The best things about memories is making them....

Everyone has items they want to hold onto to remind them of a moment, but very few have somewhere to keep them. With no place to put them they just travel around the house or end up in your junk or bedside drawer, and they always stop you in your tracks when you try and start tidying up as you just don't know what to do with them. Having somewhere to store those precious things you want to keep is the key to stop this from happening, so invest in a memory box. There are a few things to think about when choosing one:

Buying a memory box:

✔ Do buy one big enough to store several items, I usually recommend 20-30cm for each dimension.

✔ Don't buy one so big you cannot find anywhere to store it and you end up keeping everything!

✔ Make sure you have somewhere in mind to keep it and that you measure up before you buy it so it will fit in that space.

✔ Make sure the space is in a place you can reach it fairly easily so you can add items, or take it down to look at, but not somewhere you need to store day to day items.

✔ Spend as much or as little as you want on it, just make sure it is beautiful.

✔ When you search for one look for a decorative storage box with a lid, I find if you search for a memory box you will end up with something a bit too small and usually far more expensive.

✔ Have one for every individual in the house; get them involved with choosing their own so it is personal to them.

What and how to store things

✔ I tend to store things by year for me, and for Jake (my son) we do it by academic year as it makes more sense. So think about who it is and what makes sense. I put things into a file for each year and pop them into the box.

✔ Jake's memory box is a mix of pictures, school work, tickets for shows etc. During the year I collect together all of the work / drawings he does and put them in a folder (with the date on each piece), at the end of the year we sit down and talk through which ones he wants to keep / spark memories for him and they go into his box.

✔ In my box (pictured), I have an eclectic mix of things, from my favourite hankie when I was really small, commemorative coins, pictures and cards Jake has made me through to my old Zippo lighter from my younger smoking days! It really is about what sparks those memories for you.

There is nothing more joyful than sitting down and looking through your memories, whether they make you laugh or cry. Jake and I spent a wet and windy Sunday afternoon looking through his recently, it was such a lovely way to spend the day together. So find yourself a lovely place to keep all those special memories, give yourself permission to keep them and a place to put them so you can enjoy them when you want to. If you missed my post on how to handle sentimental items you can find it here:

www.simplifybygeorge.com/post/sentimental