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Handwritten namePerfect for organizing early memories for your children, decorate your memory boxes with the child's (or your own) name. First, paint the box a solid color of your choice, then start thinking about how to apply the name. You can do a simple monogram by painting the child's initials on the box front either free hand or using a stencil and acrylic paints.
A bit more time consuming, but totally worth it, a letter or name collage can be a lot of fun for a memory box. Print out on your own home computer your name in various fonts, sizes and colors. Cut them out, and using decoupage medium, glue and seal them in a collage pattern (meaning overlapped and in various directions.) Another creative name collage idea is to cut out the letters of the name from magazine advertisements or titles. Using the different styles and colored letters, spell out the name on the memory box front so it is visible from a shelf. Use decoupage medium such as Modge Podge to adhere and seal the letters to the box. -
Vintage photo of friendsA great idea for a teen's memory box is to decorate it with color copies of photographs of her friends, pets and herself, of course. Color copy a variety of photographs from your teen's yearbooks, social websites and photo albums, and cut out in various shapes. Paint the memory box black, and using a decoupage medium, adhere the photographs over the box. Use a picture of the memory box's owner on the front of the box to be seen from a bookshelf. Leave room on the box for additional images to be added throughout the years, making the memory box a bit of a scrapbook page in and of itself. -
Upholstery fabricTake a plain cardboard box and beef it up by using some upholstery techniques. Purchase some upholstery foam or craft foam that is 1/4-inch thick. Find a great piece of fabric to cover your box. Keep your mind open to a great patterned fabric, faux suede or faux leather. Once you have assembled all your pieces, put it together with some hot glue. First, measure the foam to the box (except the bottom) and cut to fit. Glue the foam to the appropriate surfaces. Next, cut the fabric one inch bigger than all the surfaces (lid and sides of the box). Stretch the fabric over the box parts and fold over the edges to glue. To identify the memory box, add a matching ribbon to the box with the memory box title on a small card attached as you would a gift card. -
Vintage greeting cardDefine theme memory boxes with related postcards or greeting cards. For example, if you have a memory box related to family vacations, decorate the box with vintage or personal postcards. Use decoupage medium to adhere and seal the cards to the box in a collage style.
For holiday-related boxes, use vintage or antique holiday cards, such as Christmas or Valentines day cards, on your box. Start by painting your box a holiday-related color, and then use decoupage medium to attach vintage greeting cards.
