Thank you all again...it is a precious "tree" for me ...and it brings back lots of good memories...like the heart-shaped gold & pewter pc was given to me by my grandma many yrs ago...it opens up & has our pics inside & my g'pa's too. And that silly Texas shaped pin left of the tree trunk is a junky pc from Texas...my folks wintered there after retirement...that silly colorful peacock feather you see right of the trunk is a from a pair of earrings when I got to go down & visit them in Texas once! (in the middle of an Iowa winter! It was heaven!) And the trinket angel pin...my Mom wore them on lots of things...scarfs, lapels, etc. I could rattle on a long time with you all! But I am pleased that it has inspired some of you with ideas for your keepsakes. Thanks for looking. Jeanne S.

It is a great idea!!! I do the ornaments with child's name and year for my son and nieces. We got a dog last Saturday and now he has one too. I have so many ornaments that we have a kids tree that we let them help decorate and all of their ornaments go up there. I am still debating whether or not they will get the ornaments when they have their own place. I think I will need something to hold onto when they go their separate ways. LOL :~D I also keep a trunk of what nots for my son, just in case I am not here when he is older. I am only 20 yrs older than he is but you never know. I have personal journals and baby books for him. But, I also have a journal that everyone is free to write in (family and friends). I ask them to put the date, write as if they are talking to him and sign it. I love to read this journal best because sometimes they see things that I don't. He is 7 now and the journal was started when he was about 1. Lots to read - makes me teary-eyed. LOL This year he played football for the first time and I took pictures with a digital camera every game. I would make a slideshow in powerpoint and send it to all the players parents via email. They loved them. I am thinking about doing a slideshow for him as an overview of the year. One year I did a monthly newsletter for the kids. Each would have a section that I would let them write. It would also include a calendar for their upcoming events, update on their sizes, favorite foods, movies and colors, etc. I would send it to all family members just to keep them updated. I really need to find the time to do that again. I have so many ideas in my head just so little time. My dream is to set up an area where I can do family type memorabilia. I have been gathering pictures and stuff for years and would like to organize and make gifts for next year. Maybe that will be my new years resolution!!!!!! Happy Holidays and Enjoy your families

When cleaning out my sister's apartment I gathered enough jewelry to fill 2 1/2 small flat bins used to store Christmas bulbs. She loved costume jewelry, so many clip earings, some that I remember she wore when I was a child like chandilier earings. Rings, watches, bracelets, brooches. Some pieces are good. She ordered some from shopping channels. The jewelry I cared most about finding was my Grandmother's wedding ring set that my sister wore but couldn't find it. We put a lot of clothing items in the apartment's recydling room before we realized a few days later we should have checked pockets. I have been slowly going through the jewelry and bought a magnet to help decipher what may be gold or silver. One thing I plan on doing with some of the earings is to make some wall art. My friend made a beautiful Christmas tree on velvet that she framed using her Mom's jewelry. You can also get some tall styrophone cones or cardboard cones and wrap them in velvet and cover them with pieces. So beautiful. You can also make some bouquets of jewelly flowers with some pieces.

Sorry, that one didn't go through, not sure why. Here it is again, hoping this one is a winner! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270194564697&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=017