saturday morning vintage

wrapping with ombre.

I'm calling this mini tutorial "Wrapping with Ombre" because it sounds fancy and trendy (Is ombre still on trend?), but it's actually quite simple and easy. 

 

I started by digging through my box of new and vintage paper scraps.  I hand punched 1" circles and used a black ink pad to define the edges.  I wasn't sure what color scheme I wanted to go with so I picked out a big mix of papers and had lots of circles left over.  You could also preplan your color scheme and coordinate your papers from the beginning.

You can use all scrapbook paper, but I suggest adding in some found and vintage papers for extra variety.  I pulled out some old ledger papers, dictionary pages, world maps, sheet music, and damaged BINGO cards. 

 

I started with an off white paper mache box easily found in any craft store.  I gathered all of the paper circles I had in the orange / yellow / green color range, and started arranging and rearranging in an ombre-esque pattern.

 

I ended up with this pattern.  Adding in some solids really helped to achieve the look I was going for.

 

I tucked an Easter treat for my brother inside the box, tied it up with some vintage green lace, and used a price tag with a woodgrain letter sticker as my gift tag.  It has a spring feel while still being masculine enough for a 30-something year old man.

 

Then I moved on to a pile of blue and purple paper circles.  It was a little harder to get an ombre effect with these and I ended up using a lot more solids, but I was still happy enough with the results.

 

 

I used a colorful paper clip to attach a tiny tag with a welcoming message.

 

The card sat on a bedside table to welcome my mom who came to visit this week.

 

Next up might be applying this technique to a larger scale, perhaps on a much larger box.  I'd also like to try it with a neutral palette - starting with white, going into grays, and ending with blacks.  Be sure to share if you try it yourself!

 

wrapping with tickets.

 

Wrapping with tickets, both new and old, is quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to dress up a package.

Start with a simple wrapped package - kraft tissue is usually my go to, but you could always use any other solid wrapping paper or even a design if you wanted to get crazy!  Wrap a strand of tickets around the package and secure with some tape on the back.  Tuck some bits of ephemera behind the tickets and you're good to go.  Keeping with a color scheme practically guarantees you a pretty result, but a mix of goodies also works.  And if the package is going to be a birthday present - simply tuck a card or gift tag in with the paper pieces!

 

 

I'm always partial to greens and blues, and these seafoam green tickets are both my newest and most favorite tickets at the moment.  The awesome star labels are from the 1960's and from these label booklets in my shop.

 

 

A group of vintage labels and a travel themed game card finished off this red package.  Simple, but cute.

 

 

I think the orange and yellow color combination is sometimes overlooked, but perfect to celebrate the coming of spring and summer.  In addition to the old flashcard and play money, I slipped a star paperclip onto the tickets.  You could use this same technique with any colorful paperclip, even if it's not a fun shape.

 

 

Sometimes neutral tones are all the color you need.  I paired the vintage brown tickets with a BINGO card, German invoice page, and mid-century furniture price tag.  Even the simple string attached to the price tag adds a bit of texture and fun to the package.

 

vintage paper project - book page art.

I like the process of painting, but I'm not good at it.  I can manage some basic shapes, but that's about it.  Because I have limited skills I don't paint very often.  I picture a closet full of discarded, unsuccessful canvases, and would rather spend my money on something with a higher chance of success. 

 

We have this chalkboard hanging on a wall that you see when you first walk into our house.  I like to change it up pretty often with taped on photos, postcards, and other ephemera.  I was thinking about what to put up next when I realized it would be fun to use pages from vintage books as "canvases" to paint and hang.  Vintage book pages are perfect to paint on for a few reasons:

• Book pages are cheap!  You can tear pages from any books you already own, and if you don't want to damage your own books I have a book page paper pack in my shop.  Even if you have to purchase some book pages, you won't have to spend more than a dime or two on each!  Because book pages are so inexpensive you can experiment with different designs without the guilt of wasted money.  I tried out a handful of designs, picked my favorites, and recycled the rest.
• The text provides an awesome background for simple designs.  Like I mentioned earlier, I can't paint anything too intricate so I stuck with triangles and dots, but the results are still interesting.  I especially like when the words show through the paint.
• Book pages are lightweight which makes displaying them easy.  You can easily hang on your wall with some fun tape or a push pin.  If you're really happy with your art and want a more substantial display option, you can attach the book page to some cardstock and frame.  You can also incorporate this piece of art into other art of yours - scrapbook page, collage work, art journal.

