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A shadow box is your best bet. You could have the frame in whatever color and style goes best with your decor. Inside you could have a folded flag, ribbons, pictures of each of your in uniform etc.

I agree w/ shadowboxes - perhaps displayed with other military memorabilia?

First, thank you both for serving our country. You make me proud. My father, a WW II vet, made a frame for his medals and ribbons. They use it as a piece of art on the wall. It's kind of a shadow box with a glass front to keep the dust off. You could also donate them to your local historical society for future generations to view.

i love the shadowbox idea too - maybe with a black background so the colors really pop. i'd also display it in the front entrance so it's the first thing you see when you walk in.

My sister-in-law had her grandfather's picture professionally framed for her father after his (grandfather's) death, and the framer cut a hole in the mat and mounted his ribbons, etc. on velvet. It was really nice, and having the picture of him in his dress...blues? whites? What do navy folks wear? made it that much more special and meaningful to the family. If you didn't mind displaying your grandfather's ribbons separately from your own, it could make a nice display of all your honors in a space or corner. (My parents have one for my brother in their entryway, but it consists of mostly pictures - though there's also the blue star banner they hung in the window while he was in Iraq - since he's still active duty).

I saw a professional framing job for medals once; they used a white mat on a white background and black frame. It made the colors pop and the medals look very impressive, like something that would be in a museum. The distance between the glass and the mat gave it a shadow box-type effect.

shadow boxes all sound great. you've given me a great gift idea for my father when he retires out of the air force. thanks!

I would definitely suggest taking them to your local frame shop. I would suggest Michaels, but I would go somewhere more local because the people who own the shops can usually do really nice work incorporating shadow boxes and photos and medals. I agree that black velvet is great to mount the medal to, but I would also suggest matting the whole box and the photos with mat boards in accent colors that match what section of the military that you and your grandfather served in. Make sure that you go with all conservation quality everything for this too because you want these things to last. These are not posters or cheap artwork that is easily replaceable so make sure that nothing will be harmed by the materials used. Your local picture framer will do a beautiful job, I can promise.

Hi, good job earning your medals. I have a shadow box from Umbra that I picked up at Bed, Bath and Beyond or maybe the container store years ago that I used for the medal for my first triathlon. The one I had is lined with a black velvet-like material and you can 'tack' things on the back of it like a corkboard. I have my medal, tattered race number, swim hat and certificate pinned inside in an arrangement and I love it. The reason I point out the corkboard is it may be rather easy to mount them yourself and maybe include pictures or other important mementos of your service. Do make sure to put them somewhere where they are not in direct sunlight, and could fade... It could make a nice arrangement to get a box each and mount the medals plus mementos and like them up along the wall or going up a stairway or similar....

This is the one I have, it doesnt look like they make it any more but the container store have other ones: http://www.shoptheartstore.com/product_detail_multiple.cfm?groupID=2116DAFF-421D-4BDD-80E9E5787594C748&parentCat=F9702CBD-EBD3-4790-B642C7339E0167CC&topCat=EC0683AF-A690-4BE6-A9C4B450034BDD92

ahem, "like them up" should read "line them up". Is it Friday yet?

I used an IKEA RIBBA frame (at least that's what I think it was) because you can essentially turn it into a glassed-in shadow box. I wrapped the back in some batting and red satin, against which the medals pop very well. And it makes it easier to pin the medals.

This isn't what you were asking, but how about making a piece of art to represent the ribbons and storing the ribbons somewhere safe.

I can't remember where I saw it but I saw a photo of a piece of art that someone did to represent her father's ribbons. To the best of my recollection it was a large canvas (4'x5' maybe) that she either put ribbon on or painted stripes on to repesent the ribbons. She did the correct colors in the correct order and of varying widths, but stripes when the heigth of the canvas. You could also do something inspired by Sean Scully's art (http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/David_Winton_Bell_Gallery/scully.html).

if you go to aafes.com, they have a whole section specifically for medals you receive while in the military. There are display boxes as well as well as shadow boxes. They have ones for the military coins as well as one for the flag.

If you're near a military base, they all seem to have a frame shop on them. The frame shop can custom frame patches and medals and has the designs set up in their system already as well because they do these things so often. All of the ones I've been to also have the display cases if you want that instead of a frame.