The Value of Cherished Objects in Our Life Stories

“The only thing I kept was a collection of assorted trinkets stored in a shoebox: the clarinet cap that had belonged to the boy with leukemia, the key chain with the gold star, my Steif mouse from Dr. Salinger’s menagerie.” Betsy Lerner, Shred Sisters 

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There are no clear statistics on how many Americans have memory boxes, although an informal survey of Artifcts community members and friends found that 100 percent of those asked did indeed have a memory box, bin, or even a drawer. The most minimalist among us even had a memory box (or two!).  

Memory boxes are widely used for bereavement support, family history preservation, and dementia care, where the content of the memory box can help patients remember past people and events. Choices abound for those looking for a specific type of box for a specific purpose, as detailed in our Boxes Abound! ARTIcles story. 

We’ve seen over the years how no two memory boxes are alike—the contents of Amy Shred’s box as quoted above are different from the contents of your box, my box, etc. We all have certain things that we hold on to for different reasons. The contents of our memory boxes are reminders of our past, connections to people, places, and events near and dear to us. Most memory boxes are overflowing with heart value, even if the financial value is dubious at best. Case in point, the now-disintegrating rose petals our co-founder Heather has kept for the past eight years. Pure heart value.  

Preserve and Share the Memories 

The whole point of creating and storing a memory box is to keep the memories safe for years to come. But how will anyone know WHAT those items are, let alone the memories that led you to keep them. Neither ‘stuff’ nor photos can talk, and all too often our carefully preserved and curated boxes become a mystery to the next generation, often ending up in a trash or recycling bin. 

We can do better than that!  

We challenge you over the five days to pick one item a day from your memory box and Artifct it on the spot. With Artifcts, there is no story burden, you can come back and edit and add to the story as often as you want! “My husband gave me this rose on our first date,” is all the story you need to connect those petals that are now floating around your memory box to a cherished memory. 

Challenge accepted? Great!  

Follow our easy steps below to ensure your memories, stories, and memory box contents are digitally preserved and contextualized for the next generation. 

1. 1. 1. Pick an object! Don’t stress over where to start first. What is the first item you see when you open your memory box?
      2. Snap a photo. If you’re up to it, you can add a related audio or video clip, too, or record something new. 
      3. Add a short story. Even a simple fact of WHAT the item is may be enough to get you started. 
      4. Save! You’re done. Now you can privately share your Artifct with family and friends.  

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Imagine if one day you inherited Amy Shred’s memory box, and you discovered the clarinet mouthpiece. You KNOW your mom didn’t play clarinet, but there’s a mouthpiece in her memory box. What gives?  

This is one of the many superpowers of Artifcts—Artifcts lets you contextualize and give voice to your memories, stories, and histories on your terms.  No more guess work or made-up stories in our endless attempts to connect dots and find meaning in the things we keep.  

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Interested in additional ARTIcles? You may like the following:

Why One Mom Moved Beyond Memory Boxes and Instagram

Gift Your Loved Ones a Why

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Do you celebrate a cancer-versary? Are you wondering what is a cancer-versary?

Well, that depends a bit on the person. For me, I have two cancer-versaries I can’t forget, even if I want to. One is January 2nd, the day I received my diagnosis. The other is March 6th, the day I became cancer free (to the best of my knowledge and that of a highly skilled team of doctors). Others, particularly those with metastatic breast cancer, may celebrate other milestones, like beating certain odds they were given. While still others, due to recurrence, may have many more dates that they recognize in some form.

I meant to write an update to share what it’s like now at my one-year cancer-free cancer-versary, but life had other plans. My hope had been that I'd be feeling similar to a friend who three-years after her mastectomy told me by text, “[Having breast cancer] is hardly something I remember. It’s like it never even happened.” 

My path is different from hers. As my one-year anniversary approached, the writing was already on the wall – I would need more surgery. My life was not at risk, you could call it maintenance really, but still, surgery is surgery. And as it turned out, I needed two more surgeries. In a “let’s get this over with” decision, I elected (foolishly) to have them back-to-back in April.  

And now, it’s May, and exactly the right moment to talk again publicly because May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I think it’s important to acknowledge how much cancer can weigh on a person’s mind and alter your entire sense of self. You can feel like your body is not your own, like it’s betrayed you, and you do not recognize it anymore. And how we all process that change is as varied as, well, I don’t know, snowflakes? And it can shift, too. 

As October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month drew to a close, I’ll admit that I took off the necklace I wore daily to signal, “I’m opening to talking about breast cancer.” I was exhausted by it. I needed a break from all things cancer. 

Now on the other side of these latest issues, I feel that call to engage again in the cancer community and raise my hand to ask, “How can I help?” People look for silver linings in the darkness, finding ways to help is mine.