 

For this page I just painted some aqua dots.  Once dry I used a Sharpie and ruler to randomly connect the dots.  Picking which dots to connect was fun!

 

I painted some triangles in yellow and white.  Many of my triangles were a little lopsided or otherwise imperfect.  However, once dry I outlined the triangles with a Sharpie which added a lot of structure and helped disguise the painting imperfections.

 

Again I went for triangles, but added in a few extra colors.  You can see a little clearer on this one how off some of my triangles were compared to the Sharpie outlines.  No worries! 

 

I definitely recommend trying out this project regardless of whether you're a painter or not!  If you are a painter, then great.  It'll just be another fun medium for you to try out.  If you're not a painter, it'll only cost you a dollar or two for some pages and craft paint and you'll probably end up with some fun art.  Definitely leave a link if you've painted on book pages before.  I'd love to see your results!

 

vintage paper projects - scrap pack challenge.

Scrap Paper Pack

 

Before opening Saturday Morning Vintage I ran a shop and blog called Found Paper Co.  On my blog I hosted a Scrap Pack Challenge.  The rules were simple.  I chose two readers and sent them each a Scrap Pack in exchange to see what fun and creative projects they could put together.  I didn't anticipate so many people would be interested and absolutely loved seeing the projects April and Kellie shared.

 

I couldn't wait to bring back the Scrap Pack Challenge and asked Jennifer of Simply Retrospect to participate.  I was thrilled when she agreed because she's very creative and puts together gorgeous mini books.  I knew she would create something really neat, but was still shocked when I opened my email and saw her completed project.  She created a mini book that's incredibly introspective and heart felt, not to mention stunning. 

 

The foundation of Jennifer's project is a handmade clipboard made from plexiglass and a two ring binder mechanism.  These will eventually make their way to her Etsy shop.  Pretty awesome start, right?  According to Jennifer, with the exception of the letter stickers, tape, and stickers, all of the other supplies came from the Scrap Pack!  She even used the baker's twine and some of the tape from the packaging!  I love how she used a variety of paper punches from Martha Stewart, Jenni Bowlin, McGill, and EK Success to create tabs, labels, stars, and hole reinforcements from many of the papers.  I put together the Scrap Pack and still didn't recognize some of the papers at first glance.

 

 

Here is a preview of all of the pages together.  You can click for a larger view, and see the individual pages below.

 

 

Here is a close up of each of the pages.  Again you can zoom in by clicking on each photo.

 

 

With the exception of the Moby Dick book photo, all of the photos that Jennifer used were taken by her brother Rob Bryant.

 

Don't you love it?  I can't get enough of all of the little bits and pieces throughout the book, and keeping finding more fun elements each time I look through the photos.  Thank you Jennifer for contributing such a wonderful project to the Scrap Pack Challenge!  Be sure to check out more of Jennifer's work on her blog and watch for her shop to reopen.

 

I definitely want to do another round or two of the Scrap Pack Challenge.  Would you guys be interested?  In the meantime, there are now two Scrap Packs in the shop for you to choose from - the original Scrap Pack and the newly introduced Neutral Scrap Pack.  Like the original, the Neutral Scrap Pack is filled with a variety of new, vintage, and found papers but in a neutral color palette.

 

vintage paper projects - journals.

Neutral Mixed Paper Journal

 

I buy journals.  I make journals.  I sell journals.  I use journals.  That's why I compiled a list of two dozen uses for journals.  Some ideas only require a small pocket sized book, while you might want something bigger for a few of the other ideas.  Think of these ideas as a starting point, and tweak / alter / adjust any of them to fit your own needs.

