Do you feel burdened with sentimental clutter? If so, these practical solutions will show you how to use and enjoy your sentimental items… and give you permission to let go of the rest.
What would I find if I looked in the back of your storage closet? What about on the top shelf in the garage? Or shoved behind a bunch of boxes in the basement or attic?
Maybe things like…
- baby clothing you no longer use or need but can’t part with
- special handmade quilts or blankets you’ve never used for their intended purpose
- decades worth of kids’ artwork and school projects
- photos and videos (or maybe negatives and slides)
- old letters and cards from relatives you don’t even remember
- your wedding dress and other special-occasion outfits you will never wear again
- family heirlooms and memorabilia you think your kids might want someday
- antique furniture that no one else is willing to store
I realize I’m not the most sentimental woman around, but I DO think these sentimental items have a place and purpose in our homes.
For the record, that place is not in a box or bin shoved in the back of a closet (only to be unearthed when we move).
My favorite sentimental items serve as daily reminders of special people, places, and times in my life… so if I’m going to keep them, I want to see them and use them and enjoy them in and around my home each day.
I want my kids to know who these treasures came from and why we have them.
I want them to ask questions about my relatives and about Dave and my pasts. I want to pass down stories about “way back when”, before they were born.
I want to smile when I use my great-grandma’s sugar bowl, or when the kids snuggle up with a book while wrapped in my old t-shirt quilt.
I want to smell my grandma’s house EVERY time I open the drawer of my nightstand (her old sewing cabinet).
I want to see my kids’ eyes sparkle when they pass by their artwork on display throughout our home (instead of just stored in a box).
Truly, I feel like I am honoring my past and my family by using and enjoying these sentimental items in my home and in my life each day.
Let’s stop storing our sentimental items in the back of the basement storage closet.
And let’s stop struggling to find more storage space because we feel too guilty to admit we really don’t want to keep something.
Instead, let’s look for practical solutions to USE and ENJOY these items… and then willingly part with the things we don’t love as much.
Need some help getting started? Keep reading!
My Personal “Rules” for Sentimental Items:
- I will not make rash decisions (think about it for a bit before deciding).
- I will not pay to store something just because it’s sentimental (a.k.a. no storage units).
- I will not be guilted into storing something because other family members don’t want to store it or because I happen to have the most available storage space.
- I will not hang onto anything because I think there’s a small chance my children might want it someday (most likely, they won’t).
- I will be selective with what I save and take pictures of items I let go.
- I will only keep sentimental items with positive memories.
- I will remind myself that my memories are not tied to the physical item, and removing the item will not erase the memories.
- I will consciously weigh the “costs” of hanging onto sentimental items (space in my home, mental tension, emotional stress, etc.)
- I will try my best to repurpose sentimental items into pieces I can use, display, and/or enjoy in my everyday life.
- I will not get upset if these items break because I’m using and enjoying them.
- I will make a point to enjoy the extra space in my home (and my brain) once I finally allow myself to let go of the sentimental items I no longer want or need.
Here are a few examples of how we do this in our home… hopefully it will spark some out-of-the-(storage)-box ideas for you! ☺️
Furniture & Other Bulky Items
One of the biggest factors that determines if I will keep a sentimental item or not is how much storage space it requires — often, big bulky furniture does not make the cut for me (unless I can use it in my home).
Storing large pieces of sentimental furniture can be a huge burden on your home, your family, and your life… ask yourself, is it really worth the “cost”.
Like I mentioned above, your memories are NOT tied to the physical item — a picture could serve as a space-saving way to stir up your memories.
Or, get creative and figure out a way to use the furniture item (or part of it) in your everyday life.
How we use sentimental furniture in our home:
- I repainted my grandma’s sewing cabinet and now use it as the nightstand in our master bedroom.
- I use my grandma’s sewing machine as my personal sewing machine on a weekly basis.
- I repainted my grandma’s high chair and now use it as a decorative element in our dining room (or a handy toddler chair when guests eat over!)
- We used wood from the old barn on our property to build our mock-outhouse shed.
- We used wood from my grandpa’s barn to make the wood countertops in our outbuilding.
- We used some of the OLD wood taken from the walls of our house to create fun signs and decorative shelves in our home.
- I made a slipcover for my grandma’s living room chair and now use it in our den.
- We use an old wringer washer in our landscape to hold a big “washtub” full of flowers.
There are countless ways you can give new life (and usefulness) to a sentimental item.
HOWEVER, there’s also no shame in letting bulky furniture items go.
