If you have kids, of any age, you probably have boxes somewhere of art your kids have made over the years.
Maybe you have your favorite photos of them stashed in a special place.
Handwritten notes maybe that were so sweet you couldn’t bear to toss them.
Here is how you can put those treasures to use!
I am going to show you how to create a family gallery wall with mementos.
I promise it will become your favorite space in your home.
I smile every time I pass by ours.
Where to put a family memento gallery wall-
The first thing is you probably won’t want this in any formal areas of your home.
It is a personal wall so create it somewhere like a back hallway, kids playroom, a family room, tv room, etc.
We have ours in a hallway that leads to our bedrooms.
Why you should create this family gallery wall-
Your kids, grandparents, parents, will love it.
There’s nothing like showcasing someones art to make them feel special.
It is a happy idea that will make you feel good every time you walk by.
What types of things should you hang on your family gallery wall?
I will tell you what I have on ours and maybe it will give you some ideas!
1- Pictures of your pets. Whether they are pets that have passed on, or current pets, it’s fun to frame their photos as they are a part of the family too!
2- Pictures of kids or grandkids. You can frame them or have them printed on canvas! This is an eclectic wall grouping so don’t worry too much about matchy matchy frames.
3- Photos or mementos of friends or family that are no longer with us. When my sister passed away in 2016 I made up a piece of art for each family member with all her photos in a heart shape. I love seeing the collage of some of my favorite pictures of her.
My parents also framed for me and gave to me one Christmas a piece of art she had made when she was little of birds. You can see it in the photo above framed in a black frame. It is so special to me and it needed a special place in our home.
4- Keep reading and you will see how I turned some notes my kids left for me when they were little into art pieces.
Other ideas for pieces to hang-
There are so many other things you could hang on this family gallery wall with mementos.
Maybe you have a movie ticket from a first date you want to frame?
A fortune from a fortune cookie that you found particularly interesting and saved.
A recipe handwritten from a grandparent.
A piece of your children’s clothing framed in a shadow box.
A high school or college diploma.
There are so many possibilities.
This is a letter my daughter Savannah wrote to me when she was 7.
I decided to transfer it onto a sign which you can see below.
If you like this idea and want to try it yourself you can find the tutorial here.
If you like this idea, please share it by pinning to your Pinterest boards!
And for those of you interested, you can find a similar coat rack here.
And here are some frames that might interest you for your wall.
Happy creating!
11×14 black frame with matting.
Acrylic wall mount picture frame.