Thursday, January 19, 2012

5-minute handwritten memento art { part 1 }


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i'll confess:  i'm a paper-keeper.
little scraps of handwritten memories fill boxes and boxes at our home.
but let's liberate those most special 2-D keepsakes and give them the attention they deserve!

i've been saving a very special-to-me piece of paper for years now: the luggage tag from my beloved grandmother's 1960's vintage over-the-shoulder samsonite bag. { i love that bag. now mr. rikrak lovingly uses it everyday these past few years)  and the memory of my grandparent's great travel adventures is alive for me in that well-loved luggage and the tiny scrap of paper she took with her to locales around the world. her handwritten name and address (& the great shape of the tag itself!) thrill me!

here's a super easy project i've just finished for a new colour-themed art-wall we're making at home. (more on that later!)

you can use ANY special-to-you paper memento. in the past i've used a special event ticket, a receipt stub from a special dinner, a handwritten recipe from a loved one, etc. the possibilities are endless!

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5-minute DIY handwritten memento art decor project



all you need for a project like this is:  
   ::  a flat special-to-you momento 
  :: a little bit of archival tape (available at art & craft stores) (or    regular masking tape if you prefer)  
   :: a inexpensive frame to match the porportion to your memento 
   :: a piece of paper to use as a background (or you could use a mat




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how-to

1. choose a special to you paper souvenir. (liberate it from your keepsakes box!) 

2. cut a piece of plain paper to the correct size as a background to your frame. (don't forget to clean the glass so it'll look extra fabulous!) i used white paper - but choose whatever colour or patterned paper you'd like!

3. play around with placement of your special token of love within the frame. my luggage tag has a great shape, so i liked it best with ample *white space (i.e. blank space!) around it, positioned to one side. centering it, or placing it in the top, or bottom, or any corner will give different fun effects!

4. gently secure your memento to the paper backing. 

5. add to frame (i repurposed one, and painted another out-of-use frame white for my next project! )

6. stand it on your desktop, on your nightstand, on the mantle, hang on the wall, and smile everytime you see it and think of your special memory!) 

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one of OTHER my favourite things to do with special scraps is to make them into Christmas tree decorations. then they're forever a part of our special memories, and we swoon & feel great joy with a tree filled with tiny notes for just a few weeks each year! try it! you'll love seeing your grandfather's signature hanging from a ribbon on one bough, or that adorable doodle your best friend drew in class from public school or the 1st time your child wrote their name!


care to share any FUN ideas on how to display your most special paper keepsakes?
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7 comments:

  1. Great idea, RR! I'm going to try it with recipes I have. THANKS!!!!

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  2. wonderful, lori! i'd love to see a photo when you're finished!

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  3. such a sweet idea & I love how you off-centered it - so visually appealing and unexpected. xo

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  4. I absolutely adore this project, and posted it on my Facebook Modern Mourner page. There's so much sentimental in the daily details of our lives, for me it's the little things that I hold dearest.

    Thank you for this wonderful project!

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  5. ah thanks nicey, saige! really appreciate that.

    and you're so sweet, sistershirley! so kind of you - and i totally agree - those little things mean so much, don't they?!

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  6. I LOVE this...thank you for sharing. Posted link on FB.

    Susan in Boston

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  7. What a good idea. I found these small Italian gold frames at a thrift store. I wasn't sure what to do with them. I've saved my mothers old library card. it reminds me of her always reading ......in a chair, standing, cooking. Thank you for the DIY tip.

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thanks so much for your comments, nicies!
it's a joy to read what everyone writes here.
thank you!