Memory box ideas: what to keep and how to store it
Keep small objects and flat papers that each carry a story you can name. Give the box one subject, divide it by year or person, house paper in folders and number everything on a list.
A memory box is for things that cannot go on a page: a hospital name band, a first shoe, a medal, a cassette. Paper that lies flat often does better in a folder or a book.
Decide the subject before filling it. One child's school years, one house or one decade gives you a reason to say no to the rest.
Write a contents list as you go and keep it in the lid. Without it, whoever opens the box next has objects and no story.
Make a digital scrapbook
Add your photos and keepsakes in tbf scrapbook, then arrange them on the pages.
| Keepsake | How to house it | Keep it away from |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital name band | Flat in a small acid-free envelope, labelled in pencil on the outside | Rubber bands and paper clips, which mark and rust |
| Milk tooth or a curl of hair | A small lidded tube or a folded acid-free paper packet, labelled outside | Loose in the box, where it is easily lost |
| School artwork | Flat in a folder sized to the largest sheet, one year per folder | Folding to fit a smaller box |
| School reports and certificates | Flat in an acid-free folder, oldest at the back | Newspaper cuttings in the same folder |
| Newspaper cuttings | Their own folder, with a copy on better paper for handling | Letters, reports and photographs, which acidic paper can stain |
| Tickets and programmes | A clear polyester sleeve or a paper envelope, grouped by event | Sticky tape or glue |
| Badges, medals and keys | Wrapped in acid-free tissue or a small cloth bag | Direct contact with paper and prints |
| Baby shoes and small clothes | Clean, dry and folded with acid-free tissue, in their own section | Metal objects and damp |
| Pressed flowers | Between two sheets of acid-free paper inside a folder | Loose, where they crumble on to other items |
| Cassettes, discs and memory cards | A labelled pouch with a note of the contents, plus copies kept elsewhere | Being the only copy of what they hold |
What earns a place
Choose things that hold a fact you would otherwise lose: a name, a date, a place or a habit. One ticket proves the show happened; a fourth programme from the same theatre adds little.
- A hospital name band, a milk tooth in a small lidded tube, a first curl in a folded paper packet.
- One drawing or painting a school year, a swimming badge and the last school report.
- Keys from a house you left, a menu from a regular café, a bus pass with the photo still in it.
- A child's first pair of shoes or a knitted hat, cleaned and dry.
- Tickets, a race number or a festival wristband from one event that mattered.
- A cassette, disc or memory card, with a note of what is on it.
Choosing the box and its size
Measure the largest flat item before buying. An A4 certificate is 297 by 210 mm, so the inside base must be at least that, or the paper ends up bent or curled at the edges.
The US National Archives advises containers big enough for originals to lie flat without bending, filled so they cannot shift. Put in a spacer board when the box is only part full.
Use acid-free, lignin-free board for anything holding paper or photographs. A decorative tin or wooden chest suits objects, but put any paper inside it into folders first.
Dividing by year or by person
Use a divider for each year when the box follows one person over time. Use one for each person when it holds a household, and file shared things such as a holiday map under the year.
Give each item a number, write it in pencil on its folder, tag or pouch, and record the number, date and owner on the contents list. The list then works as an index.
Linking the box to a scrapbook
Photograph each object flat on a plain sheet in daylight, with a ruler beside it for scale. Use the photograph on a page and leave the object in the box.
Write the item number beside the photo on the page. A reader of the book can then find the real object, and a box searcher can find its story.
In tbf scrapbook a page can carry the object's photograph, your own words and an audio clip sent in by a relative, while the object itself stays boxed.
Steps
Empty and sort
Put everything on a clean table. Make three piles: keep in the box, keep as a photograph only, and pass on or recycle.
Measure, then buy
Measure the largest flat sheet and the bulkiest object. Buy the box, folders and dividers after that, not before.
House and number
Put papers in folders and objects in tissue or pouches. Number each housing in pencil and add a line to the contents list.
Photograph and cross-reference
Photograph the objects you want in a book, note each item number on its page, and leave the list in the lid.
Questions
What should I put in a memory box?
Things with a story you can name: a name band, badge, key, ticket, drawing or one small piece of clothing. Leave out duplicates and anything nobody can identify.
How big should a memory box be?
Big enough for the largest flat item to lie without bending. For A4 papers, look for an inside base a little over 297 by 210 mm and enough depth for the objects.
Should keepsakes go in the scrapbook or the box?
Photograph objects for the book and keep the originals boxed. Flat paper in good condition can go in a scrapbook pocket, as long as the book's paper is acid-free.