Making a Memory Box...

Many, many years ago my siblings and I made my mom a memory box for Mother's Day. Though we left the outside plain we filled the inside with "I love you," notes and pictures of all of us with her. Recently, my dad asked for a "Memory Box" like my mom’s so that he had a special place to gather and save all those little notes and pictures that he has collected and cherished over the years. After we made my dad a box much like my mom’s I decided to take the process one step further for a Father's Day gift for Matt. I liked the idea of giving him a Memory Box that would mark this era in our lives and also give him a little treasure chest of his own to collect all the special little things Francis will inevitably give him over the years to come. I liked it so much that I made one for my sister on her 30th birthday - On hers I wrote, "To Your First 30 Years."  The evolution of the Memory Box has resulted in a pretty awesome gift idea that is easy, reasonably inexpensive, pretty dang thoughtful and definitely something that will be treasured. Basically, it's a Slam Dunk kinda gift if I do say so myself.

And here is the building process...

1. Buy a box with a latch and hinges. You can do it with any type of box, but the hardware really adds to the look. This kind of box is abundantly stocked at Ross and most stores like it. The design on the outside doesn't matter because you will be covering it up, but make sure the interior is plain. 

 2. Gather decoupage glue, a paint brush, a "Paint" Sharpie pen, and plenty of pictures. You will be cutting up the pictures so make sure to print more than you think you'll need. 40 pictures is a pretty safe bet. I like mixing colored with black and white, but make it according to your own style. 

3. Start cutting up the pictures and gluing them to the box with the decoupage. I like the collage look and I also included stickers that said things pertaining to the theme of the Memory Box.







 4. Once you have covered the ENTIRE box with pictures paint over the pictures with the decoupage, paying close attention the the corners. It will be cloudy as you paint, but it dries clear. Let it dry and repeat two more times. 

 5. Finally, use the Sharpie to fill in the small places around the hardware that a picture wouldn't fit in. Also, sometimes you need to color in the edges where pictures meet as well.






And Voilà - Your work is done!