How to Preserve and Frame Letters and Handwritten Recipes (2024)

A quick and easy tip for preserving ink on handwritten recipes and frame letters as sentimental art in your home.

It’s not every day that you can frame letters and decorate with something that turns you into a blubbering sob fest. I mean I’m certainly one to boohoo over those P&G Olympic mom commercials or the Subaru commercials that show the kids growing up too fast and driving off into the sunset to college.

But home decor? Not so much… until yesterday.

Thanks to my mom pulling out these tear-jerker handwritten recipes that she collected over the years…

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Do you see that Betty Crocker cookbook? That’s seen some love, y’all. You know a recipe is good when it’s smeared and wrinkled and splattered all over.

When my mom handed me this giant stack of recipes written by my grandmothers (and herself), I knew they were destined for a frame. But I knew I also wanted to preserve them because these precious gems need to last forever.

How to Preserve Handwritten Recipes and Frame Letters

Supplies

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Steps

I could have just stuck these sheets in frames, hung them up, and called it a day, but since it’s entirely possible the ink would fade over time from the sunlight and light bulbs, I used this UV laminating film to preserve the ink’s integrity. (You can use it for preserving your kids’ art as they grow up too.)

UPDATE: Once you put laminating film on a letter or handwritten recipe, there’s no going back, so as an alternative, you can instead lightly spray the paper with Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Gloss. Be sure to follow the directions on the back of the can.

1. The instructions say to use them in a laminator, but I found that a hot iron worked just fine.

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2. Just separate the laminating sheets, slide the recipe paper between them, and press with a hot iron on the ironing board. I would use a piece of cardboard underneath the sheets on the ironing board for a harder surface to help smooth out any bubbles.

3. Then cut them out and frame!

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See those smudges? That’s the good stuff. My mom, Elaine, wrote that one using my great-grandmother Gussy’s chicken and dressing recipe she handed down before I was even born.

I love that I stuck with floating frames for these. There’s just an extra element of charm to see the rough edges of old paper.

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This one was written by my maternal grandmother, Janice, for a recipe that was handed down to her by her mom, MeeMaMa Winnie, who passed away just 8 weeks after Olivia was born at the age of 96. Thanksgiving was never complete without her pecan pie (and it’s Robert’s favorite).

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And my paternal grandmother, Kitty, wrote this one and even signed her name. She could cook like nobody’s business but passed away when I was 12. Even though I couldn’t find her famous Swedish pancake recipe, her Swedish meatballs will do. (Pretty sure the pancakes were made from memory every time anyway.)

I hung them up right beside our stove where I try my best to keep up with their legacies in the kitchen.

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I finally decorated the shelves beside them too with a few pretty things, like this landscape art I printed for $3.00 and put in a thrifted frame.

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Joanna Gaines’s “people” sent this Magnolia crate to me a couple of years ago (because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Joanna herself), and it’s been perfect for sticking our mail in when we come home every day before sorting it.

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And you might recognize that thrifted scale that I painted to look like a rusty antique.

It’s all just a little corner of happiness.

Now that I’ve framed the recipes, I’m thinking I need to dig up old love letters Robert and I have written to each other… even thought I might have to turn this house upside-down to find them.

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This little project is definitely proof to me that I need to spend more time handwriting things like notes to loved ones and recipes to hand down to Olivia. There are so many little things that end up being the big things one day.

Now that this spot is all decorated, the kitchen refresh is finished! I’ll be sharing the full reveal of this space next week (hopefully).

UPDATE: See our budget kitchen refresh here!

Until then though, you can see all of our kitchen updates here:

  • Memory foam layered kitchen rug and grout refresh
  • Green painted kitchen cabinet update
  • Kitchen refresh mood board plan
  • 5 tips to create an organized command center
  • White waxed coffee bar makeover
  • Arbor art printable set

Are there any sweet handwritten momentos that you’ve used as art before? I’ve heard you can turn recipes into kitchen towels too. Hmm….

If you want to save this post for later, you can pin it here:

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How to Preserve and Frame Letters and Handwritten Recipes (12)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some gift ideas for preserving handwriting?

