Whether you are doing it for your own home or to use as gifts, framing family heirlooms can be a very special way to preserve a bit of your family's history. From simple things like recipes to actual jewelry, here are some ideas that might help you to create something very special.

• From The Kitchen - Heirlooms certainly don't need to be in the form of something costly. In fact, your grandmother's recipes written in her own hand are probably as dear to you as something of monetary value, so you should frame them. If you are doing this for your own kitchen, select a mat that matches your kitchen decor. For example, if your wallpaper has strawberries as the main design, choose the red of the strawberries for the mat of the recipe. A wood frame would be a great choice.  Are you lucky enough to have your grandma's old cookie cutters, measuring spoons, and even her wooden rolling pin? Place them in a shadow box with a background paper of tiny flowers, kittens, puppies, or anything that has a nostalgic look.
• From The Album - Have you just inherited albums holding things like photographs, wedding invitations, baby announcements or certificates of achievement? Those would be very effectively displayed by framing them for a wall grouping. Choose frames of different shapes and sizes to add interest to the display. For example, a large wedding picture placed in an oval frame would look very nice next to the wedding invitation in a round frame and the baby announcement in a rectangular or square shape. Don't worry if the things to be framed are of extremely different sizes. Just place the smallest framed items within the grouping and this will just make it even more appealing.
• From The Attic - In cleaning out your parent's or grandparent's attic, did you come upon antique toys or old clothing? Maybe you have discovered a little bag full of jacks and a pair of tiny gloves along with a child's bonnet. Imagine the charm of these objects framed together in a shadow box. They will certainly become conversation starters. Small metal cars along with a picture of the little boy that owned them would be very nice in a shadow box. Choose a pewter frame for this type of collection. A background of paper with antique cars on it would be perfect.
• From The Jewelry Box - Maybe you have been keeping old watches, plain gold wedding bands, mismatched earrings and other pieces of jewelry that belonged to somebody from your past. If so, group them together to form a collection of memories. If the jewelry is mostly in gold tones, select a gold frame in which to place them. If it is mostly silver, select a silver frame. Or, if there is a combination of gold and silver, select a frame that features both metals. Match the mat to a predominant color in the display. For example, if you are displaying a garnet earring and a garnet brooch, select that color for the mat.

 If you have approximate dates and the names of the original owners of each object, be sure to write that information on the back of the frame. If you want a custom frame made, visit a business like Hoosier Highlander.