I remember being in elementary school and putting together a time capsule. The whole activity pulled my romantic heart strings- who would open it? What could I add that someone would love? And then, 25 years later, we open the wall in our bathroom and I see an old newspaper from 1947 and I can’t help but want to leave a time capsule in the wall for future owners!
The newspaper didn’t seem like that important of articles, but it had the date. Maybe that’s when that bathroom was added onto the house?!
leaving a time capsule in the wall for future owners
The last time we discussed my bathroom, it wasn’t looking too bad. But it is time for a renovation!
I had made it cute enough to function, but I wanted a special space that I loved. Slowly, we’ve been renovating each room. And now it was this restroom’s time for a renovation.
demo day
So we tore it all out! Every inch of tile the covered all the walls and floor came down. It exposed some mold so that got removed as well. The walls had zero insulation and was freezing in the winter so the insulation should help! During demo is when we found the old 1947 newspaper clipping.
time capsule in the wall ideas – what to add
Looking at that old piece of newspaper made me think- maybe I could leave my own! And then my romantic heart got busy all over again. What could I leave that would be treasured by a future family? That newspaper is over 70 years old! What if it’s 70 years before the walls come down again? What could I leave that would be fun to see?
I asked my readers on Instagram, and here’s the amazing ideas that got sent over! I thought I’d include these in case you do a renovation and want to leave something as a surprise in the wall too!
Time Capsule Ideas from Readers
- 2020 penny
- Newspaper
- A tile from the bathroom renovation
- Picture of us
- Family picture
- Stamps
- A mask
- Before pictures of the home
- Anything about the pandemic
- A note about our lives
- A tape recorder with a message
- Dollar bill
- Design magazine with current trends
- An old Christmas card
- A drawing from my son
- Real estate listing with before pictures and tax information
- Today’s Billboard top 10 songs
Also, I’d be totally remiss if I didn’t bring up this article where a couple was renovating their bathroom and found a mini time capsule in the wall! The last line on the hand written note is so great- “If you’re reading this, that means you’re renovating the bathroom again. What’s wrong with the way we did it?!?!?” A little sassy and I like it!
time capsule in the wall- what I added
I loved all the ideas that I received! It helped me brainstorm some things I could fit in a ziplock and tuck back in the wall before the drywall goes back up.
I ended up adding-
- our Christmas card from last year (with our family in front of the house)
- a letter I wrote to the future owners telling about us, the pandemic, how much we love the house, and what’s included
- Our local newspaper. There’s some Covid articles, stuff about the election, and of course, it has the date on it.
- A Instax picture of the front of the house (Don’s in there too)
- A clipping from the newspaper- it has the date and things that happened in history on that day.
- Last, the magazine article with our house featured. It was a 12 page spread, so it had pictures of almost every room!
Can I just say, I would have been over the moon SO happy if I could see pictures of how the house looked 70 years ago?! That’d be SUCH a treasure!
I packed it all up in a ziplock and it goes in the room tomorrow! Hopefully, one day, this’ll be such a great discovery! I know I’d be over the moon happy to discover something- anything like this!
new window
The mirror in the bathroom was super small- about 2’x2′. So instead of plowing ahead with the renovation, we paused to tear out the old window and replace it with a bigger one!
This will let in much more sunlight and ventilation! The lock on the old one was broken, so it’s definitely a good upgrade! We paid $110 for it. I think it’ll be worth it.
the vanity
We are at the point in the renovation where decisions HAVE to be made. If the plumbing needs to be moved, now is the time! The same goes for electrical boxes. So I sat down and did a little designing. The goal is to be able to communicate my ideas with my husband, here’s what I do-
I start by making a mood board (following these instructions). I pull in all inspiration images and the items I know I’ll be using.
Designing is about pulling together many items and keeping it cohesive. Seeing them all in one space can help make good choices.
For this vanity, I’m wanting to do a DIY option to look like a $1800 Anthropologie sink vanity. My first idea is to have my husband build it (based on this inspiration) and add a carved wood panel on the front as a door. On top, we’d add a vessel sink.
For a little more store bought option, I’d go with this chest featuring the carved panel for the door. Again, I’d go for a vessel sink. It’d still be affordable to buy the cabinet and add the sink and faucet.
With the mirror, I’m planning on a medicine cabinet since we really need the storage. Plus they’re so convenient! We’ll recess it into the wall and I think it’ll be great! Above that, I’ll add this light back in. Behind, are all the colors of the rainbow tile.
Once I have my mood board pulled together, I sketch out the design so my husband can have it convenient while he builds.
Now he can work in the bathroom on the electrical and plumbing off the drawing and measurements. It’s nothing fancy, but it keeps the room looking pulled together and lets my husband know what I’m thinking.
Now that we’re deep into this project, hopefully I can have weekly updates until the room in complete! Would you make a time capsule in your wall? What do you think of the vanity design?! I think it’ll be so fun!
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