Sentimental items are always the sticking point when it comes to paring down your things and there are some items that you will always want to keep. Rather than storing meaningful items away in the loft or garage- we have come up with some ways to have them on display so you can enjoy them each day rather than letting them gather dust and take up unnecessary space.
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Frame anything that is flat: Any cards, letters, photos or needlework can all be framed to put on your wall for you and anyone who visits to see. This will prevent them from perishing if the conditions in your storage areas aren’t ideal and allow you to look at them whenever you want to. Plus anything that is on the walls isn’t cluttering up your space.
Repurpose precious materials: The clothes from your child can be cut up and made into a patchwork quilt or even stitched, stuffed and made into a teddy bear. Some people choose to make a one of a kind pillow case from a loved one’s shirt so they can snuggle up to it when they are lounging or sleep on it in bed. This prevents boxes full of textiles littering your home- and turns them into something more practical.
Print photographs onto everyday household items: Your favourite photographs can be put onto just about anything now- keyrings, cushions, calendars, notebooks, mouse mats or trays to name a few. If you use something a lot- can your favourite image be put onto it? Probably- and after you’ve made a digital copy, there is no need for the original.
Use crockery, vases and ‘ornaments’ everyday: If your crockery is looking a bit shabby- bring out the best to use everyday- it was designed to be enjoyed so allow yourself and your family feel special all year round. Buy flowers and display them in a sentimental vase or use a beautiful bowl to display sweets or fruit rather than it never seeing the light of day. Whoever you got the piece from would want you to use it and enjoy it and what better way to do this than by making it a working piece in your home?
Digitize all your pictures: Rather than them being in a box or an album, you could scan them all into your computer, pop them on a memory stick and then place this into a digital photo frame so the images will scroll one after the other in a designated focal point of your home. Then all that remains is to declutter the originals.
Customise jewellery: If you have a piece that you would never wear as it currently stands- why not look into jewellery redesign? You can choose how you would like it to look so it fits in with your preferences and then you will be able to wear it every day. Jewellery is so personal- it’s unlikely you will like something that your grandmother wore for example- but the metal or the stones can be used to create something that is more your style.
Use keepsake frames: If you have a few smaller items that you can’t bare to be without- you could put them in a deeper frame, otherwise known as a keepsake or display box. These will house small ornaments, teddy bears, pictures, cards and other tokens from your past and act as a conversation starter for your guests. Again as this will be wall mounted- you don’t have to worry about these little keepsakes cluttering up your surfaces.
MORE: Seven sentimental items that are always hard to discard (and how to get around them)
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