Ideas for vintage postcards?

loveysmummy · Aug 20, 2005

Hi,
Anyone have an idea for making some kind of artwork/craft out of vintage postcards? I work at an antique store and bring all sorts home with me..
From the 20's, 50's etc..Some are really beautiful of people and places...
The ones from the 20's and before had many colour illustrations of people rather than photos. ALso, I have many vintage black and white photos of people I don't know.
When I see them at work, I snap them up. Its interesting to wonder just who that woman is in period dress standing beside that motorcyle or who those two little kids in short pants are standing beside an old rickety house.
I have a great one of a soldier from WWII holding what is presumed to be his baby standing outside of a house on Rue Sherbrooke in Montreal...Its beautiful...

Anyway, Any ideas?

arlyn · Aug 20, 2005

I always loved making decoupage keepsake boxes with things like that.

loveysmummy · Aug 20, 2005

uh, ok..How do I do that?

Just use shoeboxes, cover with paper and paste them on in collage fashion?

arlyn · Aug 20, 2005

Check this site out, and be sure and check out the gallery.

Decoupage

loveysmummy · Aug 20, 2005

Thanks!

Those are beautiful.. I will bookmark it..

boys mum · Aug 20, 2005

have u thought about scanning them and starting up your own website,then everyone else can enjoy them?? also invite ppl to puit their own old pics on the site.i have a lovely photo of my dad when he was a baby with his mum n dad,my son looked the spitting image of him when he was little,same blond curly hair and round face.

loveysmummy · Aug 20, 2005

I could do that as well, Boysmum..Thanks for the idea..The problem is I don't have a scanner but do have access to one..Maybe I could scan some and show them here.

boys mum · Aug 20, 2005

Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

I could do that as well, Boysmum..Thanks for the idea..The problem is I don't have a scanner but do have access to one..Maybe I could scan some and show them here.

yes please i love looking at old pics

amanda8501 · Aug 20, 2005

Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

Hi,
Anyone have an idea for making some kind of artwork/craft out of vintage postcards? I work at an antique store and bring all sorts home with me..
From the 20's, 50's etc..Some are really beautiful of people and places...
The ones from the 20's and before had many colour illustrations of people rather than photos. ALso, I have many vintage black and white photos of people I don't know.
When I see them at work, I snap them up. Its interesting to wonder just who that woman is in period dress standing beside that motorcyle or who those two little kids in short pants are standing beside an old rickety house.
I have a great one of a soldier from WWII holding what is presumed to be his baby standing outside of a house on Rue Sherbrooke in Montreal...Its beautiful...

Anyway, Any ideas?

I graduated from highschool last year and i made my own cards, doing this with a photo that i took. One thing that might look cool is if you tear the edges of the cars so that they look jagged and worn then do the same to a black peice of crustuction paper and use spray glue to stick them together. then you can scrapbook them or put them in picture frame with no mat behind so that it looks like it is floating in the middle of the frame.

And i hope you understand that because when im feeling creative my mind seems to wander.

loveysmummy · Aug 20, 2005

Oh, I love the frame idea! THanks!!...I could buy some cheap frames and even antique them...I am glad there are creative people out there !

amanda8501 · Aug 20, 2005

Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

Oh, I love the frame idea! THanks!!...I could buy some cheap frames and even antique them...I am glad there are creative people out there !

Another option other than frames is to find an old window with 8 panes, which you might have some at your store and putting the pictures pressed between two peice of glass. That way you can show alot more or even do like a historical look showing similar cards but that are from different eras.

I'm in the middle of doing the same thing with an old window i got from an antique store for 10 dollars, im pressing dried flowers in between the glass.

loveysmummy · Aug 20, 2005

Great idea, Amanda..You made a VERY good deal if you bought a multi paned window for $10 !
We have a couple at my store but they start at $100. ALot more for the coloured glass ones!!..(if you mean the large windows)

amanda8501 · Aug 20, 2005

this one had alot of broken glass and it was peeling paint, i had to strip it down 3 times sand it for about 5 hours and then i painted it. so it wasnt in very good condition, i had to go to the hard ware store to get new glass for all of the windows as well. but yea they had some for 100 dollars but they were in really good condition, this one was in there junk area it was outside and i was driving by and saw it and did a u-turn to buy it. it was leaning against an old toilet =0)

loveysmummy · Aug 20, 2005

Well, if you are willing to put the work in, that's great!! It would have just sat in my closet as is for too long

I really admire people that take on projects like that..

The furthest project I have really done is reupholster some old diner chairs..I scooped up a beautiful red sparkle top diner table for $40...and did all the chairs in matching red vinyl.

Oh, and I attempted to refinish my best friend's antique vanity from when we were little (it was from her grandma's farm)...WHen she moved away to school, her mum had a garage sale and sold it to me! She was really mad (at her mum) but I told her if she wanted it back, she could have it..She told me to keep it in the end...The top had been finished so much and worked over that it was hard to do..but ended up looking nice in the end..

george'smom · Aug 20, 2005

I rented a house in York Beach, Maine this summer and the woman who decorated it was extremely crafty. She took old postcards from the 50's (beach scenes) and placed them directly on the painted wall (above the toilet in the bathroom). She then placed antique black frames (with glass) right over them. It looked like she hung framed pictures on the wall - when actually the painted wall was the back drop). It was really interesting.

wellingtoncats · Aug 20, 2005

That's a really good idea. I love vintage anything. No ideas though, I'm sorry.

valanhb · Aug 20, 2005

Decoupage is fun and really easy! You could decoupage on things like frames (wide, flat frames. I did that with ribbons and they turned out really nice), or trays, or tabletops, or lamp bases... I watch way too much HGTV! I've seen a lot of this done on various shows, and it always turns out really nice.

bren.1 · Aug 20, 2005

Laminate and use as coasters. You could also put them on cardstock and add some rubber stamps for greeting cards.

captiva · Aug 20, 2005

You have some excellent ideas. I collect antique Halloween postcards. If you come across any, will you let me know?

amanda8501 · Aug 20, 2005

Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

Well, if you are willing to put the work in, that's great!! It would have just sat in my closet as is for too long

I really admire people that take on projects like that..

The furthest project I have really done is reupholster some old diner chairs..I scooped up a beautiful red sparkle top diner table for $40...and did all the chairs in matching red vinyl.

Oh, and I attempted to refinish my best friend's antique vanity from when we were little (it was from her grandma's farm)...WHen she moved away to school, her mum had a garage sale and sold it to me! She was really mad (at her mum) but I told her if she wanted it back, she could have it..She told me to keep it in the end...The top had been finished so much and worked over that it was hard to do..but ended up looking nice in the end..

for funiture you really need a paint sprayer if you want to get a nice finish, when i was little i got a bedroom set from one of my aunts and i tried to repaint it but it was too think of paint we really needed a spray gun so we could get a nice thin even coat on it.

I've always wanted to reupholster things but my mind moves to fast to sit down and figure out how to do it.

Ideas for vintage postcards?

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member