I believe the best memories happen in the most unexpected times. Don’t get me wrong, I love the traditions with family at the holidays, but isn’t there something special about a special moment that comes along unexpectedly? Steph talked about this earlier this week in her blog post!
The trick comes when you try to capture these moments. One way I do this is by taking FULL advantage of the space in my home. Everything I bring in as decor has a meaning and with that generates a memory. See below for an example in my home – this is a built-in shelf in my living room that I use to display my memories.
Below are a few other ideas have not tried yet, but believe me… they are on “the list”.
PHOTO WALLS
What a great way to display the people in your life. You can include photos of people in your life, photos from a vacation you went on, or anything really that helps tell your story. Below are a few of my favorites!
HOUSE OF SMITHS. She took a wall and used it as their family wall. There are great pictures of all of the kids as well as her and her husband. My favorite here is that all of the colors in the photos coordinate with her color scheme in her house! I am sure every day she walks by and remembers that special day when they took all of the photos! Click here to see more images on their wall.
YOUNG HOUSE LOVE – Just look at what this couple has done! They use photos as well, but have added in all kinds of different thing they find or things that stick out to them. If you follow their blog, you will see that this wall is constantly changing and new things are being added or switched out. What a great way to keep a fresh memory wall in your house! Click here for more on their wall.
KASEY BUICK – You can’t mention gallery walls without showing the one by Kasey Buick. I love her mix-match style that she uses up her stairway! Click here to read her explanation on a gallery wall.
Now for a few more ideas that you can do in your home!
RECIPE ARTWORK
Memories are often times formed around the dinner table. What better way to display those memories than with a recipe.
HOUSE OF TURQUOISE. The picture below is one that I saw on House of Turquoise. In this particular house, they have taken a recipe and used it as a piece of art in their kitchen. What a great idea! One day I will do this for my kitchen – maybe I will use a family recipe of Mac and Cheese or a favorite desert. Either way – each time I walk by I it will remind me of all of the special family gatherings where we shared that dish. How sweet! You can see the rest of the house below in this post.
TATTERED STYLE – Tattered Style took another approach to using a recipe and framed the original copies. I just love seeing the handwriting on these. I would love to have a few old handwritten recipes to look at each day! Click here for a DIY tutorial on how to create your own framed recipes.
OLD FAMILY LETTERS
I think it would also be great to have some old letters to frame. Maybe it is a journal entry or maybe it is a love letter between your Grandparents. Either way – there is something so special about the written word. Easy personalized artwork… just for you! Below is an idea featured in Southern Living – this was simply an old letter that a couple found of a letter addressed to his grandfather from his grandmother.
I hope this gives you some ideas to do around your house. Surround yourself with things you love…things that bring back memories… special moments in time.
** The quote I used today is one that I borrowed from Story People. I just love this artwork and have a few of them up in my house! Click here to see their take on the quote above.
