The last few weeks have been delightfully random and incredibly productive for us. We’ve been bouncing from project to project — at least until a big renovation demands our full attention. This week alone we painted raindrops and a pink door in Clara’s room, wrestled with Shannon’s design dilemma, finished our sunroom floor project, and are gearing up to tackle something in the kitchen on Monday. That room could use more help than I did in Calculus class.
This week’s small craft project turned out well, which felt like a huge relief after a few nervous moments. I finally tackled something I’ve been meaning to do for about two years: display our vacation keepsakes in a way that’s pretty, visible, and easy to read. Here’s what I ended up making.
Think of it as a cross between a vacation memory jar and a snow globe or cloche. It was simple to make and cost just $2.79 each.
Flashback to 2008: I made six vacation time capsules but stopped displaying them because I didn’t love the containers anymore — even though I still loved the keepsakes. The canning jars were charming, but when placed on consoles, desks, or dressers you mostly saw the lid instead of the contents. When viewed head-on or from shelves, the wavy glass distorted what was inside. Here’s a comparison that shows how a canning jar can obscure contents versus a regular stemless wine glass. The items look much clearer in the wine glass.
I also found the old scotch tape labels hard to read, especially depending on what was behind them. So I set three goals for this new approach:
- Make the contents of each container clearly labeled
- Display keepsakes behind non-wavy glass for better clarity
- Make them visible from above and from the side whenever possible
At first it felt like a tall order, but inspiration struck when I realized I could use inexpensive stemless wine glasses or craft-store vases paired with small wooden rounds and a sealant to join them. It could have been a messy fail, but a few lucky finds saved the day.
I couldn’t find tree branches the right size to slice at home, and the premade wood slices I found online were expensive. While browsing JoAnn, though, I found 4 x 4″ round wood plaques for 79 cents each in the wooden craft section and stemless wine glasses for $1.99 in the glassware aisle.
It was convenient to find both items at one store because I could test fit the glass on the wood plaque right there. They lined up almost perfectly, which felt like a small miracle.
At home I painted the wood plaques. I considered bold colors, white, charcoal, whitewash, and stains, but settled on a timeless neutral taupe so the keepsakes would be the focal point. I used leftover Revere Pewter and two coats covered nicely without primer.
Once dry, I used a Sharpie to write the destination and year on the side of each plaque. It’s far easier to read than tape on wavy glass.
I chose clear silicone caulk to attach the glass to the wood. Thicker caulk creates a tight seal and, unlike crazy glue, silicone can be scored and peeled later to open the keepsake without destroying the container. I used GE Premium Waterproof Silicone II in clear and applied a thin bead around the rim of the glass. Tip: don’t cut the caulk tube opening too wide or the caulk will pour out too quickly and get messy — a common caulking gotcha.
I’m cautious — I wore a ventilator while applying the caulk — though I later learned this product is on the safer “green” list.
With a thin ring of caulk in place, I pressed the wood round onto the glass while keeping the glass upright so nothing spilled. Once they were joined, I flipped them over, centered the dome, pressed down with one hand to keep it steady, and wiped away any excess caulk with a paper towel.
They set in about three hours and the seal looked neat and secure. The sand and small keepsakes stayed contained — I shook one like a snow globe and there was no explosion. Success.
Right now they’re scattered on surfaces in the office and living room, but someday I’d love to gather them together on a shelf in the bedroom — possibly inside built-in cabinetry that makes the bed feel tucked into a cozy nook. I can picture them lined up on a shelf and it makes me happy.
I plan to make more as we travel, and I’m tempted to stock up on extra wood plaques and glasses so future jars will match. Is that overkill? Maybe, but I love the idea of a uniform collection.
Are you displaying vacation keepsakes? Do you use shadow boxes, scrapbooks, framed photos, or something else? I’ve read that experiential purchases tend to bring lasting happiness — so instead of buying things that become ordinary, investing in memorable trips and preserving the moments can keep the joy alive. Whether our trips are local road trips or someday trips to far-off places, I love the idea of memorializing them in a simple, visible way.
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