HOW TO MAKE A TIME CAPSULE
This post kind of sounds like an episode from The Middle with the Heck family.
The time capsule was a great idea, but I was short on time to pull it together.
My vision was for future homeowners to unearth our little treasures and enjoy the random contents in the space between the newly installed cabinets and the soon-to-be-installed countertops.

DETAILS OF A TIME CAPSULE
There are no rules for a time capsule. I just loved the idea of a future owner discovering a little peek into our family and our brownstone in the suburbs home.
Maybe future homeowners or contractors will find our very last-minute buried treasure under our kitchen counters. There are no rules ofr creating a treasure of memories for future homeowners.
I hope the owners find it and not the demo crew tasked with tearing out our cabinets.
So I guess the success of our hidden treasure comes down to who finds it.
I love that the items we included provide a history and feel of our family.
This is more fun than reading the history of the owners in the title work documents.

On the morning our countertops were scheduled to be installed I had 15 minutes to make a time capsule.
I was going to stash the time capsule in the space between the soon-to-be new countertops.
TIME CAPSULE DURING REMODEL


I had visions of burying our family time capsule in the woods behind our house. Except, it was mid-November and the ground would be frozen. I also had visions of my children happily digging that hole for my family time capsule.

So here is how I created and buried a family time capsule on the morning of our counter install.

Below is the space where I stashed our time capsule. The existing counters were removed during our kitchen demo. But there was a small space between the cabinet and frame where I planned to make the drop.

I should clarify; there was no actual time capsule or box. Instead, it was a family collection of random objects; tucked into the space between the cabinet box and the extended counter for the breakfast bar.
I should have stored the items in a box.

With hopes that decades from now, a future homeowner might unearth our family time capsule during a remodel.


I wish I had put more thought into this. In the middle of our kitchen makeover, I thought we would never get to the counter stage.
And, then seven weeks later it was a Friday morning and the counter and crew was en route.

CONTENTS
Over the years, I never had the heart to toss my kids’ collections of pottery. So it seemed appropriate for a future family’s expedition to find pottery pieces, with my children’s initials scrawled on the bottom.
Of course, the bigger question might be why was there an Italian wine bottle. But, the wine bottle was from our daughter’s semester abroad trip to Florence. A nod to our modest travel adventures.
Basically, I stashed objects that I loved but I did not have a place to display in the decor. It is a mom’s burden to bare when choosing the best neon green, oatmeal like texture kiln dried pottery.
I talked about other ideas here about what to do with family heirlooms.

In addition to the pottery and the wine bottle, the family capsule corner included the most recent issue of 5280 Magazine (a Denver magazine).
I also tossed in a coffee mug with our dogs’ “mugs” on the mug.
Again, I did not have the heart to toss the mug so I buried it below the kitchen counter’s surface.

And, I included a Christmas card from years gone by with our kids at a Denver Bronco game in full-on orange and blue jerseys and foam fingers.
The Christmas card was a funny take on the 12 months of 2007. It captured our family’s personality perfectly.

And, I included a handwritten note about the kitchen renovation and the family time capsule. My husband and kids loved the idea.
IDEAS
And, only after the counters were installed did I think I should have stored the time capsule contents in a box. And I thought about these ideas for the box.
- Local magazine
- Family photo
- Original house photos
- Family recipes
- Things you love but can part with for prosperity (all of the kids’ pottery pieces)
- Christmas Ornament
- A dollar bill
IIf I think too long about this I may find a way to pry the counter off and do a time capsule makeover! That is my squirrel brain on hyper-speed.

It was such a fun idea and a nice way to end an eight-week kitchen renovation. And, who knows if a pipe bursts or we gut the main level, we might just stumble upon the time capsule first!
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That is so cool! We are big into time capsules here –each girl has one from her first birthday to be opened at her 21st (one down, one to go this year!). Our family also did one for Y2K that my mother in law keeps and we just opened it this New Year’s Day. That was fun! If we ever do a major remodel here, I’m going to do one like this!
What a great idea for the birthdays! You should share that on your blog! Spread the word! laura
We are in the midst of a master bathroom remodel (started 2 days before Thanksgiving and still going strong) and I have thought of placing a letter between the studs for future renovators. You’ve given me the idea to place a bit more, including some objects and memorabilia in a small box. Thanks for the ideas!
p.s. your kitchen looks awesome!
Yay! Thank you Kathy! Go for it! And, thank you! More photos to follow, but there is a never ending punch list! ha! laura
Thanks so much for stopping by!! Rudolph Day is the 25th of each month where you plan something for next Christmas or if you are a Blogger, you do a Christmas post. I hope you have a great weekend!!
Hugs,
Debbie
I love this Debbie!
I loved this idea from the start!
I love the idea of a time capsule! But what I love more is that cute pic of your fam by the Christmas tree. Have a great week, buddy!
We added a wall in 1990 to the house we lived in for 30 years ( recently downsized) we put in a penny, nickle, dime & quarter that were all dated 1990, a newspaper, a family picture and a note explaining why we were putting the wall in. Each boy put in their chosen hot wheel car. We sold the home around 4 years ago, I know the new owners did a major remodel, not sure if the wall was removed and the time capsule was found. Yes, it was a fun to do. We had our new home completely remodeled before we moved in, I didn’t even think about a time capsule, wished I had. Thanks for the fun article.