Cigar Box Labels

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I just spent some time weeding through my ever-growing collection of antique and vintage cigar box labels and found a few more worthy of sharing. These come from lithographer O.L. Schwencke, who produced hundreds of elaborate labels from 1887-1908. Read more about the process in our previous post ... and be sure to check out our Humidor collection and Cigar Bands collage sheet, featuring more great turn-of-the-century smoking ephemera.

Cloche

In honor of spring's arrival, I thought I'd share a little altered book inspired by the stacks of field guides and animal encyclopedias I poured over as a child. Cloche was created in an old children's board book. I peeled the original illustrations from the pages, sanded the chipboard, added gesso and topped it with several layers of acrylic paint and ink to form the foundation for the collages. While field guides are most helpful in identification, offering both common and scientific names, I often wondered what the animals' real names were. Hence the monikers in this book. Icterus galbula became Bobby, Archilochus colubris became Olivia, and so on ...

Quarantine

A few new collage sheets hit the shop this weekend, including an assortment of vintage quarantine posters and a somewhat unconventional collection of World War II propaganda posters aimed at educating troops on the dangers of loose women.

Here's what the UK's Daily Mail had to say on the topic:

American health authorities tried to lessen the taboo that went along with sexually transmitted diseases in the years following World War II by launching a provocative ad campaign.

There are no official statistics to show how many people contracted sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea, though the prevalence of these diseases jumped radically due to the movement of troops during that time. The sexual proclivities of soldiers, often lonely, far from home, and infatuated by foreign women, played a major role in the spread of the diseases in the middle of the 20th century.

The posters of the time played into the stereotypes of soldiers, as well as preconceived notions of the diseases. The references to prostitutes show that it was commonplace for soldiers to pick up call girls during their stays abroad. The ‘good time gals’ were used as sources of entertainment in the midst of the violence and horror of war.

French Nudes

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PLEASE NOTE: These images are for personal use only

 as copyright status could not be determined.

A special treat ... These vintage burlesque beauties come straight from the 1920s and 1930s French follies like Folies Bergere, Moulin Rouge and Casino de Paris. And for our circle-loving legions, a sheet of 1" rounds to fit charms, cabochons and bottle caps. Need more nudes? Check out our Naughty Nudes collage sheet featuring eight charming hand-tinted boudoir photos from the 1920s, copyright free as always. Enjoy!

Click to enlarge. Right click to download.

PLEASE NOTE: These images are for personal use only

as copyright status could not be determined.

In Stitches

Just thought I'd share this bracelet I put together as a gift for my mother, an avid quilter. I chose an assortment of sterling and glass beads, half pink and half turquoise to compliment a wide range of ensembles, and paired them with custom charms depicting popular quilt block patterns.

The charms, inspired by Junkmill's Crazy Quilt collection, were lovingly assembled by the Laughing Vixen Lounge using a super-secret process ... okay, it's probably not so secret, but it is confounding to little old me who works mostly with paper, glue and pixels. The process involves some sort of high-tech resin, ultraviolet light and vixen magic. (Thank you Ms. Vixen!)

CRAZY QUILT Collage Sheet from JUNKMILL

French Tea Room

Paris Tea Cup Society tag by Piara Ciccone

This lovely Paris Tea Cup Society collector tag comes courtesy of Piara Ciccone on Etsy. The oversized hang tag quickly found a home in my bedroom, which is a shrine to all things gilded and gold. I just love the soft blues, the hand glittered accents and, of course, the custom Paris ribbon. So dainty and delicate! Keep and eye on Piara Ciccone for tags featuring our Cosmo Girls coming soon.

Rusty Tangerine

NATURE STUDY, Mixed media collage © Chandra Orr/Junkmill

I just adore orange. It creates such a dynamic contrast to just about any color, not to mention some of my favorite things happen to be orange: macaroni-and-cheese, Fiskars scissors, iguana legs in the summer, that orange juice flavored bubblegum that comes in tiny milk containers from Florida gift shops. With spring rushing in, my eye keeps gravitating to all things orange, so I thought I'd share a few deliciously saturated rusty tangerine collages, created in my Strange Beasts altered art journal.

All of these save the Frog Prince were studies completed while teaching art at the Midland Center for the Arts in Midland, Mich., and incorporate colored pencil illustrations, watercolor paintings, a variety of inks and paper dyes, rubber stamps and layers upon layers of paper and glue.

