How to Make an Upcycled Summer Memories Container (From Stuff You Already Have)

A summer memories container is exactly what it sounds like: a repurposed tin, jar, wooden box, or canister that you decorate and fill with little artifacts from the season. Ticket stubs, pressed flowers, a seashell, a folded note about a favorite day. The container itself costs nothing because it comes from your recycling bin or the back of a cabinet, and the result is something your family will want to pull out every August for years.

This project works for all ages. Little kids can draw on it with paint pens while older kids can do more detailed decoupage. You can make one per child or one big family container. There is no wrong version.

What to Use as Your Container

The best upcycled containers are the ones with a lid, since you want to be able to tuck things inside without everything spilling out. Good candidates include:

An empty coffee tin or tea tin A wide-mouth mason jar A shoebox or gift box with a lid An old cookie tin A wooden cigar box (check local tobacco shops, they often give these away) A cardboard oatmeal canister

Metal tins are my personal favorite because they feel substantial and they hold up over time. But a mason jar is a lovely option if you like being able to see what is inside without opening it.

Whatever you choose, give it a good wipe down. Remove any labels from tins by soaking them in warm soapy water for a few minutes, then peeling. Stubborn adhesive comes off with a little cooking oil rubbed on with a paper towel.

Supplies You Will Need

You probably have most of this on hand already, which is the whole point.

Your container Acrylic craft paint or spray paint (for a base coat if desired) Mod Podge or white school glue thinned with water (roughly 2 parts glue to 1 part water) Decorative paper, old maps, pages from a nature field guide, tissue paper, or scrapbook paper Paint pens or a fine-tip Sharpie for writing on it A foam brush or an old paintbrush Optional: washi tape, stickers, stamps, dried flowers, twine

If you want a clean base to work on, give your container a coat of white or cream acrylic paint and let it dry fully before decorating. This step is optional but it makes colors pop more on metal surfaces.

How to Decorate Your Container

The decoupage method is the easiest approach and gives a really finished look. Tear or cut your chosen paper into irregular pieces roughly the size of a playing card or smaller. Using your foam brush, paint a thin layer of your Mod Podge mixture onto a section of the container, press a piece of paper on top, then brush another layer of Mod Podge over it. Smooth out bubbles with your fingers as you go. Overlap pieces slightly as you work around the container.

For a summer feel, old maps of places you have visited work beautifully. So do pages from a vintage botanical illustration book (check thrift stores or use free printable images). Tissue paper in ocean blues and sandy tans gives a beachy look with very little effort.

Once the decoupage layer is dry, which usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes depending on humidity, use a paint pen to write the year on the front. You can add a small illustration, your family name, or a phrase that captures the summer. Something like "Summer 2025" in a chunky hand-lettered style is simple and looks great.

Finish with two coats of Mod Podge over the whole exterior as a sealant. Let each coat dry completely.

What to Put Inside

This is where the project gets meaningful. The container is really just a vessel for the small things that would otherwise get lost in a junk drawer or thrown away.

Some ideas for what to collect throughout the season: a note written on the last day of school describing what everyone is looking forward to, a popsicle stick from a particularly good afternoon, sand from a beach trip wrapped in a small envelope, a ticket from a fair or outdoor concert, a dried wildflower, a photo printed at the drugstore, a paper bag from a bakery you loved on a road trip.

You can also write memories on slips of paper and fold them up. At the end of summer, sit down as a family and read them all aloud before sealing the container for the year. Some families open last year's container at the start of summer, which is a lovely little ritual that costs nothing and takes about ten minutes.

Making It a Kids Activity

If you are doing this with younger children, skip the decoupage and hand them paint pens instead. Let them draw whatever they want on the container, whether that is suns and fish and ice cream cones or just their handprints. Write their name and age on the bottom with a Sharpie. The messier and more kid-like it looks, the more you will love it in fifteen years.

For a group activity, set up a little decorating station with paint pens, stickers, and washi tape in summer colors. Each kid makes their own container at the start of summer and fills it as the season goes on. It gives them something to look forward to and makes them more observant about the small moments worth keeping.

Frequently Asked Questions