When my grandma died, I took pictures before selling most of her furniture on Craigslist because none of the other grandkids wanted anything, and I didn’t want to continue storing it.
I made a few thousand bucks (which was A LOT back when we were newly married) and I still have a handful of really meaningful items that we use every day.
Fabric Items
Raise your hand if you still have your wedding dress stored in a box somewhere in your home?
There’s no shame… but you might consider what benefits you’ve gotten from keeping it in your house after all these years — moving it, organizing and cleaning around it, having 582 mental debates about if you should or should not continue to store it, etc.
Similarly, do you have bins of old baby clothes, t-shirts, or special sentimental outfits? And what about that stack of quilts, cross-stitch, embroidery, and doilies from various friends and relatives?
I get it — these items don’t take up nearly as much space as furniture, so you might as well keep them.
But do you really want it all?
Do you have a use for it?
Would you rather enjoy some of it than let it sit in the back of your storage closet?
Do you benefit from it in any way?
I encourage you to consider ways you might be able to utilize these fabric items in your home and life, then choose a small handful of favorites, and donate the rest (take a few pictures if you’d like).
How we use and display sentimental fabric items.
- I framed a handful of my grandma’s embroidery projects to use as decorations throughout the house.
- I used my old high-school and college sports t-shirts to make a t-shirt quilt that we use daily.
- I turned my wedding dress into a baptism outfit for our boys.
- Nora wore my baptism dress and Clara wore Dave’s grandpa’s baptism dress (who she is named after).
- Nora and Clara actually wore the red winter coat my mom, my sisters, and I wore as a toddler.
- I used some old baby items to create doll quilts for the girls and Dave’s baby blanket now lives with our doll things.
- I actually use some of my grandma’s old tablecloths.
- I have a pair of my grandpa’s leather baby booties on display upstairs.
- The kids use an old apron from my grandma when they play dressup.
- I created a simple, inexpensive collage of various handiwork projects from Dave and my grandmas, great-grandmas, great-aunts, and family friends for Clara’s nursery (and now our master bedroom).
Truly, there are SO many ways you can use, display, and enjoy old fabric items — and it’s so much more fulfilling than keeping them in a box in the back of your storage closet because you feel guilty getting rid of anything!
Paper Items (Pictures, Books, Artwork, etc.)
Sentimental paper items are often the sources of much anxiety and stress in many housholds.
But they don’t have to be!
I promise, your children will not resent you if you don’t keep every single paper they bring home from school. And I’m confident your relatives will not be upset if you toss a few old photos.
How we use and display sentimental paper items.
- I make digital photo books for each child as well as one for our family every year.
- We digitized all my parents’ and Dave’s parents’ photos so we can always reprint them or look back on them if we want to.
- We proudly display all our family photo books and the kids’ photo books on an easily-accessible shelf so the kids can look through all our photos at any time.
- I’ve intentionally hung various old family portraits throughout our home so the kids can see (and ask about) old relatives.
- I’ve displayed some of my childhood artwork in the girls’ bedroom and some of Dave’s in the boys’ bedroom.
- I bundle old letters with twine and use them as decorations throughout the house.
- I installed huge magnet boards in my office and on the side of the fridge for photos and artwork.
- I created a big collage of various family pictures on a shelf in our office… and I’ve arranged all our old books by color on the shelf above. It’s always a gathering spot for new visitors!
- Each child has a thin box to store some of their “most important paperwork” items in. When the box gets full, they purge some of it.
- I regularly take pictures of their art projects and add them to their digital photo books.
- We created a simple gallery wall upstairs for all the kids’ artwork. We rotate new items in regularly (and trash the old pieces).
Don’t let yourself be a prisoner in a sea of sentimental paper… figure out a way to display your favorites, create a plan to digitize some, and purge the rest.
Miscellaneous Items
And what about everything else?
Honestly, there’s no way I could possibly give examples of every sentimental item that might be taking up storage space in your home… but I can continue to encourage you to intentionally sift through it (little by little) and make forward progress.
Also, feel free to leave a question in the comments if you have a specific item you’d like advice on — it’s very likely that someone will have helpful advice!
How we use and display misc. sentimental items.
- I had my grandma’s diamond ring made into a necklace that I actually enjoy wearing (versus a ring I’d never wear).
- I use a handful of my grandma’s vintage blue canning jars for vases and other decorative containers throughout the house.
- I have clay handprints of the kids hanging on hooks in our den (they LOVE looking at how small their hands used to be!)
