Vintage Shadowbox Frame Wedding Card with The Gingerbread Prints

Hey there, crafty friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play!  One of my favorite items to use in crafting is vintage prints.  I’m an old soul and feel such a connection to all things from days gone by.  There’s a great short story by Jack Finney called The Third Level.  It’s about this man who finds a mysterious and secret third level in a NYC train station.  He boards a train on that level and it takes him back to about 100 years in the past.  I won’t go into more detail in case you’d like to read it (please do - such a treat!), but I think of that character and how I can understand his nostalgia for a simpler time.  I think that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy vintage prints so much - they’re can escape from all that’s happening today and allow me to think of a story to tell.  I’m lucky enough to be on the design teams for some vintage print designers, and The Gingerbread Prints is one of them.  I saw the image used in today’s share in the Vintage Fashion Journal Printable Kit and was immediately drawn to it.  It’s gorgeous.  The story just started to write itself the more that I stared at the image:

a very fashionable couple of considerable means on their wedding day; the kind of couple who weren’t afraid to break from the rather proper societal norms of the day; no white gown or tuxedo for them, they chose to express their own standard of fashion and beauty; a couple so in love with each other that the groom cannot turn his gaze away from her; a bride so sure of herself and her love that no white gown was needed.

 

I wanted to make something special to showcase them.  An elegant, aged shadowbox to frame their picture came to mind.  Here’s what I used to make it:

• Image from Vintage Fashion Journal Printable Kit from The Gingerbread Prints
• Shadow Frame Creator Die Set by Tonic Studios
  
• Celebration Shadow Die Insert Set by Tonic Studios
  
• Grunge Swirl Bckgeound Stamp by Deep Red Stamps
  
• 2 pieces of 6.25” x 8” Kraft/Tan card stock
• 4 pieces of 6.25” x 8” Cream card stock
• Matte Gold card stock
• Scap piece of black card stock
• Vintage Textiles Paper from Unity Stamps, three pieces
  
• Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Antique Linen, Tea Dye, and Old Photo
• Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain: Antique Linen and Lost Shadow
• Prima Marketing Fragrant Roses Silcone Mould
  
• Hot glue gun
• Antique Gold Acryllic Paint

Here’s how I made it:

• Use hot glue gun to fill a rose mould with hot glue and let harden; paint with antique gold acryllic paint and set aside to dry.
• Cut all paper to size and use dies to cut out the frame pieces permdie set instructions.
• Adjust the image of the couple to a smaller size and print it.

• Stamp the front frame piece of the card with the Grunge Swirls stamp and Tea Dye ink.

• Stamp the side of the back frame piece with Grunge Swirl stamp and Tea Dye ink.
• Use Antique Linen, Tea Dye, and Old Photo inks to age and distress image and frame pieces to your liking.

• Assemble frame using craft glue and double sided tape.
• Add gold rose to top of front frame with craft glue.
• Spritz the finished item with Antique Linen and Lost Shadow spray stains to add further distressing.
• The card is finished!

Here are other views of the card and a video:

As you can see, I left blank space on the back of the back of the card where you may write a message to the couple that you give it to. It can be folded down and fit into a 5” x 7” envelope.  I truly love this card and think it’s the best one that I have made to date.

Be inspired by the beautiful digital images, stamps, dies, etc. and don’t be afraid to tell their story!  I hope that you enjoy my story and creation.  Until next time . . . be well!

A Roaring 20’s Art Journal

Hello, friends!

This is my first Paper Play post on a topic other than my AECP course creations.  Today I’m sharing my very first art journal with you, which was made using the Beauty of the Roaring 20’s digital kit from The Gingerbread Prints (TheGingerbreadPrints.Etsy.com).  This digital kit contains so many beautiful images, ephemera, and paper that is inspired by the 1920’s.

I wanted this to be a shorter art journal since it was my first attempt at creating one.  Given this, the design I had in mind was to make a sort of flipbook art journal out of chipboard.  I figured this would give it enough sturdiness to stand up and be displayed.

I started by cutting three 5x7 pieces of chipboard and two 3x7 pieces.  These pieces act as the structure of the journal.

I needed to bind these pieces together in order to create the journal, and decided to go with white duct tape.  Duct tape is strong, super sticky, and flexible.  I have to say that it worked really well!  I adhered pieces of duct tape along the sides of the chipboard, and then placed a corresponding piece of tape on the other side.  You may see the finished structure in the video below.

With the jounal structure made, I started to cover the pages with paper.  I selected one of the collage papers from the kit to use as the front and back covers.  I cut the height of the paper to 7”, ran double sided tape around the non-printed side paper, added some craft glue for extra reinforcement, and adhered it to the front & back covers of the journal.  Next up was chosing the paper for the inside pages of the journal.  I selected the postcards and written note collage papers from the kit and cut them to a 7” height.  They were then adhered to the larger inside page spreads using double sided tape and craft glue.  I had some paper from a vintage paper bundle that I bought on Amazon.  I selected four sheets of that paper, cut it down to 3x7, and adhered a piece to each of the smaller journal flaps (you guessed it . . . using double sided tape and craft glue! 😊)  My journal pages were now made and I wanted to add a little extra shine to it.  Gold was a popular color in the art deco designs of the 1920’s, and so I decided that shine would come from gold washi tape.  I ran some craft glue along the edges of the covers and pages to reinforce the washi tape, and then cut & adhered pieces of the washi tape throughout the journal.

I went through the kit and selected the images and ephemera that I wanted to use to create the vingettes on each page.  After cutting them out, I adhered them to the pages using craft glue, double sided tape, or a combination of the two.  There were some items, such as the french door frame, street lamp, and Eiffel Tower, that I cut out using dies in my collection.  There were also some stamps and decorative items from my collection that I added as well.

I really enjoyed the process of creating this journal!  While similar to card making, the nice thing about an art/junk journal is that there is no wrong way to do it since you are the audience for it.  It’s your art, your process, and your happiness that matters.  I’m truly happy with my journal and hope that it may bring you some joy, too!  Until next time . . . be well!