How to Put Together a Time Capsule
Angie called our office to order a second baby time capsule. She and her husband were told almost 16 years ago they could not get pregnant. Three months later, they were pregnant. Angie is now pregnant with their second child. When their first daughter turns 16 in a few weeks, they will present her with the first time capsule. Three weeks after their first daughter’s birth, Angie’s grandfather passed away. Before he died, he wrote Angie’s first child a “Message to the Future” (TM) and placed it inside her time capsule. What a precious moment that will be when Angie’s daughter opens her time capsule and finds her great grandfather’s hand-written letter to her with a picture of him holding her in the hospital. Memories like this are the original legacy that we leave our customers. Each time capsule is original in of themselves, as they are personalized with love.
This story could be you too. Please do not wait until it is too late for your children to remember who their grandparents were, what their background was like, and the opportunity for them to relive what life was like when your grown child was a baby.
We are going to discuss how to put together a time capsule for you to store in a hidden closet or display in your home. We are not going to talk about a time capsule you bury. This is another subject, for a different blog for the future. Besides, if you have a time capsule in your home, you never have to worry about forgetting where you buried it. Also, when you move, you do not have to dig it up. Just take it with you where ever you go.
What you Need to Put Together a Time Capsule
Just like a recipe has ingredients there are a few things that can help you put together your own time capsule.
- shoe box, cylinder container of some kind, or you can purchase an “Any Occasion” DIY Time Capsule here to easily and quickly get started.
- Stationary paper and pen
- Camera
- Video recorder
- Printer
- Markers
- Stickers
- Pictures
- Scrapbook embellishments or crafts
- Popular toys
- Newspaper
- Magazines
- TV guide
- Current ads
- Jewelry
- Journal
- Photographs
- Souvenirs or other favorite things
- Cards or Letters
Steps to Put Together a Time Capsule
1. Decorate the outside of your time capsule with anything you want. If you choose to purchase the “Any Occasion” DIY Time Capsule, you can use markers, stickers, or any artwork you want to print out on the included sticker sheets to wrap around the outside of your time capsule. You can even download your own photos from social media, phone, or computer and print them out on the sticker sheets included to wrap on the outside of your DIY Time Capsule.
2. Look around your house, your friend’s house, out in public, at your grandparents house, etc to find items that are sentimental and you want to save in your time capsule. Choose items that you think will preserve well. For example, do not keep food in your time capsule (yes, even a twinkie), because it will not last 10, 20, or 50 years from now.
3. Spend some time writing a “Message to the Future” letter to yourself about what you think you will be doing several years from now. How many kids do you think you will have? Will you get married? Where will you live? What will college life be like? Do you really think people will be living on Mars in the future? These are just some examples of questions to get you started.
4. Place all your meaningful items in the time capsule. You may even include an inventory list, explaining whey you put each item in your time capsule. Then seal up your time capsule using tape, stickers, or any other creative device you can think of.
5. Think of a date in the future when you want to open the time capsule? Write that date on the outside of your time capsule, or use the date stickers included in our time capsules at www.TimeCapsule.com to fill in the section of the lid to the time capsule, which says “Do Not Open Until …..” You fill in the date.
6. Pick a place to store you time capsule. Do you want it proudly displayed on your shelf in a room, showing off your beautiful artwork on the outside, or do you want it hidden in a closet so you forget about it? Either way, make sure you set a reminder on a calendar online, like a Google Calendar, to remind you when to open it in the future. You can even schedule a future email to be sent to you reminding you to open the time capsule.
7. Most importantly, have fun making your time capsule. This is a time of reflection and remembrance.
So, what would you put in your time capsule? Comment below.
Making Milestone Moments Count,
– Marcie