"Vintage Crafting" with Designer Craft Blog Connection

It's time for the September Designer Craft Blog Connection hop and this month our theme is "Vintage Crafting."   I seem to almost endlessly be crafting via repurposing - but just how old does a an item need to be before it's considered vintage?  Do the old clothes I've been crafting with that once belonged to my grandmother count as vintage (like in my first episode of Behind These Eyes with Cindi Bisson)?  When it comes to the many vintage furniture pieces and home decor accents I have in my home, I prefer them with their aged appearance and am hesitant to consider altering them.  My studio supplies are even stored in a wide variety of "vintage" containers - ranging from old steamer trunks and suitcases, to old shipping crates. I've created many scrapbook layouts with a vintage feel, using vintage photos and vintage themed papers and embellishments.   The one that stands out in my mind as actually having vintage memorabilia actually included, and was made with "old" scrapbooking products I've had in my stash for many years, is this collage style layout of my grandfather and his brothers in their WWII uniforms.

 

Creating a memorial collage is a great way to remember loved ones who have served in the military – past or present!  An official definition of “collage” is:  a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope. 

However, I believe a true definition of the art of collage is “anything goes!”  Dare to use elements you might otherwise never consider – whether you use the actual ephemera or scans/photographs of the pieces – the sky is the limit.  Being a texture junkie, I love the dimension and depth that actual elements add rather than photos. 

Whether you choose to create your collage for a family scrapbook, create a framed piece or canvas art, set your creative muse free!  One technique I often incorporate into my collage work is dimensional embellishments & ephemera – in this case I used actual buttons, pins and patches from my grandfather’s WWII uniform.  I scanned the vintage photos of he and his three brothers who also served, both front and back to capture the handwritten names and dates on each, and the actual military documents we have saved throughout the years.  This text was then used to label some of the photos and as an element of the collage.    I wanted all of the elements of this project to have a vintage feel, so even the “new” materials used were aged using walnut ink – the Jolee’s Boutique microbeaded flag and the flag printed vellum were both given a healthy application of spray walnut ink and allowed to set for approximately 1 minute before they were gently rinsed and allowed to dry.  Some papers were torn & rumpled before application on the background, metal tags were stamped with names using black Staz-On ink and small alphabet stamps, and metallic eyelets were added as accents to the tags.  All the assorted elements were then arranged and mounted as shown using Elmer’s Craft Bond Adhesive. Collage is most often about applying multiple materials in a random fashion rather than a linear format – but as I said – anything goes – if you want your “collage” to be composed of multiple images lined up neat and clean – it is not wrong as long as you are happy with the finished project!

Follow the Designer Craft Blog Connection link on the right to view the other creativity projects being shared as part of this hop.

I hope this month's hop inspires you to pull out some of your "old supplies", perhaps repurpose an "old" decorative item, or even use new supplies to create something unique with a vintage feel.  And always remember, it's okay to "Dare to be Different!" - Cindi Bisson

But wait, there's MORE!  

The Prize!

 
Crafty KT is sponsoring The KOOL TAK™ Manufacturer Challenge: Fabulously-Fall Blog Hop.

September 8th to September 18th

Join us and visit the blogs of 12 professional and creative craft designers (I'm participating!) as they show you how to create some great fall projects with Kool Tak™ products. 

Make sure to enter the The Kool Tak™ giveaway, which is valued at about $70.00

Kool Tak™ 1 Layer Perfect (Use it for centering, piercing, and edge stitching) Tool
Kool Tak™ 1 Shiny Transfer Foil Sheets (Earth Tones)
Kool Tak™ Clear Foam tape ¼ x ¼ x 1/32” thick
Kool Tak™ Clear Foam tape 3/16 x 1/16 thick by 1.6 yards
Kool Tak™ Premium EXTREME 2 ½ x 27 yards

We will choose one lucky giveaway winner from those who sign up for our newsletter.  You only need to enter once.

Only those with a mainland USA shipping address are eligible to win the giveaway.

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