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Memory Boxes

Do-It-Yourself Collage

I have seen these neat vintage boxes or small travel cases, with arrangements created with old cards, beads, lace gloves, and other items - not many flowers - it reminds me of a 3-D collage!

How do you make one?

Mary

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There are as many ways to make these lovely altered art boxes as there are artists doing them. Really. They are also called memory boxes.

Each one is unique – as you have probably noticed. If you have some items you would like to include, you already have a head start and a theme.

Think of a suitable container – a cigar box, a hat box, tin boxes that once held cookies or tea bags. You can buy replicas in most large craft stores or haunt flea markets and garage sales to pick up the real thing.

If the box is not decorated, decoupage and stamping are great ways to pretty it up. Here is an article on the basics of decoupage. Scrapbooking techniques also come in very handy if you are including photos in your collage.

Pat Herring wrote an excellent article on capturing your legacy with altered art in the Jan/Feb 2005 issue of Expression Magazine. She showed two pieces made using antique box cameras and two using store bought wooden boxes that she antiqued with stamps and varnishes and filled with family ephemera and photos. People just love the tactile aspect of this art.

Pat explained, “The best thing about creating a memory box is that there is no right or wrong way to do them. Simply unleash your creativity and see what you come up with!” I say, “Ditto.”

Here is an article on The Art of Collage with some of the basics and ideas to spark your imagination. And here is our Decoupage Index Page

For a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book on altered art techniques, I recommend Altered Art: Techniques for Creating Altered Books, Boxes, Cards & More by Terry Taylor.

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