FROG PRINCE, Mixed media collage © Chandra Orr/Junkmill

GEOMETRIC STUDY, Mixed media collage © Chandra Orr/Junkmill

HOUSE FLY, Mixed media collage © Chandra Orr/Junkmill

Lexie Lou Creations

Altered books by Alexis Swanson/Lexie Lou Creations

I'm always curious to see how other artist types use our collage sheets, so I was thrilled to receive a note from Alexis Swanson, the artist behind Lexie Lou Creations, who used our Pulp Romance and Hardboiled Heroines in her grunged-up and distressed altered books. Lexie Lou Creations on Etsy offers altered journals, planners, greeting cards and framed original art, as well as assorted accessories and adorable handmade embellishments for scrapbooks and altered art projects.

Altered Planners from Lexie Lou Creations

I'm a huge fan of a dirty grungy mess, so I'm absolutely in love with her designs, which blend vintage papers and ephemera with new images and a healthy dose of Jacquard Lumiere paints and Tim Holtz distress inks. I was dying to more about Alexis' creative process. Here's what she had to say:

What inspires your designs?

It depends on what I’m in the mood for. Around the holidays, I get more sentimental about family and friends. Therefore, a lot of my work will incorporate old family photos or memories with friends. As the weather changes, I change up my colors. I use brighter colors during the winter as things are so very dark and gloomy for the most part. I also turn to the materials around me. I start digging through my shoe boxes full of old newspaper clippings, vintage report cards and old manuals I’ve picked up throughout the years and start making art.

Altered Greeting Card from Lexie Lou Creations

How did you get started on Etsy?
For the last three years, I had a shop on Ebay. I sold a lot of my smaller items, but noticed that my more intense work wasn’t getting too much attention. After looking at the amazing work others were selling, I decided to pack up from Ebay and get over to Etsy. The shoppers on Etsy are very savvy and know that a lot of time, effort and passion goes into the items for sale.

Any tips for recreating your amazing vintage-grunge look?
I use the advice that my aunt gave me when I asked her about her creative thought process: Don’t think about, be about it. I’ve translated that into not caring about even cuts or perfect squares and embracing mistakes in the process. My personal technique that you will see in almost everything I create is the painting, inking and tearing of tissue or napkin papers. I tear almost anything, but tissue papers have the most magnificent texture and effect. Additionally, I always have old books, postcards and anything else I can get my hands on from flea markets that have interesting text and type. Those are my faves!

Have a Junkmill-inspired creation you'd like to share? Send me an email or contact me through Etsy.

Our New Shop

The blog has been on a bit of a hiatus, but with good reason ... I've been busy as a bee and am proud to announce that our new shop is now live. Junkmill [relics] features all manner of sundry and assorted vintage wares, from ephemera and embellishments to collectibles and one-of-a-kind curiosities. I'm still hard at work listing all the great "junk" I've unearthed, but the shop is already chock full of vintage playing cards and game pieces, retro matchbooks and matchboxes and our signature reproduction vintage labels.

Like us on Facebook to stay abreast of all the new goodies hitting the shop and snag FREE SHIPPING worldwide with the coupon code "STUDIO" ... just enter the code at checkout and the postage is on us. Code expires April 30th.

Back at the original Junkmill, I've been assembling plenty of new collage sheets, including vintage steamtrunk labels from the Roaring Twenties, antique apothecary and poison labels, kitschy garden gnomes, large and colorful Victorian lithographs and the slightly devious Crazed Youth collection, featuring pulp posters from 1930s anti-drug propaganda films like Reefer Madness and Assassin of Youth. I've also revamped all of our 1-inch square collections. Each and every set of inchies is now also available in 1-inch circles and Scrabble tile size.

Look for more great vintage and retro assortments in the coming weeks, including more pulp fiction favorites, distressed and grunged mini-ATCs inspired by our Imagine collection and creepy freakshow funhouse images. I'll be posting new listings to Facebook as they arrive, so keep an eye out.

Got an idea for a great collage sheet? Drop me a line. I'm always looking for new ideas!

Double Crossed

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I've been busy cataloging and researching copyrights on new pulp fiction for the shop and thought I'd share a few of my favorite images. Secret Agent X-9, a cross between a secret agent and private eye adventure, was a long-running comic series that started in the 1930s. Black Mask was a money-making venture launched by journalist H.L. Mencken in 1920. The pulp magazine was intended to generate fund to support his prestigious literary magazine, The Smart Set. Keep your eyes on the shop, as I'll be posting new pulp collage sheets in the coming weeks.

Booty!

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I couldn't help but smile when I came across this vintage fruit crate label.

