You can likely think of a million things to keep in your Petite Keep trunk, like Christening gowns, silver rattles, and more. But what if you made keepsakes with your kids to cherish both the item & the time spend with your little one?! 

They were right when they said, “the days are long, the years are short”. After a year of extended time at home, time with our kids feels invaluable now that things are getting back to normal. Before you know it, you’ll be dropping them off in a dorm room at their dream school. 

Don’t know where to start? We have a few fun ideas for some keepsakes to make and traditions to create. 

Keepsakes

Clay handprint/footprint bowls! The Messy Little Monster is a great resource for DIY crafts and fun for kids of all ages. She has arts & crafts and activities categorized by season and holiday! We love her hand and footprint bowls for tiny hands and feet! Both of these crafts require very few steps. Simply roll out white air dry clay, have your kiddo make their foot or handprint, and place in a small bowl to dry. This is to ensure the bowl shape once the clay dries. Her instructions also suggest cutting out a heart in the clay, but you could form these in any shape you like: circular, square, heart-shaped, and more! Once the clay dries, paint the prints. She uses a beautiful gold paint, but any color would work! This bowl could function as a ring dish or catch-all in a bathroom or on a vanity! 

A “Hand” towel is another cute way to keep those pudgy baby hands alive! To make this, you need a clean dish towel, a pen or pencil, a needle and thread, and an embroidery hoop. (Don’t use a sharpie because it will leave a thick line, and the stitching won’t fully cover it.) Sarah’s Hand Embroidery Tutorials is a straightforward resource for hand embroidery. You can make these for each season & hang them in your kitchen, or make one for each of your kids! The options are endless!

Traditions

Traditions are such a special part of a family because they are unique to each one. For example, we have a friend whose dad takes each sibling to Waffle House for a birthday breakfast. This has become something each kid still looks forward to every year, well into their 20s and 30s. Another example is the viral family that flips cake. Have you seen this!? It’s hilarious; the guest of honor at every family event (birthday, engagement, retirement, etc.) flips the cake! 

You may not want to incorporate a tradition quite as messy as this one, but we have some other fun, unique ideas. We hope it will inspire you to incorporate some of these or create your own!

 

Lindsay and her family made a school bus cake as a back-to-school tradition! She found the activity on @dosaygive’s website and just knew it was something she wanted her family to do each year. The bus is vanilla cake and colored yellow icing. Next, pipe black icing for the windshield and windows. Make a face with vanilla wafers, for the bud driver and students. Add Oreos for wheels and red & yellow M&Ms for lights! See her website for the full instructions! 

Other ideas include: 

• An annual father-son fishing trip. This doesn’t have to be a weekend affair if your season is too busy, it can simply be an afternoon with no phones, good conversation, and fishing.

• Christmas shopping for a family in need. Research your local organizations, like The Boys & Girls Club, and sign up to sponsor a family. Make it a big event to go shopping. When you get home make a big batch of cookies, turn on your favorite Christmas movie, and wrap the gifts as a family. Have your little ones write notes or draw pictures for the other kids, wishing them a Merry Christmas! 

• Host a family kickball game every holiday! Include extended family if you can, and create a new team every time. Or, if you’re really competitive, keep the teams the same and add a homemade trophy to the mix! 

We hope this gives you a little inspiration to create memories, keepsakes, and traditions with your family. Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram when you share photos of your new traditions or diy keepsakes! And as always, tag us in pictures of your trunks! We love to see what unique keepsakes each family treasures.