Papercrafting Technique #2 – Vintage Playing Cards

In addition to machine sewing on my handmade cards, I love adding vintage items as a focal point. We have some excellent flea markets in Ohio, and one I especially like is the Springfield Antique Show & Flea Market. The market holds outdoor Extravaganzas in May and September, with hundreds of vendors selling a little of everything. And thanks to the Midwest location, prices are great too.

I love spending the afternoon meandering around the rows of antiques. Between the furniture and dishware, there are bins and bins of little antique buttons, bottle caps, metal trinkets, and my favorite – paper! All kinds of vintage books, maps, postcards, crepe paper, advertisements…with themes for children, holidays, botanicals, travel… It’s so fun to find my own little treasures!

For these handmade cards, I used a deck of vintage cards. The old fashioned drawings make a great focal point, and look great with my handmade paper background. For these examples I surrounded them with more vintage drawings from a children’s nature book, real leaves and other 3D embellishments.

I adhered all the paper items with my favorite glue stick, and added the 3D embellishments with my other favorite, red line tape.

I hope you find your own vintage treasurers at your local flea market or garage sale, and craft some vintage projects for yourself!