Marketplace: New Sets of Keepsake Boxes

March 12, 2026 Bernadette

Four sets of three square nesting keepsakes!

I haven’t made these sets of three nesting keepsake box sets for several years but I found a stash of them in my supply shelves in the basement in my big bad organization spree over the past few months. I’ve made single boxes in the past, especially with the smaller boxes in these sets, but I decided to use the four complete sets to make, well, sets.

Here’s the “preview” image from January of an “upcoming project.”

These are all the bottoms of the boxes, painted and ready to go. Just those colors got me back in the mood to make more things.

One-of-a-kind keepsakes

Here’s a view of their relative sizes. Don’t mind the cat hair on the tablecloth. Sienna says she put it there intentionally.

In the past I’d always used the unfinished cardboard or papier-mâché boxes from craft stores, but in this case a local manufacturer of the greeting card boxes I purchase often has a clearance of random unsold items. The sets are a sturdier cardboard than the craft store boxes and were covered with decorative paper coverings, making decorative painting much easier and the boxes more substantial and sturdier. And a bonus, I’m supporting a small local family business and about 50 employees in a rather rural area where the economy depends on jobs like these.

I have a few random boxes in two of the three sizes, but these are the only sets I have, so I won’t be making any more sets when these are gone.

Keepsake sizes and finishes

"Fun and Colorful Kitties" nesting keepsake box set. — “Fun and Colorful Kitties” nesting keepsake box set.

The boxes are, of course, hand-painted with permanent acrylic craft paint on the bottoms and edges of the lids. I choose colors that coordinate with the artwork and in most cases the sets all have the same top and trim colors, except those “Fun and Colorful” kitties above. I print my art on heavy paper and adhere it to the lid, and finish all outside surfaces, with indoor-outdoor matte-finish Mod Podge because it works well in both dry and humid conditions. Insides are white, unfinished. Boxes nest and measure:

Large box dimensions: 6.25″ H x 6.25″ H x 3.25″ D
Medium box dimensions: 4″ H x 4″ H x 2.75″ D
Small box dimensions: 3.25″ H x 3.25″ H x 2.25″ D

What do you do with a keepsake box?

"Sunny Watercolor and Ink Kitties" nesting keepsake box set. — “Sunny Watercolor and Ink Kitties” nesting keepsake box set.

Use them to store your kitty’s keepsakes or your own, like jewelry or office items and much more. Give them as a gift or use them as gift boxes. Many people use them to keep their kitty’s cremains.

And don’t forget that I often have other handmade gifts using the same artwork, like Tiles and Votive Lamps. and you’ll also find these images included in sets of notecards and prints, which you can find by searching the name of the design. They make wonderful gift pairings to celebrate a kitty who looks like the art, or to memorialize one.

Keepsake set design names

Cats After van Gogh
Orange Cats
Sunny Ink and Watercolor Cats
Fun and Colorful Cats

"Cats After van Gogh" nesting keepsake box set. — “Cats After van Gogh” nesting keepsake box set.

"Orange Cats" nesting keepsake box set. — “Orange Cats” nesting keepsake box set.

Order a Keepsake Box Set, or Two!

Each set of keepsake boxes is $35.00 including shipping, handling and taxes. I had to raise it for increased shipping costs.

Don’t forget, each one is unique, and when it’s gone, it’s gone.

You can find Nesting Keepsake Box Sets on Portraits of Animals.

Marketplace

Mewsette models my keepsake boxes in May 2023.

Mewsette made her debut as a new-product model for my latest keepsake boxes on May 25, 2023. I wish we’d been able to see her talents grow, but I’m oh-so-glad she made herself available for this one opportunity. She actually came over while I was trying to work things out and hopped up on the wicker loveseat, always curious and interactive. I guess she’d watched Mimi enough times!

Take a look at other new merchandise and featured artwork.

Marketplace is a feature on The Creative Cat to share the latest coming out of my studio with my readers. Once a week on Thursday I feature something new in my “shop” .

Read about creating custom items

Find out more about creating custom items for your own home using the images you see here. Visit the “Ordering Custom Art” page to see samples and read bout how to order.

Find out about events and festivals where you can find me and my work.

Sign up for my e-newsletter (below), check the widget on the sidebar on my home page, or sign up to receive posts on Portraits of Animals Marketplace. I plan on plenty of events this coming summer in the Pittsburgh area.

It’s all done under the close and careful supervision of my studio cats!

Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.