What’s Trending in Scrapbooking: Keepsake Boxes

I wonder what memories this box held?

It has been a long time since I have written a post for P.Lynne Designs. In fact, I can recall that the last post was in August, and it is now November. I do want to apologize for not posting in such a long time. Okay, with that in out of the way, I shall move forward. I am going to start by introducing a new segment in my blog called What’s Trending and Scrapbooking.

In this segment, date to be determined when I post on this subject, I will show you that you do not have to always use paper in order to keep a memory. This should be fascinating. Today’s subject is something that I found while searching through my emails. Today’s subject is called keepsake boxes.

Keepsake boxes isn't a new trend at all, in fact it is a practice that probably dates back to around the 1700's. It is also called a memory box. In this keepsake or memory box, you keep memories of an event in a person’s life such as a wedding, a birth, or even a death. Some of the most common things kept in a keepsake box are a lock of hair, a baby blanket, information on the baby’s birth and name, foot and hand prints.

The practice sort of went away for a while, but now it is making a comeback. I think one of the reasons is there is also another trend out called a smash book. In a smash book, you can also put memories of importance and it as well. The difference between a smash book and a keepsake box, is a smash book holds items such as ticket stubs, the napkin from a restaurant simply visited, a note, a card from a friend, and anything that is small enough to put in a book. However, a keepsake box keeps larger items like those that I mentioned in the previous paragraph. You can, however, merge the two ideas into one keepsake box.

The other reason why I am covering this subject, is because I ran across an article of a mother, who was creating a keepsake box for each of her three children. In each of the boxes, she started from the time each child was born, and started keeping items such as their special blanket, and she found out that her children were collectors. So things such as seashells they collect on the beach, to little feathers and other things started going into their boxes. Next thing she knew, she was starting her own scrapbooking business. In fact, she had started this business back in college, but had to close it when she got married, only to reopen it when she started the keepsake boxes. The business is called Chronicles.

You do not have to open up a scrapbook business in order to make beautiful memories. If you are not creative enough to start a scrapbook of your memories, try starting a keepsake box. All you have to do is find a wooden box that is big enough to hold your memories. Start by adding things such as ticket stubs, a napkin from your favorite restaurant, all the things that I mentioned that are needed for a smash book. I would also add in things such as fabric from your favorite blouse when it’s worn out, your college yearbook, your diary from when you were 13, or if you’re inclined, anything that your parents saved for you. If you want to go bigger, you can always collect sand from the favorite beach, the first dinner date, or even a favorite blanket. These are just examples of what you can put in a keepsake box. Some people do not have keepsake boxes, they have the biggest of them all called a hope chest.

This is just something for you to think about, that is also trending in scrapbooking.