Storage in Trunks

We live in a Victorian home and though it is wonderful here, it is also authentic in that there is very limited storage. The few closets are small and for collectors of things there has to be other sources of hiding places.

The stack of trunks at the foot of my new bed is one idea you might be able to use in your own home environment.

The bottom trunk is one that my hubby gave me in 1973 as a wedding gift. He refinished it and lined the inside with white satin and braid trim. It houses my wedding mementos, a really neat place especially for those things I love.

The leather trunk above it holds part of our 19th century toy collection. Many of the things we handmade after extensive research. It is easy to grab it and go to the next reenactment or living history event.

Being a reenactor 0f 19th century life we have to be prepared with many of the activities of the period. The next trunk up is a wonderfully grain painted box with a glass knob that my husband painted. It houses our collection of period school supplies. Text books from about 1830-1880, an abacus made by my husband, a clay slate for children to learn their lesson, a metal lunch pail, an old school bell and vintage slate and graphite pencils. We portray the school Master and Mistress.

The brown box, third from top, is my writing kit. It houses vintage pen nibs and a mother of pearl pen, quills, walnut and poke berry inks, a sander, a vintage pen knife and proper papers and stamps dating to the Civil War era. I use it to write children's names at venues. They love to see their name written with ink and quill.

Above that one is a yellow painted cigar storage box. My mama worked for the tobacco company and would stack hand rolled cigars into the boxes for curing. It houses authentic Civil War items that we have collected and a few Indian artifacts.

Last but not least is the small box at the top of the stack. It is a modern black box that has HOME printed on one side. My daughter gave it to me at Christmas and it houses our own address stamp and ink pad. I love it.

Storage is important wouldn't you say? Where would all this live if not in their respective trunks? One other storage place is my heart. I love to hide God's Word there that I might not sin against Him. I thank the Lord for my home and for the storage within, for the memories within, for His grace toward me.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of my trunks. I have another for photographs, an early 19th century 6-board chest for the grandchildren's toys, a storage casket for woolens and extra linens, a round top trunk for my children's special childhood things, a Cedar chest and a smallish 18th century glove box that used to be hide covered. Wow! That's a lot of trunks! Lots of memories, too!

Blessings~