Here’s a happy hack for showcasing your memories: Make a Forever Frame that lets you swap out photos and mementos in a snap. The easy, old-school version of those digital frames that rotate photos, a Forever Frame is like a scrapbook you can hang on your wall.
Since there’s no glass on the from, and the photo isn’t mounted but slipped into a clip, you can swap out photos, tickets, maps, postcards, and other mementos whenever you want a new memory to admire, Then, because there’s no glass pressing down on the image, you can paperclip a smaller item–a matchbook, ticket stub or smaller photo–to the main item. It’s a fun way to layer memories.
Put in a photo of last Thanksgiving at this year’s celebration, with your placard attached! Add a photo of your latest trip every time you arrive back home, with your boarding pass stub on its corner! Swap out photos every week, month, day–whenever you feel like it.
It’s almost as easy to make the frames as it is to change up the photos. When I went on The Today Show to share some Happy Hacks, I brought along some Forever Frames showcasing the host’s special memories: Savannah’s wedding in Italy, Laura traveling with Al, Craig with his son at a Knicks game. But they can swap those out with new memories any time they want! That’s what I love about a Happy Hack– it’s a simple way to bring joy to every day.
Here’s how to make your own Forever Frame.
What you’ll need:
- A frame
- A metal clip—like a bulldog or binder clip
- A hot glue gun and glue
- A photo and/or mementos: maps, tickets, programs
Step One: Take your frame and remove the back, separating the glass, mat, and frame back.
Step Two: Reassemble the frame with the glass resting on the frame back and the mat on top of the glass.
Step Three: Hot glue the clip to the mat, so it’s in the center at the top of the mat, just above the opening where the photo normally goes.
Step Four: Once the glue has dried and the clip is secure, slide a photo and/or some mementos (ticket stubs, programs, notes, etc) into the clip. You can layer memories! Here, we slipped a matchbook into the clip on top of the photo.
Step Five: Attach another layer if you want! Here, we paper clipped a mini magazine cover from the historic game to the corner of the photo.
Now sit back and admire the frame–until you’re ready to swap in the next memory!
