Posted by
Judith Mackin
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 12:13 PM EDT
Continuing our series on DIYs from
Saint John’s Opera Bistro makeover, today I’m going to show you
how to frame found objects. Framing is an easy and effective way to present and even transform your fave (relatively 2-D) objects. Be it obscure original art, pages cut from magazines, fabric, coasters, old record sleeves or even tea towels, adding a frame and displaying that frame in a prominent way, elevates these objects to
objet d'art. In other words, framing things inspires people to look closer and discover that thing that drew your eye in the first place.
All design ideas were conceived and carried out by Punch Inside, Creative Director, Judith Mackin. 
Sheets from old music books, in IKEA frames. Photo by Sarah Tapley. Materials Object(s) to frame
Simple frames, with mats cut to size
Imagination!
I realize that the materials list reads too-easy-to-be-true (OK, item #3 doesn't always come easy to all of us) — but I assure you, it really
is that easy. We
all have creative instincts; we all know what we like. Follow your taste instincts and take some chances. You might be astounded at the results.
As you know from following this series of Opera Bistro renovation DIYs, our thematic inspirations in the
restaurant makeover were wood, nature and
music — specifically, beautiful aged vintage
music sheets in various shades of faded white. The wood and the natural accents were easily enough sourced
in the woods, and the
music sheets cost only a few dollars at a local second-hand store.
At Opera Bistro, framed music sheets “pop” against a dark wall. Photos by Hemmings House. Here are two Pinterest-sourced pics that illustrate other ways to use
music sheets.
Store display, Restoration Hardware Baby & Child. Photo via The Urban Farmhouse. 
Although not framed, these music sheets look stunning with the rustic furniture and music stand. Photo via La maison noble de Bugnein. DIY No real “STEPS” for you to follow in this
DIY. Simply, choose your frameables and, well, frame them! Make sure you measure your space and decide on appropriate sizes for the frames.
At Opera Bistro, the sheets of
music were our “found objects” but, as I’ve suggested throughout the blogs in this series, always push yourself to be creative! Frameable material is all around you; it really is just a matter of, as it were, “thinking outside the frame.”
What follows are some examples of possible frameables, all of which are currently serving as clutter on my desk.
Business cards If graphically appealing, business cards can be framed with a suitable mat (e.g., cork) and placed behind glass. Below are two cards from my personal collection.
I picked up this business card up years ago in a New York sake bar. How cute is Chibi? Photo by Judith Mackin. 
Cropped and framed, this assemblage of business cards would make an adorable, and meaningful, entrance piece in any office. Photo by Judith Mackin. Special occasion cards Below, a card given to my husband for his birthday: a fabulous ink and watercolor on paper by Marcel Dzama. Doesn’t every wall need an image of a bear holding trench-coated businessmen at gunpoint?
Detail, “Untitled” (2002) by Marcel Dzama, published by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, courtesy of Timothy Taylor Gallery, London. Photo by Judith Mackin. 
Tea towels Among my favourite frameables are graphically designed tea towels, which can bring a little dash of visual texture to a situation where texture is not always expected. (And, to be sure, talk about a conversation piece!) In the
living room of HGTV’s Elana Safronsky, nested perfectly among sundry other well-arranged and impeccably framed photos and paintings, you will find a framed
James Gallagher tea towel entitled “Mamma” [pictured, left], from Third Drawer Down (through
TUCK Studio).
Elana Safronsky’s living room displays a collage of framed objects, including a Third Drawer Down “Mamma” tea towel. Photo via Apartment Therapy. ALL DONE! This is another rewarding
DIY because it says a lot about you, and can change a room as simply as switching out one framed object (or more) for another (or others). Such a fun way to find out a little bit about yourself and your tastes, and jazz up your environment.
Next in Judith Mackin’s DIY makeover series: How to create your own birch mobiles.