- We installed the brass door knocker from Dave’s grandparent’s house on our master bedroom door (it’s engraved with “DEKKER”)
- I have a few plates and vintage cake tins from our grandmas on display throughout the kitchen and dining area.
- I actually USE my grandma’s rolling pin on a regular basis.
- I planted several Peace Lillies from my grandparent’s old farm, and enjoy them every spring.
- I display a variety of antique pillboxes and soap holders in our bathroom (we found them in my Grandma’s sewing kit).
Still Stuck? Store it Decoratively!
If you don’t have a garage, basement, or attic and you don’t know how to use or display the item, but you really really want to keep it, my practical suggestion is to store it decoratively.
Find a stack of cute trunks or a bench or ottoman with storage inside and use that space to store family photo albums, kids’ art projects, or even old quilts. The trunk, bench, and ottoman will look nice, it will serve as useful furniture in your home, and your sentimental items will be easily accessible if you ever want to look through them.
In full disclosure, I do have one clear plastic tub with some of Dave and my old yearbooks and various memorabilia from our childhood (see picture above), and then another smaller tub with a few fabric items from our grandmas.
There’s no one “right way” to do this…
All I’m suggesting is that we take a more intentional approach to our sentimental treasures.
- Honestly assess why you’re keeping the items (guilt is not a valid reason).
- Consider if there is a way to use or display your sentimental treasures.
- Be proactive about removing sentimental items that no longer have a purpose or a place in your home and life.
ONE MORE TIP: ask a friend to help.
Often, a friend will offer an outside perspective and give you the little nudges you might need to part with items that have been taking up too much space in your home for too long.
You’ll get so much joy from using and displaying more of your sentimental items… and you’ll gain so much space from letting other items go.
How to USE and ENJOY your sentimental clutter?
I’d love to read about it in the comments!
Tammy says
Thanks for all the great ideas. I have been sorting through my in-laws stuff and the sentimental stuff is difficult. I now have some ideas next time I go through the boxes.
Andrea says
You’re welcome! It’s always nice to have a few fresh ideas 🙂
Barbara Baker says
My mother-in-law did beautiful needlepoint artwork, and we still have a piano bench cushion cover she made years ago. Piano benches that size are no longer sold, and it doesn’t fit the one we have. I’m perplexed about what to do with it. Custom framing it would be good, but the needlework is done on gold fabric, and neither we nor anyone else in our family have rooms that gold would fit in. So the needlepoint beautifully sewn by a precious member of our family who is now in heaven sits in plastic on a garage shelf. Do you have any ideas of what to do with it?
Andrea says
Hi Barb,
I wonder… could you make a decorative throw pillow out of the piano seat cushion?
That’s the only idea I have other than framing it (like you suggested).
Barbara S. Baker says
There again, the color is all wrong for anything decorative. You or one of the other ladies mentioned putting pictures in a 3-inch embroidery hoop, adding ribbon and using it for Christmas tree ornaments. I like that idea, and I’m thinking that I could cut circles in strategic places on the needlework and make ornaments for family members. That way the art of my mother-in-law wouldn’t be wasted. Otherwise, it remains stored away.
Andrea says
Yes, I suggested the 3″ embroidery hoops for Christmas tree ornaments. You could even give them as gifts to several of your relatives so everyone could have a little piece of the memory!
Wanda says
I’ve also taken many pieces (furniture quilts and other) and used them to furnish and decorate my guest room. Now it feels like I step back in time when I walk into that room and my guests sometimes even have questions that are conversation starters. And I display teapots on a shelf in my kitchen from china sets of grandmas and moms that I switch out spring, summer, fall and winter depending on the season.
Wanda says
My Mom was an excellent seamstress and made my wedding gown from the example of a designer gown we found in a store. I hang it in from a pretty hanger on one of the walls in our bedroom because I love the soft ivory colour and its vintage “look” in our vintage room. It’s “art” in it’s own sense that I didn’t have to pay for and it reminds me of the vows we took on our wedding day.
Andrea says
This is such a great idea — so simple, and I love that it works for you!
Lisa says
Hear. Hear. Love this post. I had Erna, a local seamstress/quilter, repurpose my Mom’s wedding dress into two identical quilt/wall hangings that also incorporate material and lace from my wedding dress and material from my sister-in-law’s bridesmaid dress (that I still had!) Before Erna cut into my mom’s wedding dress, she called me TWICE! “Are you sure?” It pained her to cut up a wedding dress . . . looking back I probably should have cut it up and just taken her the material! My next plan is to turn my husband’s wedding suit pants (which are faded and worn through) into a tie he can wear.
