The Paper Girl

Antique & Vintage Ephemera Since 2019

2 Antique Paper Textures

If I recall correctly (and there’s a good chance that I don’t), these two antique paper textures were from the backs of two large photographs. I thought the foxing and age spots were neat (especially if turned into multiply layers or used similarly), so they were the first files I scanned.

Antique papers like this are great for making embellished shapes:

  • create your shape layers (butterflies, hearts, whatever)
  • clip the paper to the shape layers
  • clip embellishments and rearrange as desired

They’re also great as overlays for adding texture, as mentioned waaay up there.

This one has a slight gradient effect along the bottom, which could do some fascinating things to a junk journal printable or digital paper.

Until next time!

signed, missie

P.S. Consider buying me a coffee or subscribing to my newsletter to help support the site. This is a passion project, and earnings from products, affiliates, etc. help me spend more time writing and editing.

11 Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bridal Shower Cards

Today’s batch of mid-century modern bridal shower cards came to me in a plastic bag, and represented over 20 years in the life of a married couple. Not only were there cards like this from the 1940s, there were all sorts of Christmas and birthday cards from then until into the 1960s!

The bride even scribbled down what gift each attendee brought, just on the inside of the card. That’s one way to keep organized!

Lots like this are one of my favourite aspects of my work: as I go through everything I found, I learn a little bit of someone’s story. That story may never be told again, but bits and pieces of it go out into the world here—and will get woven into someone else’s story! I think it’s neat, and a lovely way to explore history from the point of view of regular people.

floral bridal shower card

Our first piece has some potential as a seamless pattern. The bad part about a lot of greeting cards from any era, but especially this one, is the texture of the paper. Textured paper is very difficult to work with in a photo editor!

Some of these images are great candidates for redrawing or running through Vector Magic, which I will tell you about in another post.

Among the most common themes of midcentury shower cards are, of course, umbrellas. Umbrellas in all colours and sizes. Umbrellas with flowers. Umbrellas with rain! So many umbrellas. By the time I get through showing you these different cards, you will be sick of umbrellas.

The sweet hand-drawn floral border is beyond cute, however, so I can forgive the repetition of umbrella umbrella umbrella.

For Your Shower. Very simple and elegant little pink buds and silvered branches. I think a cute pattern could be made from these flowers, with some creative cut-and-paste work—or redrawing them from scratch.

Another theme that props up for bridal showers is the use of hot air balloons! I have never associated them with weddings in my life, but more than one card artist did in the 1940s-1950s, for some reason.

I love the way this image is composed: the greeting written in ribbon; a rose-filled watering can; a very simple colour scheme of blue, white, yellow, and red. The cascading roses do seem a little dangerous, being pointed like that. Perhaps not a great message, but still an overall pretty picture. And the ‘shower’ part! Note the little rain drops.

This card is cute. I like the gold and pink motif, with a few little blooms for flavour. The bells along the side make a great stand-alone graphic of their own! What elements can you pick out of this card that would make interesting patterns?

More bells, more silver, more roses! The addition of little bluebirds is delightful. I am not a huge fan of this textured paper, though the birds make it worthwhile.

Speaking of birds. Look at that! He’s even wearing shoes, what a polite… duck? Stork? A duck in duckies would be funny. Multiple themes were combined in the above bird’s card, from the umbrellas right on down to literal presents. Perfect shower card mascot, A+!

We cannot have a collection of bridal shower cards without a lovely bouquet. Note the silver bits and the little butterfly. A very sweet, simple graphic for this kind of card!

What I like about this bridal shower card—aside from how simple it was to save—is that it’s a little gift. What you’re seeing here is what you actually get: that’s it, that’s the card. I forget what it said inside, but it really is a present-shaped card, and it’s beyond cute.

midcentury bridal shower card

Lastly, this bridal shower card would have been attached to a gift. That typeface is iconic for 1950s-related projects.

Which card is your favourite?

Ta-ta for now,

signed, missie

P.S. Consider buying me a coffee or subscribing to my newsletter to help support the site. This is a passion project, and earnings from products, affiliates, etc. help me spend more time writing and editing.

Holy Bananas It’s Been a SUMMER.

Y’all.

Some folks are likely wondering where the heck I went. I’m still around, but most of my time is tied up in a completely different project.

You see, mom and I started running a brick-and-mortar store back in 2020. There was a business partner, but she had other plans and buggered off—leaving us in the lurch. This shop is on a back street in a small town and I’m working on getting things together that we ought to have had back then, too.

Like street signage saying what we are. In-store promotional material, bag stuffers, that kinda thing. Looking at whether or not we can pull off a direct mail campaign.

I’ve also been getting treatment for ADHD since September 2023 and that has been something else. Trying to get the issues I’ve had (since 2019!) with shortness of breath during exertion dealt with, too, and I’m just starting to be taken seriously.

Dealing with the medical system is exhausting. The guy that diagnosed my ADHD was a pediatrician and bariatric doctor, so once he got my mood stabilized he was only concerned with my size despite my own concerns about my treatment. I still bounce between projects like a meth-addled squirrel and decision paralysis is actually worse. Oh, and, what impulse control? What’s that?

So I’m back to looking for someone else who can work with me on this. My GP is going to handle my Vyvanse prescription, at least.

I’m better than I was, but not ideal. I really don’t know if I could handle a normal job, even, which is also not ideal. My usual state is “running around in circles screaming”, but because it’s not the “hyperactive child” type of ADHD, I look pretty calm! Everything is weird and this has been my brain for years.

I am still working on things for this blog and website, it’s just had to move to side project status. Over the winter I’ll be busting my butt on the store’s blog, online store, and e-mail newsletter, so if any of that interests you, you can check it out at treasuresbythelocks.ca.

Maybe, eventually, we’ll be able to afford to change the name. 😀 That is A Story, too.

A proper newsletter will be forthcoming here, and the store is starting to take shape. The Paper Girl e-store will be digital products only—if you want to get your hands on vintage ephemera and smalls, you can do so at the Treasures by the Locks store or on my Etsy. More listings are going up on those sites, too, as I have so much material and not enough room.

In the meantime: I have drafts to tweak and get out there. Yay!

Ta-ta for now,

P.S. Consider buying me a coffee or subscribing to my newsletter to help support the site. This is a passion project, and earnings from products, affiliates, etc. help me spend more time writing and editing.

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