My kids live in the moment. They give me blank looks when I ask them what they did last week so you can imagine if I waited all summer to ask them what they did during their summer break. Memory keeping is important to me so I decided to make a summer memories jar to store our favorite memories. Each memory is written on a card, folded and put into the jar. At the end of the summer, we will pull out all the memories and read them together as a family. This project is perfect for this month’s summer themed Silhouette Challenge.
{Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.}
Supplies:
For the jar:
- Silhouette Printable White Sticker Paper
- quart sized smooth Ball mason jar
- Transform MASON gold tone bank slot lid and band
- Silhouette Portrait
- Silhouette Portrait mat
For the memory cards:
- 8.5 inch x 11 inch pieces of paper or cardstock
- paper trimmer or scissors
Instructions:
1. Download my free printable file for the summer memories jar. These files are only for your personal use.
2. This was my first time using the Silhouette white sticker paper and I had a hard time figuring out what side to print on. I peeled a little bit of the corner apart so I could tell which side was sticky. Print the file using a PDF reader or Silhouette Studio depending on which file you downloaded.
3. If using the PDF, cut out the design with scissors. Otherwise print and cut the file using the Silhouette, mat and Silhouette Studio:
- Place printed sticker paper the Silhouette mat.
- Load the mat into the Silhouette.
- Open the cut file in Silhouette Studio (SS).
- Select Silhouette->Cut Settings from the SS menu.
- Make sure that White Sticker Paper is selected. Double click on White Sticker Paper and it will show the cut settings. Make sure to adjust the blade to the correct setting.
- To cut, select Silhouette -> Send To Silhouette in the SS menu.
4. Peel the sticker from the backing paper and smooth it onto the mason jar.
5. Replace the lid that came with the jar with the bank slot lid.
For the memory cards, I cut 8.5 inch x 11 inch pieces of cardstock into 8 cards. First, cut the cardstock lengthwise into two long strips. Then cut each of those strips into 4 cards. Each finished memory card measures 4.25 inch x 2.75 inch. After writing on the cards, fold them into fourths and add them to the summer memories jar. Here are a few of our favorite memories from this summer so far.
Looking through the memories to pick out the ones above was fun. I can’t wait until the end of the summer when we go back through to read our favorite summer memories together.
My Silhouette Challenge friends and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so check out the projects below for summer themed Silhouette inspiration!
1. Home At Eight // 2. DIY Just Cuz {Sam} // 3. DailyDwelling // 4. Where The Smiles Have Been // 5. My Paper Craze // 6. Get Silvered // 7. DIYJustCuz {Brittany} // 8. Whatcha Workin’ On? // 9. The Stamp Doc // 10. Practically Functional // 11. Simply Kelly Designs // 12. Patina Paradise // 13. Architecture of a Mom // 14. Weekend Craft
I hope you have enjoyed my summer memories jar and all the Silhouette Challenge Summer themed projects. Happy crafting!
What a fun idea Kelly! I know when I was a kid summers were always fun but they seemed to go by so fast, so it’s really cool to make time to purposely sit down and remember those things!
Thanks Jessi. The summer is flying by! My kids go back to school two weeks from tomorrow. I can’t believe it!!!
This is a fabulous idea Kelly. What a great way to keep the happy memories going way past summer.
Thanks Pam. I am all about capturing our memories. 🙂
How do you come up with such cute ideas?? I’m going to have to share this with my mom…her two little girls always claim that they “never” do anything fun, and this would probably be a great way to curb that, along with re-enjoying the memories! I tried to use the sticker paper recently but apparently it’s too thick for my printer. Yours turned out great!
–Brittany
http://www.diyjustcuz.com
Thanks Brittany. Yeah, I have heard the never doing anything fun line too but then I pull out my phone and we look at picutures of all the fun things they have done in the last week. LOL.
What a great idea! I love using sticker paper I used it a lot when I first got my silhouette. Such a special idea can’t wait until the end of the summer when you guys read them all.
Thanks Michelle. I thought about using vinyl for this but didn’t have all the colors I wanted. Plus I didn’t think this would get wet so I went with sticker paper. It was so easy to use.
What a great project Kelly! Pinning!
Thanks Malia. I love using mason jars for projects like this. 🙂
This is such an adorable idea, what a great way to preserve the memories. Plus if the kids are bored next summer they can always see the fun things they did the previous year for inspiration. Also what a great way to bond as a family, pinning this!
Thanks Sam! My kids make a pocket style scrapbook every summer (this will be the 3rd year) and they love looking at them throughout the year.
This a great way to remember all those good times. What a celebration it will be a the end of the summer!
Thank Eff. I think I have turned my kids into little memory keepers. They love doing this kind of stuff.
Kelly, this is such a cute idea! I can’t wait until my son is old enough to be able to do special activities like this with him. This would also be easily adaptable for any holiday or season. And super cute image too!
Thank you Christine. You are already doing so many special things with Rowan! I remember being a happy kid but I don’t have a lot of specific memories. I think I am overcompensating with my kids.
I LOVE this idea!!! My kids give me those same blank stares and this would be such a fun activity for us to remember our summer. The cards could even go in project life pockets for a mini-album at the end of the summer.
Also, I had a hard time figuring out which side of the white sticker paper to use my first time, too!
Thanks Monica. The two sides of the sticker paper are the same! I think I will have to separate the corners every time I use it. My kids make their own pocket style scrapbook at the end of the summer so I am sure we will be using some of these memory cards in their books.
Wow, Kelly! You never run out of great ideas, do you? What a fun way to create a summer time-capsule of sorts. It’d be a great tradition to do over the years…and then re-read to re-live all the fun times shared together. I’m fo’ sho’ pinning this one!
Thanks Lauren! I feel like I’m always trying to capture our memories so they don’t fade.