Joanna Gaines Uses A Vintage Decor Gem You're Probably Overlooking At Antique Stores

Leafing through the yellowed pages of an antique book, a folded bundle of paper slips to the floor. You unfold the sheets gingerly, and you're holding a letter dated from decades ago. What a friend or family member had used as a bookmark is a sentimental missive giving a brief glimpse into the past. Treasures like these occasionally appear at antique stores, either as surprise accessories accompanying another item or arranged among sepia postcards and photos. Joanna Gaines unearthed one such letter, and instead of tucking it into a drawer or (gasp!) throwing it away, she converted it into a piece of unconventional bathroom wall decor. The next time you find yourself in possession of an aged bit of correspondence, let one of them see the light of day as an unusual piece of wall art that will add a unique touch to your home.

This Joanna Gaines-inspired home decor idea is possible even if you don't make a lucky vintage find. Maybe there's a folder full of letters from your own family members. Unfold them, take in the handwriting, the patina, the messages. Instead of putting them back into a box, mount one on a wall with a mat and frame. And the bathroom isn't the only place where you can style these letters-turned-wall-art-pieces. These can be dotted all over your home. Style them by finding faded vintage frames that match the sepia tone of the old paper. Or, use a quaint shabby chic frame to complement a crumpled letter you may have laying around.

Is there a folk expression describing how, when you're shopping for something specific, you never find it? If there isn't, there should be. It applies particularly well to both antique store and thrift store finds. If your search for old letters is fruitless, consider another route. There are scores of online sources of letters written by and between famous people. Granted, you need to make sure that the images are in the public domain before printing and using them. (Generally, non-copyrighted materials dating from 1989 and before are public domain.) Seek out the legendary love letters between Harry Truman and his wife, Bess. Or better yet, aim for Johnny and June Cash's early epistles to each other.

Don't discount newer letters, either, especially ones to or from yourself. A grandparent who's passed might have penned a message to you in spidery handwriting. If you held onto any of them, there's little more meaningful than seeing a sweet daily reminder of that person styled as wall art in your home. Readers who were in middle or high school in the '80s might have a few origami-esque folded notes passed from buddies in the hallway. Frame one of them! You'll get extra cool points if the note mentions your crush-of-the-moment or the phrase "2 good + 2 be = 4 gotten."