Vacation Memory Jar

We had such a blast when we were in New York last month visiting family.  One of the highlights was seeing our girls enjoy the ocean for the first time!  As many times as we've visited NY, this is actually the first time we were there in the Summer. So, we hit Jones Beach, which is only10 minutes from my in-laws. The girls were both nervous and excited to jump in the waves.  We also had a lot of fun looking for pretty sea shells to bring back to Colorado with us.

Once we collected the sea shells and sand, I knew right away what I wanted to do with them.  (BTW, that large shell was purchased from a souvenir shop-we didn't find that one!)  I first saw these memory jars on Martha Stewart.com.  If you have large souvenirs, I think it's a great alternative to displaying them in a shadow box.

What I used:

• Jar purchased from Wal-Mart, about 6"W x 8.5"H
• Poster putty - to hold the photos
• 4x6" photos, but I ended up trimming them a bit
• Souvenirs

Once I got everything in the jar, I wanted to add the place and date.  Instead of writing it on the lid, I found an illustration of a preserver and typed in the info, to display it that way.  Then, to finish the project, I hot-glued a few small shells to the lid, like this–

Our guest room is light blue and white–the perfect colors for a beachy display!  

If you've got any Summer momentos stashed in a bag or envelope, use this idea to enjoy them.  Don't hide them away!

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