Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Vintage! With ephemera, the possibilities are endless. . .






Meet Yum Yum Kitty. He is actually an image from a cat food can label from the Fifties, and he may be the coolest kitty of all time.













My I Heart New York necklace, with an image of the Statue of Liberty from a Forties civics textbook.









And finally, Fly Me, with an image of a 1940's American Airlines stewardess.


All it takes is some kind of vintage paper image, or a contemporary one, some Crystal Lacquer, and a setting. I use a toothpick to smoothe out the Crystal Lacquer over the image, and, frankly, I steal those toothpicks from restaurants, so there's no extra cost incurred there. Sometimes it take two coats to get an even finish, and I always let them set up for at least twenty-four hours. It's an easy and cheap way to make fun, one-of-a-kind pendants and charms. The only downside is that it isn't waterproof, so I'm a little wary of bracelet charms. Other people use Diamond Glaze, but I find that super bubbly. Crystal Lacquer is easier to use.


I can't bear to destroy old books just to get an image, though, so I've bought all of these as loose pages. The unused cat food labels were the greatest ephemera find ever!


Next, some kind of earrings, I think.

4 comments:

  1. holy crap that cat is so freakin cute. i want him tattooed on me! it would be my third black cat tattoo, haha...

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  2. You need it! Just save the pic and print him off!

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  3. Your pieces have such a distinct style! Excellent work :)

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  4. Cool idea.. love the kitty and liberty!! Can't wait to see your earrings!!

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