Nothing says vintage to me like handmade crafts….and bright orange, plastic covered couches. I have a box tucked away in the back of my closet that is full of little cross stitch samples that I did as a kid. While not technically vintage, they certainly have that, um, hand crafted quality. But there is a sophisticated side to vintage too. This style of clothing and décor is making a big comeback and there are some seriously super design ideas out there.

Take for example, this site called Reusable Art. They have a wonderful collection of out of copyright images from old vintage books. These terrific works of storybook art would make beautiful décor in a vintage nursery or child’s room. My good friend found images of Dick and Jane and had them framed for her daughter’s nostalgic nursery. They have a wide assortment of vintage images, including monograms, landscapes and storybook themes.

Do you sew? How great would it be to have a pantry full of vintage aprons? What about some cute little frocks for your kids? Check out Repro Depot Fabrics. They have a fabulous variety of reproduction vintage fabrics. They also carry unique buttons, ribbons and other textiles. Pair these with some of their patterns to create some super cool hand sewn items for your family. Okay, you don’t have to sew them yourself; you can have Grandma do it if you must.

Vintage Craft Patterns has a huge selection of…you guessed it…vintage craft patterns. Are you a sewer, knitter or needlework artist? How about a dabbler? Try your hand at these old school ideas to add that touch of nostalgia to your craft basket…or that memory box hidden in the back of your closet.

You know I wouldn’t be finished without some scrapbooking shout outs. Holla! Scrapbooking guru, Becky Higgins wrote a book, Family History Scrapbooking, which contains everything you need to document and preserve your amazing family story. What says vintage better than grainy black and white photos of your parents as babies or at their high school prom? I’ve mentioned this book before because it’s awesome. It includes tips on interviewing your family, organizing your memorabilia and cute layouts for your scrapbook using vintage colors and design ideas.

This book is currently on sale over at the Creating Keepsakes website. Check it out before it’s gone!

Happy crafting!

Rachelle is an all around craft-alholic with a major in scrapbooking.  A mama of three, she is very busy staying home all day.  She also blogs every hilarious thing her children say here, http://happyhothead.livejournal.com/ and other family happenings here, www.powersalaska.blogspot.com

1. ReusableArt.com Says:
   December 13th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

   Hi Rachelle,

   Thank you for your kind words about my site. It’s been such a fun adventure to maintain. I love discovering a “new” artist and sharing their work. Seems funny that so many of my new artists have been gone for more than 100 years. Sadly there are many wonderful pieces that I can’t include because of a lack of information about the artists. While their work lives on in many of these vintage books, their own stories, have unfortunately been lost to time.

   I admit that I had not considered framing the artwork to decorate children’s bedrooms but many of the colored illustrations are so very beautiful that they could very easily be used as framed art.

   Thank you again for sharing my site with your readers.

   Merry Christmas & Warmest Regards,

   Michele