sentimental goods: frame an envelope

being sentimental AND a pack rat is a bad combination. i am both. so, in my attic are huge plastic tubs filled with shoe boxes. inside these shoe boxes i have saved- from my childhood- every single letter and every single note anyone ever wrote me. notes from my friends jr. high school. letters that my parents wrote me while i was away at camp. hundreds of birthday cards. journals. you name it. every time i try and go through these boxes i tell myself, "don't get sucked in... no... not this time. just open and toss, open and toss." but every single time... i get sucked in, spend three hours devouring the letters, fold them back up and shove the boxes back into the attic. (sigh.) i have yet to come up with a solution as to how to deal with my collection. save? or toss? well, for now i'm going to save. i did however come across a brilliant idea for showcasing a most special note, letter or card. i was sitting at the allergist waiting to get my first of many many many allergy shots and opened up the october issue of southern living. voila. a brilliant original idea that showcases being a pack rat and a sentimentalist (did i just make up a word?) perfectly. well, it's brilliant for one letter. not sure what you do with the other four hundred. i guess i have a lot of editing to do.