Thinking Outside the Frame

I've been in a very de-stash-y kinda mood lately. I just want to get rid of stuff. This week I went through our bookshelves and found about 30 books to give away, and this was after going through them two months ago for the garage sale. You see, my husband will be finishing up his PhD this next year and going on the job market. So in a year we'll be moving literally God knows where. And then, because of the way academic careers work, we'll probably have to move again a year or two after that. The prospect of moving all our crap potentially all over the country is not a happy one.

So I've been rather mercilessly destashing and decluttering. (For me, anyway. I'm definitely a stuff person.) I was looking around the living room and spotted a picture frame on top of our tallest bookshelf. We got it as a wedding present. Over four years ago. It's never had photos in it.

[See it there behind the wise men?]
[...which are no longer there. This photo is from last November.]

I thought, "Well this is ridiculous. I should just get rid of it." But I couldn't do it. I like it. It's pretty. But I knew I'd never put photos in it. Because of its odd shape, I'd have to either cut up some of our photos for it, or get new copies of three photos specifically for this, which I knew I'd never get around to doing.

So I was at an impasse. Until I decided to take it to the craft room.

[A magical place]

Once the frame was in there, it was like the blinders fell from the sides of my face and I realized I didn't have to put pictures in the picture frame -- I could put anything I darn-welled pleased in there! Pieces of old maps? Pretty wallpaper samples? Cute illustrations from vintage children's books? Each of these might make their way into the frame eventually. But today I settled on flowery upholstery fabric.

[Yes]

[Much better]

[Side note: the little pottery bowl in the photos was made by my friend Laurie. She makes pottery as a hobby, and I'm blessed to have this bowl, another bowl, and a set of coasters, all made by her. Love it!]

I want to hear your blinders-falling-off stepping-outside-the-box stories! (Even if they include horrible things like mixed metaphors.)