• Box made of cardboard, wood, plastic or any material that will stand the test of time
• Optional: paints, ribbons, fabric, buttons and beads
• Stationary and pen
• Personal artifacts (see below)

• Find a box that you feel a special connection with (e.g., a hatbox, shoebox or cigar box). Feel free to decorate your box with paints, ribbons, fabric, buttons and beads. Be creative with your keepsake box!
• Write a letter to the recipient. Describe what artifacts you are putting in the box and why you chose them.
• Add something that you made with your own hands, like a card, jewelry, a scarf or piece of clothing, a painting, blueprints for a house, part of a car you restored, or some pottery that you painted as a child.
• Include some of your personal items and explain them.
• Include a personal item of the recipient's past—something that would be memorable to the person receiving this box.
• Remember family traditions with items like Thanksgiving recipes, Christmas stockings, Hanukkah candles or birthday hats.
• Include photographs or videotapes of monumental occasions.
• Remember your roots with items that passed loved ones left behind.
• You can include special music in your box—a favorite CD or a song that makes you laugh or cry.
• You might also want to try to preserve a scent that brings back memories—a signature perfume or favorite soap.
• List your "top 10" favorite sayings that have helped you throughout life.

See a demonstration