I gathered up my old middle school journals (we had to write 15 minutes per day) and am letting my 16 year old niece read them before I shred them. She thinks it is hilarious that I wrote down what my high school “crush” at the time was wearing and how many times I saw him during the day. “Today Kurt had on his blue stripe shirt . . .” She is also enjoying reading things I wrote about her dad, my youngest brother!
Does anyone have a good idea about creative Christmas ornaments from fabric? I worked for a company for 12 years and have an old logo from a sweatshirt that I want to turn into a keepsake ornament for me to remember the good times. Thoughts?
I love reading what others have done.
Andrea says
These are such fun ideas! Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa 😉
As for Christmas ornaments — I’ve been cutting way back on those too as we just get SOOOO many! What about getting little 3″ embroidery hoops and putting bits of fabric in those — then hanging them with festive ribbon and a bell?
Lisa says
Andrea, I like that idea for the ornament. It’s quick and easy. Thanks!
Andrea says
yes, quick and easy are my specialties! 🙂
Janice says
When I repainted our master bath, I framed 3 of my grandma’s handkerchiefs and hung them above my towels and a fairly large embroidery picture of flowers that my mom had done in her retirement and hung that on another wall. The colors in both are perfect accents for my new paint job.
Andrea says
That’s such a great idea! Thanks for sharing it with everyone, Janice!
Donna Braam says
Hi Andrea! I have that same aspirin tin from my mom. I keep it in my purse with Tylenol in it.
Andrea says
Hi Donna! Nice to hear from you again 🙂
I love that you have the same Tylenol container (and that you actually use it!) — how fun!
sue says
I have seen you post several times that you have made slip covers or covers for furniture. Where do you get your patterns or how have you learned to do it? I have a chair that I really do not want to get rid of and the covers I find in the store are 1. really over priced, and 2 made out of junky material.
Any insight would be great.
Andrea says
Hi Sue,
Here’s my post all about slipcovers. I have a local gal who I hire to make all my slipcovers. It’s not cheap by any means, but it allows me to make all my furniture washable!
Also, much of IKEA’s furniture has slipcovers.
Susanne says
I loved this post! The best way I reused my children’s baby clothes, was making patchwork Christmas stockings for my husband and me. A family friend made them and included pockets and ruffles from the clothing. She used the buttons to put mine and my husband’s first initial on the stockings. They are priceless to me!
Andrea says
that’s such a fun idea — thanks for sharing it with others who might be reading the comments!
Margaret says
My “coffee table” is a wooden crate from a factory my gramma worked in as a kid. Bonus–it also holds a good bit of my yarn stash, plus knitting needles and WIPs. I have a couple of smaller wooden boxes that were hers; one holds wallet/keys/phone/reading glasses, and the other incoming mail. I also have a tin box holding computer stuff, and a pigeon-hole-sorter-thingy where I keep office supplies.
The problem is with her textiles. She earned her living for the last 25 years or so of her life as a handweaver. I have some tablecloths in regular rotation, but there is a lot I’ll never use because my preferred color palate does not include Mamie Eisenhower pink and green!
My sister guilted me into taking her loom and other weaving equipment. I’m ready to sell it, but not sure how to go about it. I know I will never use it, since I have mobility impairments that would make throwing the shuttle very painful.
Andrea says
yeah, I’m not a pink/green person either 🙂
I’d try selling the loom… I’ve seen more and more textile crafts coming back these days. Maybe search on Instagram for someone who works with a loom and see if they know how/where to sell it.
Melanie B. says
Your ideas for using sentimental items in our everyday lives was extremely helpful! I really enjoyed reading this segment. I will definitely put your ideas to use! My Mom recently passed away and now I have about five different sets of china (most stored in my basement!). I do have two full sets in my dining room, one of which was my grandmother’s and one was my Mom’s. It’s one of those items that you THINK that one day you would like to pass down your children, even though I know they would never use it and it would then be stored in their basement. With your ideas, I was thinking that maybe I would just keep a few pieces from each set and display them! Honestly never thought about doing that before! Thank you!
Andrea says
Thanks Melanie 🙂
I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I love the idea of just keeping a few pieces and passing the rest a long. You could even keep one plate from each set and do a collage on a wall in your kitchen in dining room. Just some ideas!
Lisa says
Hi. Would you consider using the China plates for breakfasts or dessert? If a piece breaks, there is more . . . I started using my favorite China dessert plates for my breakfast every morning. It makes me so happy.
