Memory Jars

Hi there bloggerettes! It's time for some vintage fun over at http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/search/label/Vintage%20Thingies%20Thursdays Today, I want to talk about Memory Jars. Now, I can't take credit for this idea. I had seen some of these at a craft show this past weekend up in Pa. The ones I had seen were filled with vintage items of the past, such as these pictured here. What fun to look at these jars and see items that are no longer made today. Cats eye marbles, keys, a favorite beer or soda bottle cap, plastic soda bottle covers, a small bottle of Evening in Paris perfume, a glass food coloring bottle or a vintage tin that once held some type of medicine or candy. I was showing my daughter the plastic soda covers, and she thought they were bubble blowers. lol! (click on any picture to enlarge)

These are some items from my childhood home, that I have chosen to put into my kitchen memory jar. My moms aluminum measuring cups, icing decorator, cookie cutters, and measuring spoons. I also found some vintage cupcake toppers, vintage spice can, a bottle opener, vintage clothes pins, and a vintage ice cream scoop. I plan to include some other things, and a few recipe cards that my mom had written. I thought it would be a neat thing to put on my kitchen counter as a conversation piece.

I am using a gallon size jar for mine, but you can make it as large or small as you want to, depending on how many things you would like to display. I am still playing around with it, to get the things to display nicely. I discovered if you put a sturdy clear plastic cup in the middle on the bottom of the jar, it helped so things didn't kind of get lost in the middle. I put the cup upside down, and taped it to the bottom of the jar. This allowed me to stand things up a little better, and because the cup was clear, it didn't show.

The ideas for these jars are endless. You can make one with some vintage sewing items from your mom or grandma. Fill them with silly things that make you happy. Perhaps some childhood toys, like a duncan yo yo, or cracker jacks toys. Make one for a family member with fun things that they love. Scrabble pieces, chess pieces, dice, gambling tokens, bingo cards etc........ Include corks from a bottle of wine from a special occasion too.

You could even do one with vintage candies! That would be a fun gift too! I was able to find a lot of vintage candies in the 5 Below store, if any of you have those stores in your area. I even found little boxes of Chicklets!

This picture is courtesy of Martha Stewart. She shows how to make a memory jar from a special trip or vacation. This would be a fun project for the kids to make and display in their rooms. Include pictures of special places in your jars too. Another fun idea, is to write down special memories of things on slips of paper, to make a paper memory jar. Special holiday memories, something funny the kids said, a special gift someone gave you, a date with hubby, and the list goes on. I hope you enjoyed your visit, and don't forget to visit Suzanne for some more vintage fun! Thanks for coming by.

I'm also joining in with Cindy of http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2011/08/show-and-tell-friday_18.html for Show and Tell Friday! Stop over to visit hundreds of bloggers with great things to share!