How can breast cancer survivors help each other?

If you’re also looking for ways to connect with or support others in the breast cancer (or another!) community the answer is simple: Show up! 

Volunteer. Did you know some infusion centers allow volunteers to sit with people as they receive their chemo treatment or to help transport them to/from appointments? Yes, there’s a bit of red tape, but you can do it!  

If you’re thinking, nope, not for me, what can I do from home? Consider volunteering your health data, sharing it quickly, easily, securely via the ShareForCures breast cancer research registry by Susan G. Komen. 

For me, it was a no brainer to securely share my health data for research. We give away our data every day for less! We give it away so we can have a social media account without ads. We give it away for tiny 10 and 15% discounts. We give it away so we can use an app we can't live without. So why not give your data, not for profit, but to save lives in the future? Learn more -> 

Share publicly. Sharing your cancer story does not mean announcing any or every detail of your experience on social media or on a podcast. It certainly can mean that.  

I chose to share publicly even though I have a lukewarm relationship at best with social media. I did it so I could immediately reach the most people with two messages: I am here to help, and I beg you, get your screenings. Sadly, despite some truly astounding improvements in detection and treatments, modern medicine remains best equipped to treat cancer that’s caught early. 

Sharing your cancer experience can also be about opening up in more intimate one-on-one conversations or group settings.  

My neighbor confessed to skipping a 6-month follow-up scan after I privately shared my cancer diagnosis with her. She immediately scheduled her scan and luckily remains cancer free. Early detection matters and your story can make that difference for someone! 

I was in San Diego recently for work and the conference organizers mentioned a free yoga class. I signed up as did five others from the conference, a couple of whom I had met before. I shared that I had just had surgery linked to my cancer and needed some move modifications. One thing led to another and it turned out that four of the six of us had already gone through breast cancer. I was the youngest by some margin, but four out of six! I was stunned. We started swapping stories and tips. I even bought a new scar cream to try as a result.

Pick up the phone. Have a friend going through treatment? Answer when they call. Text them when they have appointments. Make plans together that fit their treatment and recovery schedules. 

Even as a cancer survivor, it can be so easy to worry about what is the right thing to say to someone going through cancer treatment that we say nothing at all. Unless you really go unhinged with claims that are not backed by science, religious dogma, or all the reasons why you think they brought this on themselves, I’m fairly certain that they will hear your concern and not judge you for what you do or do not say. 

Just show up. That’s enough.

How We’re Helping at Artifcts

When it comes to making lemonade from the lemons that are cancer, I’m in the less common position of being the co-founder of a company. And not just any company, but a company that cancer patients, survivors, and thrivers can use throughout their journeys as a sort of private digital scrapbook.

2024 – We Were Just Getting Started 

Last year, Team Artifcts raised more than $8,000 through fundraising for the Susan G. Komen MORE THAN PINK walks in Washington D.C. and Austin, Texas. Not only did friends and family join us at these walks but members of the Artifcts community and business partners, too. That’s the difference between caring for not only what you’re building, but how and why you’re building it, too.   

Artifcts also raised $2,500 as a partner through Artifcts gift memberships sold here. You can even choose a pink ribbon themed gift!

And I served on the Executive Leadership Committee for the MORE THAN PINK walk in Austin, Texas, to help bring in corporate sponsorships.

2025 – We’re In This for the Long Haul

As we look ahead, Artifcts has renewed its Friends of Komen agreement with Susan G. Komen. Buy a membership for yourself or as a gift and we’ll donate to Susan G. Komen. Buy or a gift a membership today -->  

I will also serve on the Susan G. Komen MORE THAN PINK walk Executive Leadership Committe again, this year turning my dreamer nature to a local marketplace filled with products and experiences beneficial to cancer patients, survivors, and supporters. 

We’ll also continue to share new resources we learn about to help all those affected by cancer. One of our favorites is We Got This (wegotthis.org), which is a gift registry for cancer thrivers and supporters. The founder Elissa Kalver’s story is one that at the start reminds us all to listen to our bodies and fight for our voices to be heard. But as We Got This and the movement around it grows, we’re in constant awe at what one person with a mission and vision can do to help so many.

Last but not least, I am announcing here and now my standing offer to provide free virtual workshops for cancer communities. During these workshops, I share my own surprising use of Artifcts as a private, digital scrapbook to document all things breast cancer. We walk through examples of how you can privately Artifct in a journal format or scrapbook style (all the gifts, cards, flowers and more) and create sharing lists and circles with others in your network. We each create an Artifct together during the workshop, with the option to share live with other participants.

If you need someone to talk with, reach out. I am here for you: Ellen@Artifcts.com.

