I conducted and attended estate sales in my long career in the Antiques world.  I found the broken things people carefully wrapped and saved under beds, in the back of closets, in dresser drawers, jars and junk drawers.  They must have been meant to be repaired as treasured memories to be saved.  There were often themes of these small collections of momentous throughout the home that seemed to go with the objects.  Sometimes there were stories behind the items wether it was a love of dogs, a sibling rivalry or a broken marriage.  The backgrounds are remnants of fabric the items were wrapped in or paper saved from thrifty depression era hoarders.  They were often small so the items are arranged tightly as if they were still stuffed in their confined spaces of shoe boxes, drawers and shelves.