From vintage-style canister labels to creative signs, the familiar images of vintage advertising campaigns compliment myriad decorating themes. Many labels, both classic and unusual, are now public domain and available for free online from a variety of resources.
Crafters can print these items in color or black and white for personal use in home projects; or purchase collections of them at reasonable prices to resize and print. The range of colors and subjects is open to a variety of decor themes, from fruit crate labels to travel destinations.
Popular Travel Posters
Crafters can find images of exotic destinations and classic transportation on a hubpage made available through Vintage Holiday Crafts. Posters for Chicago, Egypt, and other scenes are available in colorful detail with large sizes available for printing modest-sized posters.
While several varieties are available for sale individually as posters online, crafters can purchase affordable collections of travel posters through CD-ROM or softcover volumes available for bulk purchase at reasonable price. Dover Publications and other companies make royalty-free or public domain images available for consumers to scan and print for home use.
Fruit and Vegetable Labels
Vintage Holiday Crafts also offers a range of vintage ads for fruit, vegetables, and seed packets, among other subjects. Many of these feature colorful vintage images and popular brands from the past. From oranges to exotic coffee, the fruit crate ad images include winged cupids, succulent fruit, and even controversial caricatures long discontinued in the advertising world.
Old-fashioned food illustrations from cookbooks and other print mediums are available from the public domain archives of Karen's Whimsy. Simple black and white illustrations, colorful ads, and whimsical pieces reminiscent of children's volumes are made available in printable sizes from the site.
Matchbooks and Other Ads
Creative vintage matchbook ads, ranging from cute to colorful in style, are available for free use at Free Vintage Images. Boasting characters and Victorianesque images from the past, these ads are slightly smaller in appearance, making them better choices for collages, postcards, and other small projects.
Unique vintage ads, vintage postcards and images reminiscent of the silver screen's early years are available at Art-E-Zine, a popular U.K. site for artists. Featuring antique photographic images and other ephemera, these images are available for personal use free, with requests for a small personal donation to help the site maintain its operation.
Virtually any project or room decor can be complimented with vintage advertising images. From miniature designs to large images for posters and signs, creative vintage arts of the past add both color and charm to their surroundings.
Sarah Briggs - For the last two years, I have designed primitive dolls and folk art sculptures (such as Edwin Drood and the Ghost of Marley) for Cordwood ...
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