A fine treasure, indeed!

Little Red Cap

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I couldn't resist sharing a few more of my favorite Red Riding Hood images. At Junkmill, we're just a tad bit obsessed with the charmed and charming Brothers Grimm, and the tale of Little Red Cap is my personal favorite. Above, a 1933 advertisement illustrated by the reknowned Georges Leonnec. Below, Warwick Goble's rendition of a chance encounter with the big, bad wolf. Enjoy!

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The 18th Amendment

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These Prohibition Era alcohol prescriptions blend the quinessential style of American currency with a slightly subversive streak. During Prohibition, more than a million gallons of whiskey were consumed each year thanks to freely written prescriptions from medical doctors. The labels clearly stated that the alcohol was strictly for medicinal purposes only and any other uses were illegal, though no legal attempt was made to halt the practice. Doctors were loose with the prescriptions, pharmacists filled the orders without question and, not surprisingly, as Prohibition marched on, so did the number of "patients."

Some fun Prohibition facts:

• President Warren G. Harding kept the White House well stocked with bootleg liquor, though, as a Senator, he had voted for Prohibition.
• While alcohol was illegal on land, the law only extended to a three-mile limit on water, a technicality that was frequently exploited, even by state shipping lines. 
• The term The Real McCoy originated during Prohibition, thanks to Captain William S. McCoy, the leading rum-runner of the era. He refused to water down the rum he smuggled from the Caribbean to Florida; his imports were the real thing.
• The term Mountain Dew also has its origins in Prohibition. It was a term for Appalachian moonshine.

Giveaway Winners

We have a winner! ... Actually, we have two. Congratulations to Kathy, winner of the Junkmill Gift Certificate Giveaway. To show my appreciation for the insightful feedback and great ideas, everyone who entered received a coupon code for a free collage sheet of their choice. Rest assured you'll be seeing plenty of great retro and vintage images hitting the shop in the coming months.

Kudos also go to Andrea, winner of the Valentine's Day Giveaway at the Laughing Vixen Lounge. She snagged more than $200 in prizes, including a selection of collage sheets from Junkmill. Keep your eyes peeled, as we'll be joining the Lounge for another mega giveaway in August.

Want to be the first to know about upcoming giveaways and promotions? Like us on Facebook.

Happy Valentine's Day

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Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.

–William Shakespeare

Cupid's Scrap

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My Bloody Valentine

Take one part sultry siren, add one part tragic romance and you have a bloody good time. Inspired by starcrossed lovers of the silent film era, our newest collage sheets are part glamour, part horror.

Bloody Valentine features handcolored images from the 1920s, title cards and a healthy dose of blood effects. Broken Hearted pairs hand-drawn hearts and vintage book pages with drips and splatters. Both sheets are available in 1-inch circles and 1-inch squares. Bloody Valentine is also available in mini-ATC size.

Bunnys Waffle Shop

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Bunny’s Waffle Shops were popular venues in San Francisco and Reno, Nevada, from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. By the late 1960s, only two shops remained. I'm lamenting Bunny's demise, as this is truly a charming logo indeed.

Fair Maidens

Maybe it's the cool doldrums of winter ... or maybe I'm just excited to return to Middle Earth this summer when Peter Jackson reprises The Shire ... regardless, I'm finding it easy to lose myself in the lush and mystical realms of Pre-Raphaelite painters like John William Waterhouse.

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, it seemed fitting to assemble a few of these fantastical masterpieces into a new collection for the shop. Celebrating legendary lovers Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot and Romeo and Juliet, each image in the Fair Maidens collection has been painstakingly adjusted for maximum clarity and color corrected for deep, rich hues.

The collection is available in 1" x 2" tiles, 1" squares and 1" circles. We also have new sheets featuring full sized Pre-Raphaelite paintings: King Arthur, Legends and Nymphs, available individually or as a specially priced set.

Love is in the Air

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We're gearing up for Valentine's Day with new romance-inspired collage sheets and another great giveaway over at the Laughing Vixen Lounge.

One very lucky reader will walk away with a giant goodie bag of prizes from more than a dozen independent artists, crafters and Etsians ... including Junkmill! (Shhhh! Stop by the Lounge this weekend for a sneak peak of the big event and early entries into the giveaway.)

Can't wait for Cupid's celebration? Stop by the shop and peruse our new L'Amore collection, featuring whimsical Victorian doves, cherubs, paper moons and couples in love, all formatted for amazingly bold pops of color. Available in 1" squares, 1" circles and full size format.