Use these tips to get your organising off to a flying start!
The best way to get any sentimental items under control is to set a limit to what you can actually store. If it is purely storing items rather than displaying items, decide where you will store them, and how much room you will allow. Then get storage that fits this size (in a loft use plastic sealed boxes as they will be air and water tight and will preserve your items well).
I advise having a memento box for each member of the family - and this can be filled with anything from school reports, to artwork from childhood, to certificates and medals from hobbies - anything that you really want to keep. Once this is full however then the organising really begins. As you get older, you will have more items that you want to store, but less room. This is when you go through the box and look at it with fresh eyes. What you thought you would want to keep one year may in fact be something your don't even remember what it was now - so whats the point in keeping it anymore? A "One in, One Out" policy works really well.
If you have a box like this, it will never become so large that you won't want to look through it, and all items in it will be so special to you you will actually want to look at it from time to time
If you have too much to store in your home, then consider a self storage unit - but this should only be done if you really have to keep every last bit of memorabilia. Think about whether you really need it if you are happy to send it away, as it won't be as accessible to you. Sometimes however it is worth doing as an exercise in whether you really need it or not - as if you don't go to it for a set amount of time, then its only you thats stopping it being taken away completely. It can be quite enlightening to take the first step towards getting items out of your home.
For displaying memorabilia, you may want to have a set area for this so that they all sit together well. Shelving works well for this, or a dresser as you can them have everything on show and its behind glass so won't get dusty as easily.
Think about whether you really need to keep the actual item as a memento - could you take a picture and create a beautiful album of items and memories? This works really well for the age old question of how to store all the peices of artwork your child brings home with them. I advise choosing the best each month, and taking a photo of the child holding it. Then every year you will have 12 photos showing the child growing up, and how their artwork has changed - so their development as well. This will create a beautiful album that they will want to look at time and time again.
If you have a lot of memorabilia from a special collection - but are becoming overwhelmed by it, think about looking into donating some to a gallery or museum - there are lots of places that will be happy to add to their collections, and you will be spreading the wealth so that more people can see them. Take a look online for ideas of places that may be interested.
Think about getting some items valued if you believe they may be worth something. It is worth ensuring that you have the right insurance for them should anything happen, and also that you are not storing them in the wrong way. Look after your items!
For paperwork memorabilia, file them as you would any other filing, and use a system that works for you i.e. alphabetically or chronologically.
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