Article by: Julia Gabriel
As a photographer capturing moments is kind of my thing. My camera is my constant companion in the hopes that it will capture something that represents each moment to perfection. Sometimes moments can’t be captured on film and instead are encompassed in a craft your child has made from love, sometimes it’s a piece from the baby’s coming home outfit, sometimes it’s a ticket stub to their first big game. It can even be a snippet of video of the kids simply being goofy around the kitchen table. The best thing about making memories is they often happen when you least expect it. This weekend the kids and I undertook a special project to help us capture special moments of 2012 and then store them safely away to be unearthed ten (or more) years from now.
To make a time capsule you will need:
- a large plastic container (I picked one up from the Dollar store)
- white school glue
- jar that seals tight and is leakproof. A Mason Jar works well.
- colored tissue paper
- letter stickers and/or a permanent marker
- large paint brush
Step 1: Make DIY decoupage glue. In your sealable jar, mix equal parts glue and water. The easiest way to do this is dump the whole bottle of white glue into the jar then fill the empty glue bottle with water and then pour it into the jar too. Seal it up tight. Have a Child do their best shaking to mix it together. Stores well for future use.
Step 2: Make a collage of your favorite pictures. You can get a program or website to help with layout or just do it the old fashioned way. Using the paintbrush “paint” the glue on the backside of each of the images then paint the glue over top of the images. Set the lid aside to dry.
Step 3: Glue pieces of tissue paper to the side of the time capsule container in the same way as the photographs to give it a stained glass look (this also helps obscure contents – no peeking!).
Step 4: Write “Open in 2022” or “Do Not Open Until …” on the lid using stickers or permanent pen, then fill the time capsule.
In our time capsule we added photographs from our favorite events this year, a thumb drive with video clips, drawings and letters to our future selves as well as a few fun tokens we have picked up along the way. The best part of this craft is you can add in anything that is time capsule worthy to you. It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon or rainy day with the kids and think of how fun it will be opening it up at some point in the future.
Once you are finished filling the time capsule, have a sealing ceremony and duct tape the edges closed so you won’t be too tempted to peek and store the container in a safe place. Make it an event and have fun!
See you in ten years!
