This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase using my link. I only include products that I genuinely recommend!
Over the years, I’ve received many keepsakes from coworkers and students that I cherish. It’s really important to me to keep track of who all has given me a gift so that 5 or 10 years from now when I look back on the item I’ll actually be able to recall who the giver was and actually enjoy memories of our interactions.
Label each with name and year
I used to write the giver’s name with a Sharpie on the item itself. The problem is sometimes I can’t write small enough so if the item is small the writing looks messy; or if it’s a nice item that would be ruined by having writing on it and that’s no good.
Now, I use a label maker like this Brother one to save the person’s name. I also like to include the year they gave me the gift. Label makers are especially great because you can change the size of the font to make a really tiny sticker and cut around the words to get rid of the margins.
Number and corresponding list
If you have an item that you can’t write on (like the beautiful crystal perfume vial from Egypt below) or attach a label to you might consider keeping a numbered spreadsheet/list. Write a small number on the item somewhere inconspicuous and on the corresponding number in a spreadsheet/list, this way when you want to remember who gifted the item, you can find the info on the spreadsheet/list.
I recommend keeping a short description of the item as well just in case something happens to your list and the numbers are removed, or the formatting gets messed up. I do recommend using a numbered system though because only writing a descriptive factor can get a little tricky when you have similar items, such as fans from Asian countries, so you have to figure out a system that works for you
Digital photo catalog
Nothing wrong with a straightforward approach! Take a picture of each item and save the picture in a folder with the name and the year. I like to save the pictures on my personal cloud so that I don’t lose them all if/when I change jobs.
Shadow box
This idea works especially well if you have space on your shelves or your walls to hang the shadow boxes. You can print out as brief or thorough of a description as you like to attach to the back of the shadow box. If you find yourself wondering who the item came from, pop it off the wall and take a peek at the back. This method is also nice if you want to group items either from a particular year or by a particular country or region of the world to create a collection.
Journal/scrapbook
There are two ways to approach this idea. For those of you who like to keep a journal and have an artsy side you can draw, paint, or sketch. This allows you to be creative while you’re cataloging and besides the gift giver’s name, you can jot down a few notes about your memories or interactions with the person.
If scrapbooks are more of your thing, take a photo and put it in a scrapbook along with a few lines about the person or what was going on at this time. This is a great way to save any sweet thank you cards from students. Keep this journal/scrapbook throughout your career to look back and see all the lives you’ve touched.
Are there other ways that you have found to catalog your keepsakes? Let me know in the comments. Check back for a post about some of my favorite keepsakes!
Thanks for stopping by,
Sara