Nowadays there are so many fun ideas out there for a keepsake. From jewelry to sculptures, and hundreds of ideas in between, there’s plenty of options for parenthood too! And there’s no limit to the amount you can create, both in the sense of creativity and timing. Memories made today are just as important as memories made tomorrow, and so on and so forth.

Which is what makes a keepsake so incredible! All the ideas you create from now until the end of your days. From your own childhood to your children’s childhood and beyond in both directions. What kinds of things can you include? Whatever you like! Whether it’s photos or diary entries, ticket stubs and more, as long as it’s meaningful and holds memories for you.

When it comes to motherhood in this day and age, there really is no limit to the amount or type of keepsake that can be created. And it’s so amazing to see the amount of artisans that have found ways to help create new kinds of keepsakes for us! So whether you decide to buy or DIY, this post is full of ways to create fun and memorable keepsakes for your Little One!

Life Size

This one is most likely known by many – a casting mold. There are kits that you can do for pregnancy and/or motherhood! This one made by Pearhead is to make a cast of your belly during pregnancy. The cool part about this is you can make it yours from the very beginning! Whether you decide to include your breasts or hands with the belly or just the belly itself, and you can also decorate it once it’s dried and set or leave it as is. It might not be as easy to keep inside a memory box, per se, but there are plenty of creative ways to display it or just hang on to it in general!

There are also casting molds available for Little One once they’ve made their arrival! This one also made by Pearhead is one of my favorite variations. It comes with all the pieces to include a handprint, a footprint, and a photo of Little One at the age they were when the prints were casted. Plus, it’s already framed so it’s ready to display! You can get as creative as you want on this one as well. Decorate the mold after it’s dried and set to match your pregnancy cast. Make a new mold for each important milestone and allow your Little One to help decorate when they’re old enough. It’s completely up to you!

Frozen In Time

Something I’ve always known I wanted to do when I have Little Ones is have them tattooed on me in a special and meaningful way. And I’ve always known I wanted it to be a handprint or footprint. This clean-touch ink pad from Pearhead allows parents to get a perfect print without skin even touching ink! Simply press Little One’s hand or foot onto a flexible surface that presses ink to a piece of paper on the opposite side, and voila! (This is something I’ve even decided to do with my dog’s nose or paw print in honor of them. And it’s just as easy of a process!) Again, it’s not meant for a memory box, but you get to take it everywhere with you!

There’s plenty of other ways to ‘freeze a memory in time’, but one of my favorite types of keepsake is resin sculptures. I think they’re so awesome because there’s so many ways they can be done to celebrate life! Collect memorabilia from a loved one that passed and preserve it throughout the test of time. Collect precious memories of your own by including photos and other favorites from a specific point of time in your life. Or preserve the fleeting moments of parenthood by including the things most special to you about your Little One (a pacifier, a piece of an old blanket/clothing, whatever you like!)

DIY

The DIY route has endless possibilities! And when I say endless, I really do mean it. Art has no beginning or end, and no intended medium. Art can be anything and everywhere. Plus, with the amount of artisans in this day and age, there’s ideas to last you a lifetime of creating! So create. Don’t worry about it being perfect, and don’t try to compare it to others. Create for happiness. Create to preserve a point in time, a point in your time. Simply create because of how it makes you feel to create!

Get involved, get inspired by others, and be proud of what you make. Trust me, future you will be glad you did. If you’re the type that gets overwhelmed, don’t let that stop you! This article by Mommy’s Bundle has plenty of ideas to get you started! From pottery to paint, it’s full of crafts of all sorts to display then go in the memory box when the time comes. Simply grab your Little One and get started!

Related: Fun & Easy Crafts For Littles

Memories To Last

One of the most incredible things about memories is that they can’t be taken from us. (Not including health issues regarding the brain and memory.) Our happy memories are ours forever. But, finding ways to capture those moments and turn them into a keepsake to look back at is one of the most special things we can do in my opinion. So get started on yours, I promise you it’ll be worth it!

As always, thank you so very much for being a part of ETM’s community. I encourage you to join discussions, interact with others alike, and be unapologetically yourself! Until next time, I hope I’m able to help make your life as simple as could be. (:

With all my love, Brandolyn – Earth To Momma