I love these small shops that offer preserved handwriting gifts in the form of cutting boards, jewelry, plates, or dish towels.

How do you turn handwriting into font?

Here is a great tutorial that can help!

How to Preserve and Frame Letters and Handwritten Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you preserve hand written letters? ›

Place documents in polyester or polypropylene sleeves that are slightly bigger than the actual document so that they are easy to slip in or out. Place only one document per sleeve to reduce handling and damage. Store the pages in an album with a slipcase that will protect it from light and dust.

How do you preserve a letter in a frame? ›

Be sure to ask that the letter be matted first, on both sides, so that the paper does not touch the glass; if a humid environment ever caused moisture to form inside the frame, the letter might get stuck to the glass. Also request glass with UV protection.

How do you display old letters? ›

Consider placing your letters and documents in acid-free envelopes, crystal clear bags, or pocket pages, all of which will keep delicate papers from being exposed to harmful dust, moisture and household pollutants. You can place them in elegant three-ring binders and slipcases if they are in archival binder pages.

How do you preserve a 100 year old letter? ›

Open the letters one at a time and remove any foreign objects, especially staples, straight pins or paper clips; these tend to rust and damage paper over time. Keep pages together in their original order by placing each letter with its envelope in an individual acid-free, lignin-free archival file folder.

How do you preserve writing on a paper? ›

Proper Storage of Works on Paper
  1. A cool (room temperature or below), relatively dry (about 35% relative humidity), clean, and stable environment (avoid attics, basements, and other locations with high risk of leaks and environmental extremes)
  2. Minimal exposure to all kinds of light; no exposure to direct or intense light.

How do you frame and preserve old documents? ›

Use ultraviolet filtering glass or acrylic in the frame. Avoid daylight and fluorescent lighting because they contain a higher proportion of ultraviolet light, which is more damaging than visible light.

What is the best way to keep old documents? ›

Caring for Your Paper Documents
  1. Store papers in a cool, dry, dark environment.
  2. Heat and humidity can cause paper to become brittle or moldy, and light can cause fading or yellowing.
  3. Store papers in archival containers.
  4. Boxes, paper sleeves, folders, or mats should always be preservation quality.

How do you preserve a letter from a loved one? ›

If you don't need regular access to the letters, an excellent option is to store them in plastic sleeves within file folders. Place these folders flat inside a box for organized storage. The type of plastic enclosure you choose should be determined by the condition of the letters.

How do you save old handwritten recipes? ›

If you have a scanner you can simply scan the recipes into the computer. If you don't have access to a scanner, you can take pictures of your recipes using a digital camera or your smartphone.

How do you store written recipes? ›

Create a Filing System. If you tend to save recipes from magazines as well as handwritten recipe cards, sort them into a three-ring binder. Use tab dividers and plastic page protectors for both full sheets (for pages from a magazine) and divided sheets (for 3-by-5-inch recipe cards).

Should I save old letters? ›

Keep the cards and letters that are special to you… those that you want read again from time to time… those that make you happy when you read them. You can decide which letters to keep as you're sorting them.

How do you display old love letters? ›

Frame Your Favorites

Take inspiration from an art gallery by giving each letter or card its own frame, then hang those frames on one wall for a dramatic impact. Or, if you have keepsakes you want to display with the card, consider putting those items in a shadow box and hanging that on the wall.

How do you store personal letters? ›

Letters, loose paper documents, etc.
  1. Keep items stored in clearly labeled acid free folders. ...
  2. Store the papers upright in an acid free box. ...
  3. Like photographs, keep the box stored in a closet. ...
  4. Scanning letters to save as copies to send to others and to keep for worst case scenarios is also recommended.
Feb 9, 2021

Why do people keep handwritten letters? ›

Handwritten Letters Are Often Kept as Memorabilia

Sending a handwritten letter is like sending a piece of yourself. It takes quite a bit of intentional effort to craft one, and that emotional energy is sent along with the letter. This is why they're so special.

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