Looking Towards Spring: a gardening tray from the 1950s wordless workshop

A few years ago, I bought a HUGE lot of vintage magazines from a local estate.  In the lot were several "What to Make" magazines put out by Popular Mechanics and it wasn't until the other day when organizing all my periodicals that I rediscovered these gems.

The wordless workshop was a regular feature, depicting a ridiculously easy project that required no written direction to make.  This feature seems to echo what many vintage seamstresses are very familiar with: the lack of detailed directions due to the general knowledge most people possessed back then.  Like this feature, many vintage sewing patterns have little construction direction, banking on the fact that most people already had training in these areas.

This gardening tray, while lacking directions, still seems to be a relatively simple project even by today's standards.  Now if it can just stop snowing so I can start planning my spring garden!

Free Pattern Friday: a St. Patricks Day Craft for the Kids

Isn't this guy cute?  I just love all the cute projects featured in Jack and Jill magazine.  I used to really enjoy playing with these things when I was kid. 

DOWNLOAD THE DANCING LEPRECHAUN

The only change I would make to the directions is to print this out on heavy card stock, skipping the step to glue this to cardboard.

As with all Livin' Vintage free downloads, this is for your personal use only.  Please do not repost, redistribute, or sell this download in whole or part.  Do feel free however to pin this and share the link.  Enjoy!

5 retro craft projects I'm dreaming about

Being that this has been one of the worst winters on record for the mitten state, I am really looking forward to spring.  And, one of my favorite things to do come springtime, besides the usual spring clean, is to try a few crafty projects to add new life into my freshly cleaned space.  Here are five projects I am looking forward to trying out over the next few months:

Retro Swag Light

(source)

One of the things I have been on the search for is a swag light to replace a temporary one over my bar in my living room.  This project seems to be super easy and I love that I can customize it to match the colors in my room perfectly.

Record Sidetable

(source) 

In the same room as my bar swag light dilemma, I have my record collection and turntable.  This project also looks super easy and all the supplies can be easily found at thrift stores.  A perfect use for heavily scratched records!  

Retro Pintuck Pillow

(source)

What vintage lover doesn't like these pillows?  I have a few vintage ones, but they are getting harder to come by around these parts, plus being able to select colors that will match the given space they will reside in and knowing they are clean is quite appealing.

Vintage Planter iPhone Dock

(source)

Isn't this just the cutest thing ever?  While I am not one that normally goes in for upcycling, sometimes I think taking an item that isn't functional (as in the scratched records above or the following project below) and morphing it into something that is functional.  I have an abundance of vintage planters and I will never have enough plants to fill them all.  Plus, this is going to look so adorable on my bedside table!  By the way, if you aren't already following Ashlee, you totally should!

Vintage Watch Locket

 

(source)

I recently bought a huge lot of vintage costume jewelry and in the bunch were several non-working vintage watches.  While I could get them repaired (and some I might), I am always coming across vintage watches that are no longer in working order.  I love what a creative idea this is and can't wait to transform one of my out of order watches into this sweet memento.

What crafty projects are you looking forward to working on this spring?

5 things to do with vintage wrapping paper

I have a major fascination with pretty much all vintage paper items.  Something about the graphics really draw me and thus, I have surmised a fairly large collection of things like old cards, wrapping paper, and pamphlets.

I love old wrapping paper and thought I would share 5 ideas on how to use it in crafty projects to display it rather than it sit in a box.

[image source]

1.  Frame it / use it as a photo mat | see a great tutorial HERE

2. Make a card with it

3. Use it for a pocket mirror or pin back button

4. Cover a book in it | would make a great display piece at Christmas time

[image source]

5. Make a Christmas bunting

What other craft ideas do you have for scraps of wrapping paper?

Vintage Christmas Craft Week: Bottle Brush Tree Santa Planter

I just love these bottle brush tree planters I have seen all over pinterest lately and decided that this year I would finally make one.  This is a great project to use damaged or less than perfect vintage Christmas findings for.

What You Need

-vintage Christmas planter, I used a bank that had been broken and glued back together

-bottle brush tree, I thrifted this later one (probably from the 70s), but you could used a new one from the craft store

-decorations, I used a pick that I got at Michaels last year and some mercury glass beads

Step 1

Unscrew your tree from the base (if the base won't fit into the planter or in this case, the slot opening for the bank, otherwise the base will probably fit into the planter)

Step 2

Place your tree into the planter.  You might need to elevate it depending on how deep your planter is.  Secure with glue.  You can opt to forgo the glue if you want to be able to separate the tree from the planter. 

