8 Story Ideas for the Back of Your Cat’s Meow Heirloom Home

The front of your Cat’s Meow home replica captures a place you love. The back is where you tell the story that makes it yours.

You may already know which photos you want to use for the design. But when it’s time to write about the memories, where do you begin?

No need to feel the purressure! Your story doesn’t have to be long or fancy to have meaning. A family name, a favorite saying, or one unforgettable memory can be the perfect starting point.

Most importantly, make it yours. Use your own voice. Every family speaks a unique language, and those familiar words are part of what makes your keepsake special.

Here are eight story styles to help you get started, with examples to spark your own ideas.

Names and addresses in these examples have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty!

1. Share a family memory, with a little humor

Think about what made your home feel like yours. Was it the neighborhood gathering place, the setting for late-night games, or the scene of a family mishap that still makes everyone laugh?

The Morrison Family Home
361 Tanglewood Drive

For 30 years, the Morrisons raised a family in this house. It welcomed neighborhood kids coming over to play and hosted countless video game parties lasting late into the night. Through it all, Bob and Shirley always kept the house together, even after that one time Grace tried to burn it down with a curling iron.

2. Include people and pets who make it home

A home’s story wouldn’t be complete without the loved ones who share it, including those with four paws.

4271 Warm Springs Drive
Rockville, MD

This cherished house was built in 1994 and has been home to Marlene, Laura, and Austin Stanford, along with their beloved dogs Keisha, Lucy, and Sugar. This is where Marlene’s heart is happiest. Home is truly where the heart is!

3. Choose a favorite Bible verse, poem, or saying

Sometimes words you already love say exactly what you feel. Pair a favorite passage with your family name and address, or add a short note about the memories you’re making.

The Jones Family
74231 Honeytown Road
Apple Creek, OH 44606

Proverbs 24:3–4
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

Or take inspiration from this family’s message:

The Spencers
840 Terrace Drive

A family is made of love and tears, laughter and years. It grows stronger with the passing of time. More precious with the making of memories.

Roger, Sue, Timmy & Elizabeth continue to make precious memories in this home.

4. Combine family milestones with words you live by

Bring together the celebrations, everyday joys, and beliefs that have shaped your family’s life.

323 Everhardt Road
Columbus, Georgia

For almost 45 years, 323 Everhardt Road was a wonderful home for Dennis and Mary Martin and their family. Cherished memories include raising their children, Edward, Jenny, and Mitchell; holidays and family gatherings; high school and college graduations; three weddings; successful careers and retirements; and 10 beautiful grandchildren. It was a home full of love, silliness, and kind hearts. God has blessed Dennis and Mary for their faithfulness throughout the generations as they truly lived out, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

5. Keep it short and sweet

A simple message can hold a lifetime of meaning. Your family’s names and a meaningful year may be all you need.

The Stutzman Residence
4312 Emerson Road
Marysville, VA

This home has been loved by Mike, Pam, Laurie, Chris, and Martin Stutzman since 1986.

Or let a favorite saying capture the feeling of a special place:

465 Bay Drive
Cinnamon Lake, Oregon

“Heaven seems a little closer in a house beside the water.”

6. Celebrate a new beginning

A first home or a move to a new state marks the start of a new chapter. A message from loved ones makes the keepsake even more personal.

Molly and Jerry’s First Home
Sperry Creek, NC
2016

Molly and Jerry moved to beautiful North Carolina from New York to start a new life in a new state. Both families are very proud of them. They are two beautiful, intelligent people who are going places in life.

Love, Mom & Dad Rogers and Momma Stenge

7. Preserve your family’s past

Record the names of those who grew up in the house, create a family tree, or honor a childhood home that lives on in your memories.

A family tree can include birthdates and married names. Or you might choose a heartfelt tribute like this one:

Mildred Kline’s Childhood Home
269 Marshall Street
Westburg, New York

This is where it all began for Bill, Ellen, Cora, Earl & Mildred Kline. This house may no longer be standing, but it will always survive in our hearts.

8. Mix house history into your family’s story

When was the house built? Who lived there before you? What changed, and what stayed the same? Details like a grandparent’s flowers or a long-standing holiday tradition help bring its history to life.

173 E. Main Street
Warren, Indiana

The original house was built in 1917 and was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Numbers. In 1937, Great Grandpa and Grandma Ray bought the house, and three generations have grown up here. The house originally had weather-beaten shingles and was remodeled with clapboard in the 1980s. All around the property are hundreds of daffodils originally planted by Great Grandma Ray. Easter and Christmas dinners have been family traditions in this house since 1937.

Or tell the story of a house with a character all its own:

“Seaweed House” 1930–2017
333 West 17th Street
Ship Bottom, NJ 08008
39.647377, -74.185721

The Seaweed House was built on the mainland and brought across the bay by barge. Its seaweed insulation gave it its nickname. The original structure had studs made from small tree trunks and six-foot ceilings in the main living area. Purchased by the Reeds in 1947 as a teardown, it was remodeled many times over the years. It survived some of Long Beach Island’s harshest storms, including the Hurricane of 1944, the 1962 Northeaster, the 1992 storm, and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, when 32 inches of water flooded the interior.

Start with the memory that matters most

You don’t have to fit your whole life into one story. Start with a name, a date, a saying, or a memory you never want to lose. Read it aloud. If it sounds like your family, you’re on the right track.

We hope these examples help you find the words for the back of your purrrsonal Cat’s Meow home replica. The front captures your house. Your story makes it home.

Start creating your personal Cat’s Meow home.

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If we haven’t met, I’m Faline Jones, creator and founder of Cat’s Meow Village. Join our email list for more inspiration, exclusive discounts, and collection updates. We’d love to have you in the neighborhood!