Throughout our life, we are going to amass different things as memorabilia. These can be family photos, souvenirs from our travels, school projects, arts and crafts, trophies or sports jerseys, and other potential items that will remind us of our glory days, and memories that we want to preserve and cherish. But when you neglect to organize these items, it can become a mounting mess. Trust the home decor professionals and interior designers; it is not something you want!
There are many ways to organize your memorabilia, but the following five methods are the best for complementing the aesthetics of your space. Just be sure to organize your memorabilia in a way that suits you and your home!
Storage bins are a great way to keep precious items safe while in storage, make sure to label bins and boxes to keep track of where everything is.
Decide What You Want to Keep
Maybe you want to clear up some space in your house, and that is why you want to organize your memorabilia a bit better. To do so, develop three individual categories. Dividing it up into:
- Things you want to keep and put on display,
- Things to give away,
- And things to put in storage
Choose the keepsakes that mean the world to you and allocate them to the things you want to keep. A way to decide whether or not you should keep something is by using the Marie Kondo Method. Ask yourself – “Does this item spark me joy?” If not, then thank them for their service, and let them go.
It’s worth noting, that if there are items you think will be more meaningful to your loved ones than to yourself, they should be given to that person immediately. Anything that no longer sparks joy for you should be donated, or sold on Facebook Marketplace to free up some space.
A great way to store your memorabilia that you don’t want on display is inside plastic and airtight bins. Perhaps if you only have a small number of things, you can decorate a shoebox or photo box. Storing things in boxes will allow these items to last many years to come. As an additional tip, try to label these bins so that you can easily navigate through all of your stuff!
Give Some Thought to Your Storage
If your ultimate goal is to free up space in your home, then now is a great time to assess your options. Would stackable storage tubs be used to organize your stuff, or would photo boxes prove to be a better alternative? Or perhaps you want to repurpose some of your dust-collecting items to create a beautiful gallery wall.
Take into account the storage, wall or shelf situations at hand and act accordingly. Space limitation will lend you some perspective into deciding what to keep and things that you should throw away.
Time is of the essence, when it comes to organizing the home, make sure to give yourself plenty of it to avoid repeating the process by rushing through.
Give Yourself Plenty of Time
Going through all those memory-inspiring items can be a daunting task. Nevertheless, it is important to give yourself plenty of time to have that emotional experience. You should divide your time between categories of items such as…
One day for photos
Make sure to put aside at least one day for just going through your photos. This day will allow you to have enough time to organize, make copies, frame, and revisit the memories. If you’re wanting to keep physical copies, make sure to order them by year, and location so you go back in the future with ease.
One day for souvenirs and keepsakes
Many people tend to bring home at least one item from their travels, and that’s totally fair! Make sure your worldly souvenirs are made into a beautiful showcase to remind you of your times. Always be sure to discard, or donate anything you wouldn’t want on display.
Another day for sports memorabilia, or other collections you may have
We also recommend that you compile all of the items in each category at once, to avoid being caught in the cycle of decluttering each room. This way, you will be able to go through every item in a timely manner, reliving memories while at the same time making up your mind whether you want to keep an item or let it go.
If you have the space, try to use bookcases or open shelves to accommodate your prized possessions a bit better, while giving your space a personal touch. The most important thing to remember when styling things like bookcases or shelves is that it should tell your story and be filled with things you love. You will soon discover your own personal decorating style and just go with that. There really are no rules, just guidelines. It is your home, after all, so style it up!
Group your things in odd numbers. Odd numbers of objects simply look better, thanks to rules of composition. Another styling tip for your bookcases, is play around with different heights, think about an imaginary triangle when arranging your favorite things. Smaller items should form the base of the triangle,while your tallest item will form the peak
Whereas photo albums or storage boxes will do a great job at categorizing and labelling your photographs into distinctive groups. At the end of the day, it is all about the system and elements that you think work better for you and is convenient to implement.
Creating photo albums with your loved ones is a great way to stroll down memory lane, all while organizing your photos, and spending time together.
Involve your whole family
Involving the family is a great way of going through the organization process for your memorabilia, especially if some of the items apply to them. This way, you can make sure that the process of sorting through things you want to keep gets completed sooner than later. Not only this, but you will be able to relive some of those exciting times together.
Plus, it will help you assess the importance of your things a bit better. Something that may not appeal to you might have a deeper meaning for another family member, allowing for it to be saved.
If you have loved ones abroad, perhaps a digital photo album that lives in the cloud is your best option for everyone to stay updated, and download your family photos.
Consider a Digital Approach
If you have plenty of photos and most of them are near and dear to your heart, then it can come in the way of storing them neatly. Therefore, give thought to converting these into electronic alternatives for easier access and saving considerable space in your home. Having to store your memorabilia digitally will help you move along a generational barrier of dealing with photo albums and plastic boxes.
Consider converting not only your old photographs but the artwork, diplomas, and other certificates into electronic form. Develop a proper electronic storage system by year, event or location for your photos, and scan all of your family keepsakes and old photographs to store them digitally.
Once you upload them to your computer, you can also upload everything into the cloud for easier access across multiple devices. This is also perfect for those who have loved ones around the globe. Just to be on the safe side, you can create additional backups by placing all of these photos onto an external drive. This way, you can always be sure you’ll have a copy of your beloved memories, both digitally and in person.
Do you have tons of vinyl records collecting dust in the basem*nt? Put them on display, it’ll remind you of your favourite songs, and it’s a great conversational piece.
Closing Thoughts
Hopefully, this inspired you to start the spring cleaning and organizing journey earlier than the spring solstice. Remember to always account for your available space when keeping items, to involve your loved ones when organizing. This way you’ll save time and enjoy the journey down memory lane together!
Do you still feel stuck on where to start? Reach out to Good Space Plans Online to receive additional help on how to optimize your storage, or to learn how you can turn your items into a beautiful showcase, or art wall. Be sure to follow along with us on Instagram, and Facebook for more organizational tips.
There’s no better time than now to start dusting off those old records, happy spring cleaning!
Film cameras and ceramics are stored in a glass shelf and floating shelves for optimal showcase storage. Photo from Good Space Plans Online. Bungalow: Awkward to Awwwesome, Vancouver, BC, 2020
