So where do you put the sentimental stuff you've decided to keep?

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So where do you put the sentimental stuff you've decided to keep?

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Started 1 year ago by pammyfay
Latest reply from pkilmain
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pammyfay
Member

I had some items in an old file box, certainly not the best solution. These are items which are my personal history, which I like going through maybe twice a year, to smile at, to shed a few tears over a card written by someone no longer here, to remember a certain point in my life--not stuff that I want displayed.

I don't want to tuck this stuff in the basement, don't have an attic--the old file box was on a shelf in my bedroom closet. And in that "what if" line of thinking, if I had to leave quickly and had enough time, it would be something I'd go grab.

Suggestions of what to put this stuff in? A regular Rubbermaid tote would do it, I suppose. Anything else?

Posted 1 year ago #
Claycat
Member

Pammyfay, I was just writing about sentimental papers in my challenge thread.

If you only have one container of stuff, you are doing great! The tote sounds good.

If you are a young person, you might consider always keeping it to this minimum. If you are older, like me, I doubly commend you for keeping your sentimental clutter limited!

Posted 1 year ago #
lazycow
Member

A beautiful box? I'm looking for a laquered Chinese-style wooden box to house my treasures. Not too big, and when it's full, that's it, nothing else gets added.

Posted 1 year ago #
jbeany
Member

I second the "only-one-OMG-really?" I've got 4 cardboard boxes of knickknacks and several plastic file boxes of pictures and papers. Although, as a former pack rat, that's really good for me. Even better that I've managed to avoid the "I love it so it all must be on display always" compulsion.

If I were down to one box, I'd want it to be something plastic, with a snap close lid with a built in handle. Two of my file boxes are like that, and they are so much easier to handle. I don't know how water proof or bug-proof they actually are, but at least they offer more protection than cardboard.

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

i winnowed my big shabby cardboard file box down to a small collection of precious letters and sentimental papers.
then i put those into a lovely woven bamboo balinese offering box with some vetiver root.
like this, but not painted: http://www.balishine.com/indonesian-handicraft-collection/various-traditional-items-5567

Posted 1 year ago #
Claycat
Member

Wow, those boxes sound neat! Jbeany, you reminded me about being bug proof!

Pammyfay, get some little pieces of cedar wood to put into whatever box you use. This will keep the bugs out. I believe I have seen some little cedar balls at The Container Store.

If you find a box lined with cedar, that's even better.

This makes me think. I would really like to have two cedar chests, one for bedding and one for papers. That would help seating, too!

Posted 1 year ago #
Claycat
Member

Look what I found!

http://www.thisnext.com/item/C2DD065A/Rubbermaid-Cedar-Storage-Totes

I guess it's okay to have cedar with paper. It certainly works with wool.

Posted 1 year ago #
ckka
Member

I have one small file box for each family member. I only keep the stuff that makes me really, really smile.

Just yesterday I went through all my wedding cards. We are celebrating 10 years in a few days, I decide to only keep a special few. The rest will let go on our anniversary. A little tough, but really I never, never look at them.

Posted 1 year ago #
toberead
Member

I don't have a lot of storage space, so I found a trunk that's attractive enough to serve as a coffee table in my living room. It's the perfect size to hold my mementos, and easy to access whenever I want to get them out and look at them. I find that I enjoy them much more since they're not hidden away on a closet shelf. The trunk is not completely water tight like a plastic bin would be, but I don't worry about that too much since it's in my main living space and not in an attic or basement.

Posted 1 year ago #
dkvietzke
Member

I've been going through boxes for quite a while now, pruning back my keepsakes. I have several banker's boxes full of stuff to discard. Stuff I have kept and carried around for 30+ years. This was unnecessary.
I have a small antique dresser handed down from my grandparents. It has two small drawers and one regular size drawer. My plan is to get everything I plan to keep as a keepsake - pictures, papers, knickknacks, stuffed toys, etc - anything I do not use on a regular basis - into this small dresser. I have actually made decisions on what to keep based on will it fit into the dresser.

Posted 1 year ago #
Jeri Dansky
Member

I just recently wrote a post about memory boxes:
http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2010/08/creating-memory-box.html

Posted 1 year ago #
trillie
Member

I have a huge metal box that was handmade for me by my ex-boyfriend, it's not waterproof or anything, but it was made for me and I love it. It's about 35 x 30 x 25 cm (approx. 14 x 12 x 9 inches) and holds stuff like letters or postcards from people, travel journals, small travel souvenirs, and random bits. Everything inside is sorted by person into sheet protectors. It's really my "archive" though, anything current from recent travels or postcards from this year are on my walls. :o)

Posted 1 year ago #
Honore
Member

I have a few ancestral photographs and old letters that I keep in a fireproof box (in a photo album type book), along with current family photos (stored in envelopes, by the year). The few knickknacks that have been passed on to me (only the ones I really like) are displayed in my home so I can enjoy them daily. I don't like to store away knickknacks.

Over the years, I've let go of many personally sentimental items and have only kept a tiny number of things. They're sufficient to bring back good memories, without cluttering up my current life.

Posted 1 year ago #
Anita
Member

+1 to the idea of a pretty box of your choosing displayed in a bookcase or similar.

My boyfriend has one (a Christmas-themed cube that I used as a gift box for the first present I ever gave him. He's cheesy like that and I love it) that holds old cards, notes and letters, as well as some sentimental objects (can't remember what's in there, since it's his box and I don't like to snoop). It's on a shelf in our den.

My sentimental stuff is a bit more scattered, mainly because I haven't found a box I love that's the right size. One of these days I'll have to go shopping for home decor and look for a box at the same time...

Posted 1 year ago #
pkilmain
Member

I still have lots of things scattered as well, but the one thing we have done is create a box for special cards. It's stored with our Christmas ornaments in a plastic tote in the crawl space. We take it out every year and on the day we take down our tree, we go through all the cards - mostly Christmas cards, but also special birthday and anniversary ones as well. We often get rid of a few, and then add in the ones from the current year. It's a tradition, and usually takes us about an hour with a cup of eggnog or hot chocolate.

Posted 1 year ago #

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