That Vintage Look

Hello everyone!  I was so happy to be invited back by Calico Crafts to do another Guest Spot this month, and here's the first of my two projects for June.  

I know some of you saw it yesterday over at the Calico Crafts blog (which I really recommend for a visit if you've never been - there's a fantastic regular DT sharing gorgeous inspirational makes), but I wanted to join in with The Button Challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show this week.  

So it's here a little earlier than it might otherwise have been, and there are a few extra photos!  And if you need another reason - it also serves as an additional nudge to come and play the Recipe Challenge over at Our Creative Corner.  I shared my actual DT piece - Embrace Imagination - yesterday, but as it happens this also fits the bill: from List A the lace, from List B the metal, and from List C the inks and paints.

Okay, enough with the links, onto the make...

I've loved the Kaisercraft texture stamps from way back at the beginning of my crafty journey, and I'm a big vintage fan, so when I saw the latest set of releases in the same size format, it was love at first sight.
















I've combined them here with Kraft tags from Ranger, some old book pages and lots of gesso and ink to create a canvas celebrating that vintage look!









It all started very simply: I glued some torn book pages to the kraft tags using multi-medium.  














Then I added a random area of gesso to each one.















I stamped the images using Staz-On black ink, and then used Distress Inks to give that aged look.

The tags are topped off with some Cotton Crochet Lace and Ivory Jute Twine.  I also added lace to the bottom of a couple of them.
















At this point, I was still working out what to do with my lovely tags - make them into a book? a hanging? an accordion wallet?





In the end, it turned out to be a match made in heaven when I found a long canvas tucked in a corner of my room (from The Works, I think, and at half price, a bargain £1.99!)

I stuck some more book pages to some grungeboard and used the Tim Holtz WordPlay die to cut out the lettering for my little phrase.

A touch more inking to give the letters a bit more of a distressed look, and an inky edging for the canvas itself and we're almost there...

I used some wooden flourishes from my stash (they're from Crafty Emblies) to give a bit more dimension to the piece.

The final touch was to add these fabulous metal buttons from Artemio - they're from the Oldies Vintage range, so they're perfect for a vintage look.












Because they're proper buttons, they've got quite substantial loops on the back, moulded from the same metal, so there's no cutting them off.

Instead, I used scissors to poke a hole in the canvas in the places where I wanted the buttons to go.

This would probably have held them in place perfectly well, but I added a dab of glue to each of them just in case!

Hope you like my celebration of the vintage look.  If you're tempted by any of the ingredients, you'll find the links below.

I'll be back with another project for Calico Crafts later in the month.  Do check out their store - there are lots of lovely and unusual stash goodies to be found!







Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Oh, and don't forget there're just a couple more days to sign up for my Blogaversary Candy.  Have a great week everybody!

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Click on the links to go shopping:

Ranger Inkssentials Kraft Tags #8
Kaisercraft Vintage Texture Stamps: Bird Cage, Windsor, Perfume, 36, Coat Rack, Dress Form
Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso
Oldies Vintage Style Antique Buttons
Antique Ivory Cotton Crochet Lace
Ivory Jute Twine
Staz-On Ink Pad - Jet Black
Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi Medium
Tim Holtz Grungeboard
Book pages, Distress Inks and canvas from my stash

I'm just in time to enter this for The Button Challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show... only just!