DIY MEMORY JAR

Hello, friends!  Back in September I visited a beach in Manitoba that is near and dear to my own heart - Victoria Beach.  We used to have a family cabin there, that my Mom shared with her siblings, but they sold it five or six years ago.  I had not been back to Victoria Beach for quite a long time, probably for more than six years, so one day Kevin (my boyfriend) and I took a day trip up there.  Since I have been to Kevin's family cabin in Ontario a couple times now, I thought it would be nice for him to see the place where we had our family cabin for many years.  Going to Victoria Beach brought back so many good memories - it made me so happy to think about all the fun times that were had there over the years.  However, it also made me a bit sad to think about how we don't have our cabin anymore.  I didn't realize how much I missed it until I was standing on the beach with that amazingly soft sand, listing to the sound of the waves.  I thought it would be nice to bring some things home from the beach, so I could make a little memory jar to remember one of my favourite places in Manitoba.  Since I haven't been so motivated in the past few months, my little keepsakes just sat in the storage room, waiting for me to get up the energy to do something with them.  Today I saw my beach treasures sitting there and I thought it was about time I get my butt in gear and do something with them.  I thought it would be nice to share this little idea with all of you, too, so here we go!



For this project I used:

• Glass jar with lid - you can use any size jar you like
• Sand
• Rocks
• Pinecones

You can really use anything you like - sticks and twigs, pieces of drift wood, seashells, dirt, acorns, feathers - whatever you can find!  The beach I was at didn't really have any big seashells - just soft sand and rocks and pinecones near the beach. 

Once you've collected your items then it's pretty simple - just take your glass jar and start filling it!  You can do this however you like - it's totally up to you!  I do suggest that if you have sand that you put that in first, then put your other items on top.  This way they are visible, and don't end up getting buried in the sand.  Once you've filled up your jar to your liking, then voila!  You are done!  If you want you can also make a little label for your jar, so you know where your items came from.  Display your pretty jar somewhere you can see it and have a little piece of your favourite place in your own home.

I think it would be neat to make a whole bunch of little memory jars - one from every place you travel.  Have them labelled and gathered together, maybe on your mantle, as a little display.  So, if you are heading out somewhere warm this winter (Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, etc.), perhaps think about bringing a few treasures home with you to make your memory jar.  Then you'll have a little one-of-a-kind keepsake from your trip.  That's the best kind of souvenir, I think!  Enjoy!