Almost all of us will have to face this at some time in our lives: cleaning out the space of someone who has died. It might be a parent, sibling or grandparent, or someone else related to us. Or it might be a friend or neighbor who has no one else to do it. I am constantly surprised and taken aback by the number of people who have absolutely no one in their lives to help them. No one to lay claim to or call their own. I’m not sure how that happens but, seriously, the phenomenon of ‘aloneness’ is all around us. If you have family and friends, count yourself lucky and never take them for granted!
A few years ago, we began the process of sorting and getting rid of things that had belonged to Mother. Now, since she was very close to being a hoarder, you can imagine what we had to go through. She was a child of the Great Depression and a survivor of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, so she grew up knowing that everything had value. If she could see a use for something, she saved it. She was appalled by the waste in today’s society. And, I have to agree with her. But that is a topic for another day…
Mother loved jewelry and she had tons of it. But what were we to do with all of it! My dear sister-in-law and niece came up with a cute solution.
They made framed keepsakes for everyone as a remembrance. Mother’s name, birth date, and death date are on each piece. It was a lot of work and I applaud their efforts and talents.
There is no end to the things you can do with old jewelry. You can make something new from the old. In fact, I made bracelets from some of my grandmother’s old beads. Or, if you like steampunk, this would be a great time to do something funky with leftover jewelry.
Or you could make bookmarks out of pendants. I certainly like this idea. Everyone needs a unique bookmark!
If you need ideas, Pinterest is a great place to start. People from all over love to share their ideas.
What kinds of things have you done to display your keepsakes? I’d love to hear about it.