Melanie says
Thank you Lisa! That is a wonderful idea that I had not thought of!
Danielle Henzel says
I just sent the nursing cover I used with all 4 of my kids to be made into a lap quilt. I can’t wait to use it!
Andrea says
that’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing 😉
JJ says
Andrea, I never realized how many decor items in your home are memorabilia–clever and lovely! I will definitely be referencing this post a lot.
My weakness was scrapbooks. As in I had about 15 from before having kids. I loved it, and it was therapeutic. But they take up so much space.
For years my husband and I looked into an affordable solution but found none that were practical. Then my husband signed me up for an app called Sync. It is similar to Dropbox, but you can “vault” items where you can use the website to store items instead of the app(which reduces the amount of memory your phone uses). So I can have online access or app access(my choice) to my beloved pictures! BUT I could not find a 12 x 12 scanner(the size of most of my scrapbook pages). So I decided to just take pictures with my cell phone. I was so pleased, and as I took pictures of the pages I texted friends and family(who had never seen the pictures or pages!). So it was really special and now others can share the memories or just delete them. You can share links to the individual pictures, or you can send links to the created albums(which I have been doing for each scrapbook album…creating easy and fast access to the scrapbook pages). I wasn’t sure if I’d be okay throwing them away, but if felt soooo good reducing clutter. I am still in the process, and it feels so good! Thank you for constant inspiration!
Andrea says
Honestly, I never realized I had so many sentimental items either until I started coming up with ideas for the post! It’s been fun to realize how many sentimental items we use and enjoy every day.
And thanks again for sharing your clever and fun way to digitize your lovely scrapbooks. This is such a “simple” idea, I’m so glad it worked for you… and super impressed that you threw all the books away!
Ann says
I’m just wondering if you’ve considered making a recipe book, {similar to your children’s yearly books} with a photo of the person who gave you the recipe beside the recipe?
Thanks for your inspiration!
Andrea says
Hi Ann,
Yes, I have considered it — but it’s one of those “someday projects” that I don’t want to do badly enough right now to give it the time it needs. Also, I doubt I’d have photos of all the people… but I could still include photos of the recipes so I could see their handwriting.
It’s definitely an idea I keep “simmering” on the back burner!
Heather says
I took a picture of my daughter in every new outfit, so I kept very few baby clothes.
Andrea says
That’s a great idea!
Brooke says
I saw a really cute idea for trophies. They lined them all up and took a picture, then pealed off all the plaques with their name/place. They then framed the pictures with the plaques on the matting. I believe they then donated the trophies themselves to a local charity that repurposes them.
Andrea says
oh this IS a good idea — thanks for sharing Brooke!
Carolyn Krull says
Hi Andrea,
After digitizing your old photos what did you do with the actual prints from many years ago? I’ve had people tell me that some day we may not be able to retrieve them some day even tho I have uploaded them to Shutter Fly and have backed them up on a couple of hard drives I still have trouble getting rid of the actual prints.
Andrea says
I honestly purged most of them. My parents wanted to save my baby photo book, so i gave that back to them, and Dave and I saved a handful of favorite pictures… but we tossed the rest. It felt GREAT!
Lauren Bolton says
Hi Andrea, I always think of you when I’m trying to declutter my house, but I’m a hoarder at heart, albeit an “organized” hoarder. I have such a difficult time getting rid of things. I’d love to know whether you keep any cards (Christmas, birthday, anniversary, etc.) you might receive and if so, how do you decide which ones to keep and what do you do with them? The ones I keep tend to be from my immediate family, but I don’t know what to do with them. Thank you!
Andrea says
haha — well I think I’m glad that you always thinking of me 🙂 And you are not alone in the fact that purging is difficult for you!
As for cards, we don’t keep any — literally ZERO! I have taken pictures of a few of the kids’ baby cards and put those pictures in their photo albums, but that’s it.
That said, I know people who keep a large ring/clip type thing and punch holes in all the cards they get for the entire year. Then they label each ring by year and store the cards on hooks that are on display so anyone can thumb through their cards. I thought that was a pretty clever idea — and very simple too.