 

1.  Document a special trip.

2.  Turn into an inspiration file.  Include magazine clippings, paint chips, original sketches, and other bits that spark creativity.

3.  Scrapbook the latest holiday.

4.  Track your goals.  State what you want to achieve.  Document your progress.  Celebrate your achievements along the way.  Keep yourself motivated.

5.  House your Instax / Polaroid / other instant film photos.  Attach with small strips of washi tape.

6.  Use as a cookbook.  Include recipes you want to try out and those you already love.  Slip in photos of your culinary creations.

7.  Celebrate your city.  Photograph your favorite spots and write down what you love about living where you do.  Add in maps, postcards, and local business cards.

8.  Create the ultimate wish list.  Big or small; it doesn’t matter.  Throw in your favorite products, trips you dream about, and even world peace if you want.

9.  Make a pregnancy journal.  Write down all of your joys and fears.  List potential names.  Insert photos of your ever growing belly.  Share with your child when he/she grows up.

10.  Experiment with color combinations.  Work on new color combinations for your blog / decor / fashion / crafts by playing around with paint chips, scrapbook paper, and labels.  Refer to whenever you’re in a color rut.

11.  Document a day in your life.  Jot down your schedule.  Snap everyday photos.  Stretch it out to a week in your life if you wish.

12.  Honor your relationship with a special friend or family member.  Tuck in lots of photos of you together.  List your favorite memories.  Keep for yourself, or give as a gift.

13.  Turn into a creative business plan.  Sketch branding ideas.  Brainstorm advertising opportunities.  Track your goals.

14.  House your favorite quotes and lyrics.

15.  Use as a wedding planner with individual sections for decor, food, music, dress, flowers, and any other categories that are important to you.

16.  Have an nontraditional guest book.  Each guest gets one page to do as they wish - write a celebratory message, give marriage advice, or include a little drawing.

17.  Create a bucket list.

18.  Store your children’s artwork.  Trim down their paintings and drawings to fit.  Keep over 50 pieces of art in a compact and organized manner, and easily flip through their masterpieces.

19.  Document your home.  Write down the stats.  Include before/after shots of your projects.  Photograph your favorite pieces of decor.  Slip in paint swatches and fabric samples.

20.  Compile all of your favorite photos, regardless of when / where / with whom the photos were taken.  Look through whenever you’re feeling down and need a pick me up.

21.  Become a connoisseur.  Choose something you love (coffee, cupcakes, photobooths, wine...) and document each new variety.  Picture it.  Describe it.  Rate it.  

22.  Make a scrapbook and give as a gift.

23.  Create a fashion file.  Insert photos of your favorite outfits, and go back to previous outfits whenever you’re in a rut.

24.  Keep by your bedside and use as a dream journal.

 

vintage paper projects - office paper.

 

I have a ridiculous collection of notebooks and notepads, but my favorites are always those with a variety of mixed papers rather than all lined or all blank.  Office papers, both new and old, are the perfect supplies to make your own mixed paper journals.  You can easily fit lots of paper into even a small journal because the lined / graph / ledger / blank papers are typically quite thin.  And, these papers are made for writing rather than patterned scrapbook paper.

 

Step 1:  Fold a long timecard (or other thick paper) in half.

Step 2:  Gather a mix of papers.  I like to use mostly office paper because it is easy to write on, and add in a few pieces of blank cardstock and double sided patterned scrapbook paper for color.  You can trim them all the same size, but I prefer the varying widths and lengths.  Fold all papers in half.

Step 3:  Use a sharp paper piercing tool to punch two holes through all papers, including the cover.  The holes should be about an inch from the top and an inch from the bottom.

Step 4:  If you have a sewing machine you can easily sew down the middle.  I don't have a sewing machine so I just hand stitch the papers together with some embroidery thread and tie in the middle. 

Step 5:  Press your journal between a few books for a day or two so the cover and pages will lay flat.

Step 6:  Toss your journal in your purse to jot down shopping lists and other reminders.  Keep on your bedside table for late night ideas.  Add mini photos and other ephemera to make into a mini scrapbook.  Tuck inside a card and mail to a friend.