It was many years ago that my love for old things met my love for photography. I was in need of frames and looking for ways to stretch the items I already had on hand. It has been almost a year since I posted about some creative ways to display photos using treasures found on my flea market hunts. I'm happy to report the time that has lapsed since my last photo post has yielded many new finds!

First up - Remember that tennis racket I made a racket press frame from? Well I couldn't let the actual RACKET collect dust now could I?! I took two and hung them on the wall in our hallway to add some pizzazz to the rest of our family photo collage. (those that know me will agree that my tennis game is better hung on the wall than in a court)

Now antique wooden levels are staples at most antique stores and really can range in price depending on the condition and the seller. I collected several inexpensive ones with plans to use them as slim shelves for displaying photos. They are strong, sturdy and for a couple dollars each - much less than most alternatives! For these I really wanted to showcase the levels - so I printed my Rome photographs with white borders and placed them in frame-less frames!

My wooden drying rack turned bulletin board is a favorite. I discovered the project from the Junk Ladies and have since seen commercialized versions of the product at a popular home décor store. I picked up this drying rack for five dollars, added several screws and binder clips and voila! A bulletin board! A photo frame! Take your pick! I took the photos out of our old wheelbarrow (idea from the last post) at the change of the season and now display them on the drying rack!

Ladders can be used for just about anything in the DIY world. I picked up a large ladder that I made into a towel rack for the guest room and still had rungs to spare! Another project inspiration from the junk ladies included transforming it into a photo frame! A quick coat of paint, 2 photo mats and some clips was all it took to have a custom photo frame for the guest room!

My vintage desktop rubber stamp holder has been used to hold a variety of things in our home office including post-it notes and stamps. Most recently it made its way to our living room as a photo holder paired with photos of our dog Lucy when she was teeney-tiny. My - how much you've grown LUCY!!

My girlfriend had a GREAT idea where she paired several clothespins with an old measuring stick to hang photos. She also used an old object as a slim shelf for photos. Although we're not entirely sure what the wooden object is (perhaps an old tool?!) both serve as FUN photo displays you normally wouldn't find in a department store!

In our home, we love vintage creations to display the photos that are special to our family. Our 'frame' philosophy is simple - anything that can hang or surround a photo can take the place of a photo frame, old or new! I am always on the lookout for new project ideas OR objects that can be reused and repurposed.

Have any creative ideas to share? I'd love to hear your comments!

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