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© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Boxes, binders, and bins, oh my! Maybe you know them as keepsake, remembrance, memento, memory, or memorial boxes. Some memory boxes even mirror the binder approach, with tabs by topic, checklists, and pouches for loose keys, thumb drives, and other small and useful or meaningful objects. 

No matter what, before you stick any ‘stuff’ in your box of choice and snap on the lid, Artifct it to remember what it is and why it mattered. Unlike boxes, Artifcts are:

• • • Instantly and perpetually organized and searchable 
    • Fireproof and waterproof
    • Able to combine text, video, audio, and photos for every item
    • Easily shareable and accessible online to anyone you choose, anywhere, anytime 
    • Do not take up space or require dusting

And, obviously, the stuff inside your Artifcts collection will not run the risk of outlasting your memories like a box full of stuff will. The memories are captured and preserved. You are no longer the single point of failure, the family keeper of the memories behind the mementos. Breathe a sigh of relief!

Keepsake Box Options Abound

For those of us who relish holding onto those curated items that mean the most, we’ve tried to distill here what we’ve learned about the variety of boxes available. A common search on Google is "acid-free keepsake box," which tells you people care about keeping items for the long haul.

Many major retailers, like Crate and Barrel, The Container Store, Pottery Barn, Target, Hallmark, and Amazon, sell at least one or two. So, we know there’s demand, people are looking for them. We suspect from how they are marketed that a box makes for a simple and obvious gift for special occasions. You’ll see below that the options and qualities vary. There is something for most needs, styles, and price points! 

(Listed in alphabetical order.) 

• • Akin offers custom boxes that fit and showcase the curated items you have chosen to help tell your story - whether it’s memorabilia, journals, photographs, documents, records, or more. What further sets Akin apart is that it offers services bundled around the box for custom-designed books and genealogy research to help commemorate family stories and ancestral histories.

"Present and preserve your keepsakes as opposed to hiding them away. A curated memorabilia box not only holds your most treasured pieces, it should tell their origin story—beautifully and archivally—so they can be cherished and shared for years to come," explained Renee Innis, Akin Founder.

• • Archival Methods offers archival boxes as well as a whole product category for “object storage.” They have additional custom options for fitting objects more snuggly in the boxes, too. Check them out on Allies in 'Stuff' for a discount code!
  • Etsy is a logical choice for creative and custom options you’ve never even knew existed, offering a breathtaking variety of sizes, styles, and materials to match your purpose or occasion.
  • Infinity Trunk is new to this list since we first published this article. If you need more space like the cedar trunks of old, and truly want a box that is fireproof (and will not be damanged by the water to put out that fire either), this is the box for you. And if it burns, still protecting your items, they will even replace the box for free! Designed and built by expert engineers in Chicago.
  • Nokbox is about functional preparedness, organizing critical information about your life in a box. Keep in mind that if you’re going to store and rely on hardcopy, however, we strongly encourage: (1) fireproof, and know what that covers, (2) never put passwords into a single physical, open access, hardcopy location, and (3) use a digital equivalent for all your life documentation (such as a digital vault from Trustworthy). Digital options are less vulnerable, easier to update, and accessible from anywhere.
  • Petite Keep offers more traditional aesthetics for its boxes, sort of a Pottery Barn or Draper James feel, with customization for initials, patterns, and more.
  • Savor, in contrast to Petite Keep, offers a cleaner, more basic style like you might find from archival-quality sources. Its collection has expanded to offer drawers for vertically oriented boxes, built-in envelopes, and more to cover whatever ‘stuff’ you might have in mind to combine.  

Need we say it again? Just as we tell you “Before you store it, Artifct it," before you box that, Artifct that, too. And slip your Artifcts collection QR code inside or as a sticker on the box for safe keeping of all those stories, videos, and more from your Artifcts collection. Your future self will thank you! And if you need a little help getting started, check out Artifcts concierge options. ->

Before We Go, a Word to the Wise: Know What You’re Buying

Archival does not always mean archival. What? Yes; sad truth. Sometimes archival only means the paper is acid free, for example. And if you are a proponent of recycled paper, you have another potential recipe for disaster once you shut objects inside and create a little microclimate for terrible things to brew.

If you are popping items into a box that you truly cherish, do the homework on your archival products, or speak to a professional. You can contact nationwide companies like Archival Methods—one of our Allies in 'Stuff'—and Gaylord Archival or seek out archivists in your local area for guidance, products, and services.

The same goes for fireproof. Look up the certification on any product that you plan to purchase and see what it was tested to withstand.

Happy Artifcting!

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You might also enjoy a guest article shared here on Artifcts in response to this story: 

Why One Mom Moved Beyond Memory Boxes and Instagram

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.