
Displaying fragments of a creative soul wannabe …
Remember the vintage letterpress trays I picked up at the Allegan Antique Market a while back? Yep, those trays. I think it was nearly two years ago that I came upon them thinking I’d create a shabby-chic style wall decor class.
I started collecting bits and pieces of sewing items – old patterns, threads, buttons, thimbles, intending to work into a sewing theme, but I struggled with where and how to begin. So the trays continued to take up space in the garage.
I turned many a magazine pages searching for inspiration; something to get me going. I shopped antique malls, searching for more little trinkets, treasures and ideas. I searched the Internet. Nothing. Nothing really inspired me enough to get started. Finally the time had come to do SOMETHING with those trays (my husband said so)! I took one out, hosed it down and spray painted it white even though I loved the honey-colored patina of the wood. It was like a whole new object – a big blank canvas to work with and it gave me the kick in the butt I needed!
I packed the tray along with loads of stamps, inks, paints, bits-and-pieces and whatever else would fit in the back of my car and headed to Sunset Shores over Thanksgiving with a couple of friends for an artsy weekend.
Nearly all the background papers are hand-stamped with Wendy Vecchi and Tim Holtz stamps because the papers I packed just weren’t working. The solid colors texturized with embossing folders, and yes, I measured and cut paper for each little cubbie.
I drew inspiration from some of my favorite artists: Rebecca Sower, Nellie Wortman, Michael Jack Putman, Tim Holtz, Wendy Vecchi and Lisa Pace. The piece finally started to come together. It actually took on a life of its own and went in a totally different direction.
Hardly any sewing notions I so painstakingly searched for and collected were used. Instead of a sewing theme it became representative of little fragments of my life. The life of a creative soul wannabe born in 1950. The thimble reminds me how my mother taught me to sew at the age of 7. A game piece from the Sorry! game played so many times with brothers and sisters. My Charlie dog and so many more memories fill those little cubbies along with a few family photos. Some cubbies remain empty to house memories of days and years yet to come. I am so pleased with the results. Don’t you think it will look great next to the vintage shutter?


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Kaye Lang
Linda – this is LOVELY! Wish you could join us on the 21st. Aren’t Wendy’s new embellishments delightful? 🙂
linda
Yes Kaye, I like her new stuff, especially some of her stamps! Yep, I’m sorry but gotta work that day unfortunately – maybe next time! You have fun with the gals.
Laura C
Linda, I love it! I love the little pops of color and how you stamped right on your painted surfaces. You give me inspiration!
linda
Thank you Laura – glad I could be of assistance!
Donna Hall
You are so creative and inspiring!
linda
Thanks Donna!
Brandy
Love the way your tray turned out! That sure is a lot of areas to fill in with things, but you did great!
linda
It was a lot of cutting and because it’s a vintage original the cubbies are not exact in sizes.
Tammy
Thanks so much for sharing and allowing me to glean from you:) You a quite talented—I like your style:) I look forward to your future posts:) be blessed
Beyond Measure
linda
Thank you Tammy!
Karen
Beautiful! I have one of these trays holding all my beads – I’m now thinking my beads may need a new home!
linda
Oh yeah – put those beads in a plastic bin and redo your tray!
merry root kozlowski
Hi Linda. I enjoyed reading about the threads of life used for inspiration on your project. Brout back memories of our time spent together with your family in the big farmhouse. Memories of riding on the trailer pulled by the tractor over the fields,playing paper dolls with all the girls,playing and rolling down the hill next to the house. Those were fun days for our family and makes me wonder why our parents didn’t get us together more often. Thanks for taking me down memories lane
linda
We did have fun as youngsters together, didn’t we.
Karen Christopherson
Wow, you won’t believe what I pulled out and dusted off this week….a letterpress tray I picked up at Good Will 2 years ago! I’ve been contemplating a vintage chic look for it for days and days, and even picked up a pad of Tim’s vintage chic paper. Yours is gorgeous.
linda
Have fun Karen and share the finished results with us, please.
Cindi Shearer
Linda, this is wonderful.Makes me think it is time to get mine out.
linda
Please do get yours out. This was so rewarding to work on!
Candy Spiegel
I love it!
linda
Thanks!
Michele Kirkman
Love it!! Can’t wait to go to Allegaan as soon as it opens in the Spring.
linda
Oh, me neither Michele – I love that place!
KAT
Linda – this piece is beautiful! The color palette works just perfectly to allow all the vintage elements to pop! The tray tells a beautiful story!
linda
Thanks Kat for the nice comment. I admit, it’s one of my favorites.
Sandy Henson
Love it, love it! My own printer’s tray is still gathering dust in my basement – I am SO anxious to get to work on it. You must have been very focused to have finished it in one weekend!
linda
Sandy,
Thanks! I started it in one weekend – it took me about 3 weeks to actually finish it! Now, go get yours out and work on it!
Mindy Fuller Bryde
Beautiful….I have to make one now LOL
linda
Thanks Mindy!
Karen Bumstead
I just love your new piece…all those little cubbies. I could kill my husband for throwing out a type drawer that I had found at a garage sale. Ugh men!!!!! Atleast mine. Are you thinking of a class?
linda
Hi Karen,
Thanks! It was fun to make and yes, this is for a class – though it will be a small one. I will be also offering this using Tim Holtz’s type trays and there will be no limit to students for that one. I’ll post samples as soon as they are finished.
Take care!