How to Display Your Favorite Keepsakes

If you are a souvenir collector or like to travel, you’ll want to remember those adventures by displaying your most valuable keepsakes in a unique way throughout your home.

Whether it’s postcards, maps or three-dimensional objects, there are several ways you can turn your treasures into art. See below for some great ideas.

Create a small gallery wall for your trips. You can combine them, or have a separate area devoted to each trip. Use a shadowbox frame and double-sided foam tape to attach smaller objects like coins, shells, or smaller keepsakes, and use a regular gold or silver picture frame to frame your postcards, maps or travel brochures that tell the story of your trip.

Make a postcard holder with an old frame. Repurpose an old frame by painting it, and then attaching wire in lines to the back of your frame using screw-hooks on either side. Then use miniature clothespins that you can find in any craft store to attach your postcards. This is also a great way to display Christmas cards or photos if you want to switch them out seasonally.

Use a dome frame to display large groups of small objects. Matchbooks, bottle corks or buttons can be great as a sculpture by putting them all together in a large dome case for displaying. If you are worried about them falling if the case is moved, then use some other glass that sits upright like a unique vase or apothecary jar.

Make a floating shelf display. Using thick pieces of plywood that you can sand, stain or paint in any color, hang several floating shelves in space at about eye level for best viewing. Then create a unique display of your collections by placing each of them in a spot on your floating shelves.

Make a unique box for each photo stack of prints. Any photographer would tell you that it’s always important to make prints of your favorite pictures because technology can become obsolete, and you may not always have access to digital photos. Frame your favorites, but if you want to keep the rest in an organized and easy to access space, make a keepsake box decorated with the name of the place visited and unique aspects to that area to keep your photos. Then display each box stacked on a bookshelf.

Use a framed map with no glass to pin your places. For a cool way to not only show where you’ve been but also keep up with it, frame a large world map in a large antique picture frame but keep the glass off for easy access. Then use small pins to stick in specific countries or cities that you have visited. If you are wanting to travel more, use a different color for the places you haven’t been but want to see as a motivational piece.