Display Ideas and Keepsake Boxes for Cherished Collections

Helping your children find a way to store and/or display their collection not only limits the clutter, it shows them that you understand the value of their treasures.

Here are a few ideas to display or store your children's collections.

Display a Collection

Craft stores are full of display possibilities. Some are already finished, others are unfinished and offer the added bonus of allowing children to personalize them as they see fit, using paint, stenciling or decoupage. Here are a few display suggestions:

• Enclosed Plexiglas display cases are perfect for displaying everything from baseballs to models.
• Cubby-hole cases offer display units of varying shapes and sizes, and are a perfect way to show off "miniature" collections, such as animal figurines, action figures, tiny toys, etc.
• Shadow boxes are great showcase units and the glass casing protects treasures.
• Picture frames creatively display trading cards or even sports jerseys.

Keepsake Boxes

For smaller collections or found treasures, try making a keepsake box with your child.

Start with a plain box of any kind. Next, pick a theme for your box, based on its contents, and then decorate it accordingly.

There are a number of techniques your child can use to decorate the box. Here are just a few:

• Paint the box with acrylic paints.
• Wrap the box in gift wrap, fabric, wallpaper scraps or even old maps.
• Make a mosaic by gluing on small pieces of fabric, paper shapes, buttons or beads.
• Make a collage using Mod Podge and photos, images from magazines, old tickets from shows or sporting events, stamps, trading cards, etc.
• Make a nature box by gluing on shells, acorns, twigs, beach glass, pinecones, feathers, etc.

By Rochelle Strauss