MEMENTOS: After the Bronze Age

When boomers were babies in the 1940s and '50s, their parents would bronze their little white shoes. Now that boomers are beaming with babes of their own, they can preserve those memories in a more space-age substance: clear plastic resin. California artist Marguerite Elliot, 39, came up with the idea two years after the birth of her sister's twins. She decided it was a shame to bronze over the trendy, brightly hued designs of modern baby shoes, so she dipped a pair of castoffs in resin. Liking the result, Elliot launched a glazing service called Clear Memories in a Nordstrom's department store. Business has been brisk ever since. For $37 to $45, Elliot will glaze a pair of shoes and mount them on a base of lucite, marble or wood.