It's the little things

I found this old antique printing tray at a flea market. I knew that I would use it as a shadow box. I have been collecting little bits of this and that for as long as I can remember. When I was 15 I had the opportunity to travel and spend the summer in Holland. It was one of the best summers of my life. The food, the sights, the shopping! Whenever I would visit a new place I would search out the most perfect mini something...to remind me of where I had been. This tray hangs in my kitchen and I stop and look at it everday. It has become a must see at our home and it brings back sweet memories to not only me, but my husband, children, siblings, nieces and nephews. Some of these miniature delights include: the tiny football player that sat upon my son Ryan's 4th birthday cake, my son Evan's "little cup" that has his name on it, my great grandmother's collection of miniatures that came in the Red Rose tea bag boxes, the wooden shoes my mom purchased for me on her visit to Ellis Island because "they reminded me of you", the tiny clay pot I brought back for my grandmother on my field trip to Sturbridge Village when I was 7. On days like today with the wind whipping, and the snow flakes flying-being contained in the house because of this winter weather, I love to stop by my shadow box and recall those visits to lands far away, and all those that I hold dear to my heart.