Find a way to artfully arrange your lifelong favorite things as a part of your home's design. On a shelf in my office, for example, is a picture of my first boss and me in what was, at the time, the prettiest dress I'd ever seen—I'd spent over $100 on it and wanted to bronze the thing.

Also on that shelf: the black-and-white camera I longed for as a teenager but could never afford, a Polaroid Swinger; my favorite girlhood books, including the volume of Bible stories I learned to read from; and a box of 64 Crayola crayons, my favorite Christmas gift when I was 8.

It's all about creating memory capsules and displaying them in one spot—or even throughout your home.

Got a notion of your own to share? Send us a picture at oathomemail@hearst.com .