Michelle says
We recently attended a funeral. Alongside the photos of the life of our beloved great aunt, there was a nicely decorated 3 ring binder which held cards she had received throughout the years. She had written a note of the reason she had received it and the date on the inside and placed them in the binder and apparently went through them frequently. It was nice and we felt honored she had thought enough of them to do that. I’ve always felt cards are a waste of money because they’re read and discarded. However, that made me wish I had saved my cards…not necessarily every one of them but the most important ones. My dad told me he has kept every card he has ever gotten from his kids. When he passes away I think it will be neat to go through them and see what the inside messages were through the years. I guess we don’t have to wait til he passes, he’d probably be happy to pull them out now and let us go through them. My parent’s birthdays are only about 2 weeks apart. One year, without even consulting one another, my sister and I had chosen the exact same cards for them for their birthdays. Once was a coincidence but twice was kind of neat. Great minds think alike I guess! Ha ha.
Marlene says
Regarding Christmas, birthday and anniversary cards. I kept them for years but then went through them recently and recycled most of them since there were no personal notes inside. I did keep a handful of them from people who have since died that have a sweet message inside. As for Christmas cards, I did make a few of them into gift tags but most were recycled. After Christmas 2020, I saved 2019 but purged all prior years I had been saving.
Susanne says
You have given me a new name for myself: organized hoarder
Andrea says
haha — an “organized harder” is definitely better than just a “hoarder”!
Jennifer says
These are all great tips. We just sold our house, moved into a tiny apartment, and now we are about to move into a 42′ sailboat. Talk about major purging. What helped me let go of sentimental items was working on it in stages. I gave myself plenty of time to go through spaces and boxes 2 or 3 times, letting go of a little more each time. Every time I took another look at something it either dulled in my mind or stood out more as something I wanted to hold on to. At first I am overwhelmed by making a right decision, but as time goes by I guess my mind ponders and processes subconsciously and a decision comes more easily when I face it again. I have had soooo many of your purging posts in mind lately!!
Andrea says
Wow! How exciting! I get motion sickness — so living on a boat sounds horrible to me, but definitely like a fun adventure for someone without motion sickness 🙂
And yes, I agree with moving in stages — purge a little now, then a little more later, and a little more later. I often purge my closet this way. I get rid of the bulk of it upfront, but then I realize that since I got rid of that skirt, I now don’t have anything to wear these 2 shirts with — so I purge the 2 shirts, etc. etc. etc.
Stephanie says
I’m sorting through my kids’ old school papers. I am good about decluttering but this is a tough area for me. How much do I save from each year?
Jennifer says
Hi Stephanie. I read about an idea I think I will use: start a hanging file box for each kid and use one hanging file folder per school year; narrow down to what will fit in the one file folder. I think it’s a nice compact way to manage year to year.
Stephanie says
Thanks, Jennifer! That makes sense and it puts some limits on what can be kept. I am going to try that. 🙂
Andrea says
This is a great idea — thanks for sharing Jennifer!
Andrea says
Well, I don’t save much (but that’s just me). My mom saved a lot and I literally tossed it all after she gave me the huge bin of saved paperwork. I didn’t save anything because I don’t remember doing any of it and it wasn’t important for me.
As I mentioned in this post, I often take pictures of the kids artwork because then they can see it and remember it but we don’t actually keep any of it.
Tammy says
I made a three ring binder with tabs for each year and kept report cards, certificates, writing, a few art pieces (anything with a hand print), sport pictures, school picture. At graduation, the book was on display for everyone to look through. I also made each kid a scrapbook for a graduation gift from birth to graduation with only 2 pages per year. Nice memory of highlights of their life .
Andrea says
This is a great idea — how wonderful for your kids too!
Katy says
I have really changed the way I look at sentimental items. 2 years ago, we lost everything in a tornado, and only a few sentimental items were found. It was devastating at the time (because I had so many special items from grandparents, etc.), but I’ve realized that not having the items doesn’t erase the memories, doesn’t change how important the people associated with those items are/were. Since then, I’ve become much more intentional about taking pictures of things and storing them digitally, and much more selective in what I do choose to store. Thanks for another great post!
Andrea says
Sorry for your loss Katy — that sounds devastating. I don’t think you are alone in your thought process though — I know SO many people who admit to FINALLY being able to purge sentimental items after some sort of disaster (flood, fire, theft, unexpected death, etc). It’s like the “wake-up” call they needed to finally move on and purge!
Leanne says
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Maiden Jane quilt I had made several years ago from our favorite baby blankets 🙂 I’ll probably take it to the Nursing home with me someday!! I also do digital albums, because I do not have time for traditional scrapbooks anymore… but, I love having albums!
Andrea says
Yeah, someday I want to make a quilt with baby blankets — for now, the kids are still using most of theirs 🙂