My great aunt had an impressive collection of large clip-on earrings, and I made a bunch of them into fridge magnets for myself and my mom.
Physical items can hold such important meaning to us, whether it is a treasured item from a passed loved one, or a reminder of a passion you had 10 years ago. It can be incredibly difficult to part with these items because we attach such importance and sentiment to them, and I think that is ok. We should be allowed to have physical reminders to allow us to grieve in whatever way we need. But it becomes a problem when those items are taking over your space and debilitating you so you can’t live your life comfortably. Here are some ways you can still hold onto those treasured items, but give them different purpose or meaning.
One of the beautiful creations by Bearly in Business!
1. Clothing into teddy bears. There is a fantastic company based in Lucan, ON called Bearly in Business that will take your grandmother’s favourite fur coat or sweater and repurpose it into a teddy bear, designed in different ways to reflect the individual’s style. If you would never wear a fur coat, it is hard to reason why you need to keep it even if it’s sentimental. Having it made into a beautiful teddy bear it allows it to have use to you again, as you or family members can cuddle it or have it on a shelf to admire.
A fantastic example of a memory quilt by Quilted Memories!
2. Quilts from different clothing items. If teddy bears are not your thing, quilts or wall hangings can also be a great option for upcycling clothing items to make something precious and useful. Gathering your favourite shirts that are too worn out or don’t fit anymore, and mixing it with favourite pieces of clothing from family members can make a unique family tree of sorts. Check out companies like Quilted Memories or make one yourself! By transforming several items of clothing into a single quilt you can really cut down on the space it takes up. Excess fabric you can donate to sewing groups so that nothing goes to waste.
3. Keep a piece of something. Along the same line of repurposing clothing in smaller pieces, keeping just a part of something larger can really help to reduce the space something takes up, while also allowing you to have that sentimental reminder. Keep a gear from a broken clock, or a button from a coat to hold something tangible. You can always take a photo of the larger item so you remember what it looks like, but you don’t necessarily need the full-size item to remember your loved one. I’ve seen really beautiful pieces of collage artwork that people have made out of an assortment of smaller items like buttons, bottle caps, jewellery, and more!
Some of Liv Mondo’s travel scrapbooks
4. Make a scrapbook. Do you have ticket stubs, recipes, photos, notes, letters and other flat items? These can be made into a really fantastic scrapbook to remember your loved one. It doesn’t need to be a typical scrapbook with tacky stickers and lots of washi tape – you can make it in whatever style you want. Get a notebook and jot down a few of your favourite memories of that person, and glue or tape in those odd papers and photos where relevant. You can even make a beautiful photo book with photos and relevant papers through a company like Liv Mondo. Leanne works with customers from all over, meeting with them through video chat to discuss what they’re looking for. Customers send her the items through mail, and she arranges and creates the album based on their needs, after which they can order the physical book (and multiple copies for different family members too).
5. Pass on items to family members. If you are holding onto physical items that don’t mean much to you personally, but you don’t want to donate them because of who they belonged to, see if there are any friends or family members who would want them. You may be surprised at who in your family will want certain objects for use or repurposing!
Get creative with it, and do something that beautifully memorializes who those people were. Don’t let their memory take up space in cardboard boxes that you never go through, or getting cluttered and dusty on shelves. That does nothing to treasure their memory. Your loved ones would not want your space to be cluttered with physical objects, taking over areas of your home and causing you stress. Remember that you don’t need physical items to keep memories alive!
