Rear View

Posted by Valerie, Senior Editor

You may recall from my last blog that I am a bit of a trash-picker. Here is another example of something I dragged in from a street corner in my neighborhood:

It's a fairly large wooden frame -- about 3 feet by 4 feet. It leaned against the wall in my kitchen for more than six months before I finally got around to doing anything with it. I had planned to hang it over my bed to help delineate that area of my apartment (my very small studio is one big square), and to place some to-be-determined thing inside.

First, I needed to remove the nails that jutted out from the inner rim:

Nails -- ouch!

When I really looked at the back of the frame, though, I realized that it was actually better-looking than the painted front. A new plan began to form. With a bit of help, a little patience, and a lot of nails, I hung the frame backward on the wall over my bed. (I'm sure there was a better way to do this, but I just tapped very thin nails through the wood and straight into the wall.)

When I was confident that I had the frame securely fastened, I added two picture hooks just above its top edge, and used them to hang a pair of decades-old leather lederhosen that I bought over the summer at an antiques store in Virginia. (Originally, I had planned to alter and wear them -- either as better-fitting shorts or as a skirt, with the suspenders intact. Like many of my impractical plans, this did not come to pass.) I think they look great, and their irregular shape keeps the room from being all squares and rectangles.

What's the most inventive or unusual thing you've ever framed? Send a photo and a brief description to bluelines@mslo.com by October 31, 2007, and we'll post a few of our favorites here on the blog.

Comments

[blb]

I find the lederhosen creepy. Sorry.

[Michelle]

The German in me loves this! :)

[Blueprint]

Thanks, Jennifer! Can't believe we flubbed that one.

[Jennifer Weisberg]

LEDERHOSEN.

[Anne]

Ooh, I have an old frame just sitting in my kitchen, waiting for something like this. I'm an unapologetic garbage-picker. I just finished one project, so now I have room for another!

[Michele]

Very cool idea. I'll have to work that one into a design someday.

[PeaTea]

This is such a genius idea, but I have to say that I'd still love to see you attempt to wear those leiderhosen! Followup post?

[Brooke]

I LOVE this! My husband just received a box of old stuff from his mom... in it are a pair of leiderhosen from when he was eight and living in Europe. I was beginning to think I'd never have anything to do with them - but now I have a fabulous project!

[kelly]

I LOVE this! How fabulous. I'm a *trash* re-tooler, too, and think it is an incredible way to draw out creativity, which it obviously did for you. Lovely.

Thanks so much for sharing this project.

[Courtney Baker]

Valerie, that looks lovely!

[Sara]

glad to see something on this site that's spontaneous and individual. I was beginning to lose hope & stop checking you out. More like this, please!