Travel and Vacation Memorabilia

• Collect postcards, stamps and copies of photographs from travel and vacation locations and display them on a tabletop box. Arrange them in an orderly fashion, or overlap them for an eclectic look. Decorate the box with stamps from letters you have received or places you have vacationed, or purchase decorative stamps from the post office. Make copies of the front and back of postcards to share both the image and the message, if desired. Use the box to store small treasures from the trips, such as shells, coins or additional stamps and postcards, or to keep stationery on your desk.
  
  

Recycled and Whimsical

• Consider the unusual when looking for papers to use for decoupage. Cover a wooden box with old, unused sewing pattern papers for storage of sewing or craft supplies. Use images cut from old gardening catalogs to cover a box for storing seed packs or desk accessories. In addition to images, cut sections of text, such as plant descriptions, and decorative type to decorate a wooden box. Decoupage boxes for children to store small toys with black and white newspaper comic strips or old comic books. Recycle your child’s art into collectible display boxes.
  
  

Vintage and Period Art

• Print out images, available on CDs or the Internet, of vintage holiday postcards and greeting cards, to create home-decor pieces for the holidays and year-round. Copy images of art from various times and places, such as the Renaissance masters, country images, Victorian designs or primitive art and decoupage as a focal point on a stained or painted box. Add decorative scrapbooking scrolls and borders to the overall design for an elegant wooden box. Embellish the design further by adding vintage hardware and an antique finish.
  
  

Seasonal and Holiday Theme

• Decoupage scraps of old wrapping paper from any holiday onto a wooden box to store and display greeting cards each year. Use the cards to decoupage boxes to give as gifts or display on a mantel or shelf. Combine wrapping paper with a focal image from a card to create a layered decoupage on the box. Make boxes for each season and holiday for display and storage of holiday treasures throughout the year. Decoupage the inside of the box with coordinating paper or fabric and display the box open for viewing the contents.