Step 3

Decorate!  I chose to not glue anything in so I can change the design and add to it once I find the perfect little Christmas ornaments.

This was a very quick and cheap project, since I thrifted pretty much everything except for the pick, which I got on clearance last year at the end of Christmas.  For now, this will do, but I am definitely on the hunt for some smaller ornaments to really fill it up like the ones pictured above.

Vintage Christmas Craft Week: 1930s Crepe Paper Bells

I've been wanting to do a week of tutorials for a while now and what better time than Christmas to work on some fun crafting projects?  All this week, I will be sharing some holiday themed how to's, patterns, and some retro Christmas crafting project ideas.

To start the week, I am sharing this nifty idea for hanging bells made from crepe paper, circa a 1930 Dennison party book.

Make a Santa's Sleigh Cookie Centerpiece this Christmas

When I saw this in a 1956 issue of Woman's Home Companion I just knew I had to share it with you all.  Isn't it darling?

1956 St. Nicholas Cookie Centerpiece

The article suggests cutting out the templets and tracing them on cardboard to make it more stable when cutting the designs out around the cookie dough with a knife.  While there was only the sleigh and reindeer templets provided, tree and santa cookie cutters are fairly easy to come across.  Actually, I am willing to bet that all these cookie cutters could be sourced, eliminating the need to use the templet.

If anyone makes one of these, I would love to see it!  Comment with a link to your photo and if I get enough, I will share them all in a future post.

Make a Turkey | a vintage craft for the kids

Jack and Jill, 1963

I recently acquired some vintage Jack and Jill magazines and this little gem was among them.  It's a perfect craft to keep the kids busy on Thanksgiving morning while you are busy in the kitchen!  And, as the mini blurb above suggests, you can decorate the Thanksgiving table with your kids' creations.

There's still time to take the Etsy Shopper Survey and have a chance to win $25 to Livin' Vintage Shop!

Quick Vintage Artwork Project

Last week's estate sales yielded this Beatles record for $5.  While it is from 1967, it's not a first pressing, but for $5 I'm not complaining.

Inside, I found this 12" x 12" paper cutout which I instantly fell in love with.  A while back, I had bought a couple record frames from Joann Fabrics and never got around to using them.  (I have a few Beatles record sleeves without the records I thought would make some fun artwork).  This insert fit perfectly inside the frame.  Now to decide where to hang it.  Maybe it will find a home in my studio.

How To Get Custom Tags on a Shoestring Budget

One of the things I love about doing shows it meeting my customers in person and reaching new people.  Some people believe that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers, meaning that a great majority of sales come from repeat buyers.

I've noticed at shows that many people buying your goods don't often take your card which has all of the info on where to find you outside of the show.  In order to capitalize on turing these customers into repeat buyers, I decided that customized tags was the way to go.  However, I didn't (and still don't) have oodles of extra money laying around to have custom tags printed.

So what was my solution?  

Investing in a custom stamp.

Places like vistaprint.com (where I got mine) and fedex.com offer custom stamps starting at just $10.  I opted to get the self inking kind so the stamp is portable and can be utilized easily on the go.

This small investment provides a big bang for your buck -- something all us small business owners and thrifty gals alike can appreciate.  The ink pad can be replaced for a small fee and the stamp itself can be used on a lot of other things besides just your hang tags.  I use mine on receipts, paper bags, etsy orders, etc.  

Buying tags is a necessary part of doing shows, you're already spending the money on the tags, so why not invest another $10 or $20 for custom tags that will direct your customers to your online or brick and mortar -- reaching more customers and more traffic to your site.    

How To Make Vintage Stuff Toys: The Ducking and The Dachshund

One of my goals for 2013 was to start building my vintage digital media library here on Livin' Vintage. I have a plethora of vintage paper relics and it's time to start digitizing them, share them, and build my online digital library. 

I'm starting with this sweet pattern for a felt duck and dog.  I scanned them ages ago and can't remember which magazine I took it from -- I'm thinking a family circle maybe?  Regardless, they are cute and would make a perfect DIY gift for the vintage loving mama in your life!

I can't wait to share more!