Use these ideas to keep your time away fresh in your kids’ minds for years to come—even if they are little. Forget about just stuffing momentos in a box that no one will ever see with these fun decorative ideas:
Rock or Sand Collection
Always have the beach at your fingertips by picking up a handful of sand next time you’re by the shore. Transfer the sand—or seashells, coral, what-have-you—into bottles when you return home.
Or clear up table space and make use of the walls. Put a picture of the beach you visited (family in the shot is optional!) in a shadow-box frame and fill the bottom with sand, shells, or rocks. Certain beaches have eco-conservation policies, so make sure that you are allowed to take a sand sample before filling your pockets!
Pressed Penny Bulletin Boards
Turn your pressed pennies into pushpins by simply gluing the pennies onto thumbtacks. This also works easily with arcade coins and coins of any currency!
Have your kiddos help you choose which momentos and photos to display from your trip on a bulletin board. Add a map of your trip location, tickets, amusement park brochures, and more. Better yet: Arrange your pushpins in a fun, meaningful way in a frame lined with corkboard.
Photo Wallpaper
Designate one wall in your home as the “trip wall.” Then invest in an instant camera (or two). Have the entire family take photos over the course of your trip. Once home, choose the best ones to add to your wall. Watch your collection grow over the years!
Travel Box
The most important part of this is curation! Keep only what has sentimental value or meaningful memories. No organization is really required. Place all the selected items in a color-coordinated box that has the name of your location stenciled on it. (Stickers work too!) Place the box on a shelf for the occasional trip down memory lane. This works best with larger items (vending machine toys, glasses, etc.) that would not fit into a shadow box or frame.
Pressed Penny Shadow Boxes
Pressed pennies are sweet, but they tend to disappear into pockets or in jars of loose change. Show them off by placing a few pennies in a small shadow-box frame, the back of which can be lined with a theme-park map or photos of kids at the tourist attraction where the penny was pressed. Works even better if there are siblings with multiple pennies!
Shadow Box
Make a decorative wall of the highlights of your travels! Place a map or a photo of the trip destination against the back of a shadow box. Cut out the location name (coordinates also work) out of white or black paper, laying it over the photo. Artfully arrange a few of the more important souvenirs from the trip: currency, tickets, keys, tchotchkes. The great thing is, you can be as minimalist or as maximalist as you’d like!
