Christmas Vintage paper projects for my home!

A new banner for my fireplace.  Just finished it, and this is in my living room.

The letters are encrusted with glass glitter.  It is really shiny this year, but perhaps it will be tarnished next year, which is also a look that I love.  "Peace on Earth"  I used my cricut expression to cut out the letters in chipboard.  The pickets are tied to a vintage foil garland!

Vintage Christmas images made up for display!

There is a tutorial for these trees on my other blog.  Click on this link.

Vintage Halloween Paper projects

Recently I did up some fun vintage Halloween projects.

Just small decorations that can sit around and add to the 

festive fun of Halloween!

this one was done on a very large mat board tag!

Paper crafting for Halloween

I created this halloween tag book for a swap that I am involved in.

I used many different papers, trims vintage ephemera, and images from digital prints

I pulled words and their meanings out of an old dictionary (1944) That little rub-on spider looks so real, that I kept trying to kill it or brush it away when I would come across it again. 

I copied some quotes from old vintage postcards and halloween greetings.

I also used some Alice in Wonderland halloween images from Graphics 45

The tiny little ghosts were cut from my trusty quickutz dies.  Does anyone else still use their's still?  I do use mine still for certain projects and have always appreciated having a quickutz.  Love my cricut expression too, cause I cut all the chipboard tags with it.  It is so great to have all these wonderful tools to use in our paper crafting.

There were 20 pages, (10 tags front and back.  I put them all together with a clamp ring and tied ribbons to it.  Wish I would of made two so that I could of kept one.    

And this is the back cover.

Happy Halloween paper swags

Just hung this today.  I made the large one that says Halloween, and the smaller one came in my very spooktacular halloween matchbox made by the lovely Karen Hess and hosted by JoAnne from Vintage Dragonfly.   If you want to see all of what she made me go visit my other blog Something Special and see the post about it all.  She did an amazing job.

These are approx. 2 1/4 inch squares.  Isn't it Cute?

The day has arrived to announce the winner!

Here is a sampling of what the winner will be sent!  Above are the some of the pieces from the 1889 scrapbook.

Some of the other ephemera is not old, but is delightful!

I am adding in this handmade by me fallish, Thanksgiving type card too!

And putting it all together in this paper pocket that I crafted just for this giveaway!

And the winner is:          Laurie from indulgeyourshelf.blogspot.com
 
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU LAURIE

Scrapbooking, began in the 1800's, And a little giveaway!

The following is a history of how scrapbooks became 

"scrapbooks"

  The popularity of scrapbooking is not a new phenomenon; “keeping a scrap-book” was a popular 19th century pastime, especially for women and children. The Oxford English Dictionary, which defines a scrap-book as a “blank book in which pictures, newspaper cuttings, and the like are pasted for preservation," suggests that 1854 is the earliest known date of the word "scrap-book" being used in print although other methods of collecting mementos were popular since the 18th century.

Disposable paper items such as trade cards, die-cuts and greeting cards were collected by both children and adults and pasted into Victorian scrapbooks. These decorative albums were composed of "scraps," collectible cards, and trade cards, which were sometimes arranged quite artistically on a page. Scrapbooks were indispensable as a method of illustration in teaching children both at home and in the Sunday-school. Women’s magazines from the 1800s often describe the making of a scrap-book as an essential “rainy-day occupation” for children and include a list of scrapbooking supplies to be kept on hand for such a day.

Here is my very own scrapbook from the 1800's.  And all of these pictures following are within the pages of this scrapbook. Last year it was sent to me by a very special person.  It was Jen Astengo of Jnichelle.blogspot.com and she owns a beautiful gift shop in California called Bluebird Lane.  She is one talented gal, and so very generous.  It was a swap we were doing, and when I completely gushed about all the wonderful things she sent to me, plus this scrapbook from 1889, she simple said, "I just swap from the heart!"  She is one of my very special blogging friends!

I have not posted for a while here on this blog, but I decided to post here, because it is all about paper!

As I look through the very worn pages (which aren't even connected any longer) I realized that the images are placed in a definite pattern on the large pages.  Their artistic side was coming through!

I think this doggy looks like a "Buster"

I love this embossed piece.  The pages are literally falling apart.  I am happy that my acid free books will still look the same in the next century.

Check out the date on this postcard.  This was loose in the book when I got.  

Some of the images are slightly blurry.  I apologize for that.  This one had some lovely lace paper across the top, boy those Victorians sure knew how to embellish!

It looks like they must have had some fine scissors to cut out some of the images so meticulously.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and enjoyed learning a little bit of scrapbooking history.  I know that I have!
Now if you are wanting to get entered into a sweet little giveaway of Victorian ephemera, which will consist,of 2 pieces of victorian scraps from this book!  Just become a follower on this blog if you are not already, and leave a comment.  It is quite simple.  The drawing will be on Sept. 15, 2011

New swap announcement!

We are having a really fun swap over at Something Special and Special paper projects. It is the 2nd annual "Vintage Christmas in July Swap"

  If you would like to join in with the Vintage Christmas in July Swap, then please email me at this email address. ask@comnett.net and put in the subject line 'Vintage Christmas swap.'  I will be sure to check my spam mail too, in case it did not go through.  Please comment on this post and email me also with your information.  Last year we had so much fun with this swap!  Mailing date will be no later than July 27th and please send one true vintage ornament and 1 handmade ornament, and then whatever else you might like to send.  I will match everyone up by July 10th.  Don't miss out, cause this is fun fun!  To spread the word on this swap just grab the picture above to post on your sidebar.  Thanks bunches

This project is one I did last 4th of July.  I have not had time to do one this year.  If you are viewing this here, please click on the giveaway on the sidebar and enter the giveaway I have going on over at Something Special.  And have a very Happy 4th of July!

New scrapbook pages completed.

 Well, it has been ages since I turned out a scrapbook page.  I am busy always designing for Storytellers Club, or just sewing or crafting something, so I don't really have time to scrapbook.  On my recent retreat, I completed a few pages, along with making cards, and beading for upcoming girls camp of which I am the director.