The post in which I hang a ladder on the wall.

I'm back with another installment of "Rick loves getting stuff off the side of the road with me." In this case, the "stuff" was in the form of two old wooden ladders that I had spied on the corner the day before. I was anxious to go grab them before someone else did, before realizing that in their worn, chipping, and overall shabby state, they weren't exactly going to be flying off the curb. But the worn, chipping, and overall shabby state did mean one thing: they would be perfect for hanging on the wall!

This idea, of course, brought a mild version of the following look to Rick's face:

But, being the wonderfully patient husband that he is (and knowing that he'd made that face before, only to be pleased with the results) he agreeably trudged down to the corner with me, and we paraded back as the proud owners of two I've-seen-better-days ladders.

For a while, they took on the roles of makeshift scratching posts, with the cats being weirdly attracted to clawing on them. Who knew? Maybe I should market this idea, make millions, quit my job, and stay home and be a...professional ladder-hanger?

Anyway, it was when we were doing some much-needed revamping and reorganizing of my craft room (which, at the time, we affectionately called the "junk dumping room") that the true purpose for one of these ladders was realized. After carefully finding the studs so as not to affix a wooden object to the plaster and have it fall on our heads (I tell you, I learn a lot from that guy. Girl Scouts didn't teach me those things. Square knot, anyone?), Rick drilled in two heavy-duty screws and voila! Our horizontal wall-ladder was born.

I love how the worn ladder exudes a beachy feel, especially when paired with the aqua and lime accessories. And those accessories are an eclectic bunch: we have spray-painted bottles, clear bottles with corks, old jars with glassy stones in them (I told you I had a bottle/jar fetish), an old candle wrapped with a bit of burlap, a mug that I altered with a rub-on sentiment (scroll down to #5 in that post), and a cheap-o wire lantern (not to be lit, of course--landlords tend to frown upon such ideas) from the 80% off clearance rack at Michael's.

Our overall cost for this whole display was:

Ladder: free!
Bottles: free!
Spray paint: $6 (and can be used for other projects)
Candle w/burlap: both already owned
Mug & sentiment: both already owned
Glassy stones: $3 (and I have leftovers that can be used elsewhere)
Lantern: $1.29

TOTAL: $10.29...for another blank wall checked off of my to-do list.

I know this eclectic, worn look isn't for everyone, but I think the ladder adds a ton of texture and interest to the room. Here's the full effect:

Anyone else out there have a ladder on their wall, or anywhere else in the house, other than the garage? I have another ladder left from the set (and, as much as the felines in this house would love it, I really don't want to use it as a scratching post...) so let me know your ideas! :)