Do you have a bragging wall? Or shelf? A place in your house where you show off your accomplishments?

Or are you more the private type?

Anyhoo, a friend of mine was talking about making a brag shelf. (When she gets around to it.)

And that got me wondering… what exactly would that look like?

Right now, I’m more of a cardboard box in the basement kind of a girl. Don’t get me wrong. My stuff is all over the place, but it would take a sharp eye to spot it. Oh, look. There’s the computer I built myself. And one of these paintings is mine, if you notice that kind of thing. (I’m actually more proud of the ones that are in other people’s houses.) If you’re here, I’m probably feeding you something that I made myself. I’m told (by people with no taste whatsoever) that I’m a pretty good cook.

One of my great aunts had a full-on bragging wall. I don’t really remember most of what was on it, but I do remember that my grandmother thought it was tacky. Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn’t. I know my grandmother wouldn’t have been able to match it. And maybe that’s the point.

So, I’m a little squeamish.

A quick google search turns up a range of brag wall ideas for classroom bulletin boards and family rooms. Very child-oriented. And… only slightly more permanent than the papers that got stuck to the refrigerator with magnets when I was a kid.

To be honest, I don’t remember that kind of thing hanging around much, after grade school.

I didn’t find many ideas at all for the adult version. And even fewer for an in-home brag wall for adults.

Very interesting. I take that to mean there are a lot of squeamish people out there. Society doesn’t really encourage grownups to flaunt our accomplishments, does it?

So, what does that brag wall look like? I’d want it to be away from the main part of the house, somewhere that people who don’t know me well don’t go. It wouldn’t be the first thing that hits you when you walk through the front door. Why, of course, I want to hear about Amway, Mary Kay, the One True Way… Why don’t you look around while I go make us some Kool-Aid? And to be fair, I don’t really want to look at it, either. Career highlights. (Go ahead and beat this.) Sounds terrifying.

Trying to imagine something that would work for me.

Probably a cardboard box in my basement.