.
During that decrapification I found so many items with such wonderful memories attached to them, and I was determined to figure out ways to display them in our home.
I cannot tell you how much joy it has brought me to see so many of these throughout my day!
Most of these ideas are easy to complete and don't cost much at all.
A lot of our keepsakes are small -- I've struggled with adding them around the house because they look cluttered instead of cherished items. I've found that grouping them together makes them look more purposeful (and pretty!).
When we moved years ago, I packed away a baggie of these matchbooks from our travels. I was so excited to find them again!:
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This one was easy -- I just placed them in a decorative bowl by a candle. I can't tell you how many times I've gone through them in the past few months, reminiscing about the exact dinner or travel that corresponds to each one.
Here are some more ways to display matchbook covers:
- Attach them to the back of a shadowbox frame to create artwork.
- Hot glue magnets to the back for a fun way to display them (this would work best with match boxes).
- Have an artist make custom artwork with your match covers -- this would be perfect if you don't have the physical book but can find examples online.
I love the custom artwork idea, probably because we have something similar that a friend made for us:
When my husband retired from teaching (he was a band director), a close friend had this beautiful art made with every school musical he had conducted over the years.
It's one of our most treasured pieces and I think it would be a brilliant idea for a student who's involved in theater or the arts. You could make something similar with playbills from theater productions, artwork for marching band shows, or program covers from concerts.
What a special way to honor a student or teacher! If you are knowledgeable with photo editing programs, you could make one of these yourself.
During my purge I found a little container with a bunch of tiny keepsakes. It made me sad that they were hidden away, so I grabbed a display case I had and started adding the items:
The case (I think I got it from HomeGoods) has a glass lid, so the items are protected against debris and dust, but I can easily see them when I go to turn my lamp on and off every day.
It makes me smile every single time! The items probably wouldn't make sense to anyone else, but each one represents a memory or place that I love. Some are items I've picked up, a few are gifts from my husband's travels and a couple are just goofy inside jokes and gifts that make me happy when I see them.
The case is very unassuming, but I love that it holds so many of my favorite little mementos:
I've shared how I organized all of the paper keepsakes like kid's artwork and childhood photos. Another way I display them is on the giant bulletin board I made in my office.
At first I used this huge DIY upholstered pin board for work items like paint samples, pages from magazines I've been published in, inspiration pics -- stuff like that:
But over the past few months I've filled it even more with little trinkets from friends, our travels and my childhood:
I hung handwritten notes and cards from friends and family, photos that I love to see everyday, whatever makes me happy. (I even hung the back of my folding chair from the La-Z-Boy Design Dash event that I won years ago. 😀)
If it makes me feel good, I put it up there. Anywhere else, this might feel overwhelming to me, but in my office it feels just right:
The method of grouping items together works well here -- having the items contained to only the bulletin board keeps it meaningful but collected.
If you have a lot of similar small items, my DIY picture ledges are a great way to display them!
I've grouped plenty of framed photos on these of course, but we also use them to display my son's Funko Pop collection:
It worked so well! They are the perfect size for these little figurines. You could also do thinner ledges for Lego minifigures collections.
If you have ton of similar artwork, photos or plaques, I recommend using these ledges. My husband's office is a work in progress, but I shared a peek into this room and the ledges that corral all of his plaques:
He has a TON and we've tried hanging them all on the wall...but it gets overwhelming and cluttered VERY fast. These ledges make them into a cool collection, and they stay nice and secure because of the lip on the front.
I recently picked up a shadowbox from Micheal's to create a memorial for our dog Peanut. I got the 6 x 14 size shadowbox and it was perfect to hold some of his things as well as a few precious gifts we've received:
We all cried when I finished it. :)
It's something little that we'll see every time we walk into our laundry/mud room:
His harness and leash always hung on those hooks, so this spot seemed fitting.
A shadowbox is such a sweet way to memorialize a loved one, pet, or a special trip or event. This would be a make a lovely gift after a wedding or birth as well. I wish I had thought of this sooner! :)
My family implements one more idea that I wanted to mention, but I don't have a photo because they are packed away with our holiday decor.
I have many clear, glass ornaments with pieces of fabric tucked inside from loved ones who have passed away. Sometimes it's from a favorite piece of clothing, or a blanket, a handkerchief...anything will do! It's a sweet way to remember people we love during the holidays.
Have you added any special displays of memories around your home? So many of these would make great DIY gifts to celebrate life's milestones -- a new baby, graduation or marriage. Or just to show someone you love how much they mean to you. 💗
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We just lost our sweet pup after 15 years so your shadowbox made me tear up. One thing the vets who came to our house the day we said goodbye said people will take some of their hair and put it in a clear Christmas ornament. I'm glad they mentioned that because we were able to get some clippings.
ReplyDeleteLovely of you to share such cherish-able memories meaningful to you only. I like the case with a clear covering that you keep them in and as you said: you can view them and smile when turning on/off the light. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAwwwww, always loved seeing peanut here....such a pretty shadowbox to see everyday!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for the loss of your sweet baby. The shadowbox you made is a wonderful tribute.
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