Part of learning to Delight in a Creative Life! is finding a use for the beautiful things you find and collect.

It’s not easy when you want to keep your things in great condition but if you can’t break down and USE them… then all you really have is a house full of STUFF.

And where is the delight in THAT?

I found two beautiful red trays this past spring and they sat on a shelf untouched until recently. I’m not madly in love with the screen printed roses  (as opposed to the hand painted beauties I usually gravitate toward) but there is something about that deep red color that grabs me by the heart.

My sweet husband had taken two weeks vacation from his job so that he could stay home and paint our house. No trips abroad for him, no lying in a hammock to relax – that’s not his style. He power washed, scraped, cut in and rolled on. He worked HARD.

So one afternoon at the very end of September, on a bright sun shiny day, I decided to create a little picnic for two and USE my vintage trays. It was a simple lunch, ham and Swiss cheese,  mixed greens and a fat slice of garden fresh tomato on a toasted bun. Baked chips, honey crisp apple, a few pickle slices and freshly made sweet tea with lemon. Just a normal, every day lunch…. on a beautiful vintage tray with the sun shining down on an equally beautiful Autumn day.

Made just a little more special by USING my vintage trays. 🙂