Susan Waggoner - Have Yourself a Very Vintage Christmas

SUSAN WAGGONER recaptures the magic of Christmases-past with the vintage craft projects readers have been craving. Inspired by the most sought-after treasures from the 1920s through the 1960s, Waggoner re-creates a tempting array of decorations and provides step-by-step instructions that allow anyone to deck their halls with cellophane wreaths, glittered glass ornament balls, beaded bell garlands, and whimsical, tinsel-bedecked treat cups. Those pressed for time will also find quick crafts for every decade, along with style notes and decorating tips to pull it all together. A nostalgic bonus art portfolio provides a host of images to use in greeting cards and photo holders. And to keep spirits merry and energy flowing, Waggoner includes a sampler of easy-to-make candy recipes, from Mackinac Island Fudge to old-fashioned soft caramels.

Published in 2011 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang
An imprint of ABRAMS

Text copyright 2011 Susan Waggoner
Photographs copyright 2011 Jeff Elkins

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Waggoner, Susan.

Have yourself a very vintage Christmas / Susan Waggoner.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-58479-923-8 (alk. paper)

1. Christmas decorationsUnited States. 2. HandicraftUnited States. 3. ChristmasUnited StatesHistory. I. Title.

TT900.C4W335 2011

745.594'12dc22

2011008520

Editor: Dervla Kelly
Designer: Kay Shuckhart/Blond on Pond
Production Manager: Tina Cameron

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Contents

Have Yourself a Very Vintage Christmas came about after several years of looking at old Christmas catalogues, old Christmas cards, and old family photosmy own as well as everyone elses. What I saw was a wonderful world of memory, loaded to the gills with decorations no longer made. I wanted them badly. And I didnt want the tattered, torn, and faded items that had survived in someones attic; I wanted to see them as they might have looked when they were new. So I decided to try to make them for myself. This book is the result of those efforts, and I hope you enjoy these projects as much as I did. I also hope youll use your creativity to make other items uniquely your own. Ive included full-size card images and decorative motifs in the Art Portfolio at the back of this book. Scan or photocopy them, resize them or embellish them, and use them in your own cards, place cards, stickers, gift tags, ornaments, and accessories. I want your Christmases to be just as merry, bright, and vintage as they can be!

No one involved in this book recieved any discounts, samples, or free merchandise from the manufacturers or retailers mentioned in this book. If products and retailers are listed, its because they performed well for me and were reasonably priced. Here are some basic tips for using three products that figure in several projects in the book:

Scotch Positionable Mounting Adhesive by 3M. I like this product for adhering paper to cardboard and other paper products for several reasons. Its dry, so it wont pucker or seep or fade ink as glue does, it doesnt require special equipment, and its extremely easy to useif you make a mistake positioning it, you can lift and reposition it before it bonds. It also delivers a long-lasting bond (twelve years and counting on some projects) and gives full, smooth coverage. The downside is that it can be expensive if you dont do a lot of paper crafting, since you have to buy it in paper towelsize rolls. However, if youre a frequent crafter, youll find lots of occasions to use it. Tip for use: The product comes with a plastic squeegee meant to be used to smooth and press the adhesive to create firm and complete coverage. I found the squeegee to be nearly worthless, leaving bare spots and weak bonds. I rolled my projects with a brayer to achieve the bond I wanted. If you dont have a brayer, a heavy wine bottle or another smooth, heavy cylinder will work well.

Stickles Glitter Glue by Ranger. There are a few glitter glues out there, but Stickles is my favorite. The glitter glue itself is sparkly and comes in wonderful shades, but an even more impressive feature is the container it comes in. Its easy to hold, with a nozzle so fine you can draw with it, make tiny dots like the ones on the Snowflake Wrapping Paper on page 105, or embellish small, finely detailed areas. Its also extremely forgiving: if you make a blob where you meant to make a dot, quickly scrape up the excess, blot the damp spot with a tissue, and let it dry. Most of the time, youll get away with it. Tip for use: To outline details like folds in fabric, apply a short, thin line of Stickles, and then use the point of a bamboo skewer to drag the glitter glue along the lines you want to highlight. And a word of advice: Stickles often looks and feels dry when it really isnt, and can smear. Always set your work aside to dry overnight before going further on your projects.

Terrifically Tacky Tape by Provo Craft. When you need a really strong bond and a product that sticks to almost anything, this is the product to use. Ive tried it on plastic, glass, Styrofoam, paper, and candles, all with good results. It grabs and holds tricky substances like glitter and tiny beads well without the mess of glue, meaning you can brush away the excess without damaging your project. Ive even tried to scrape glitter off a piece of it, and was happy to discover I couldnt. The tape is positionable, giving you an opportunity to correct mistakes, but once the bond takes, its there to stay. Tip for use: Terrifically Tacky Tape is covered with a liner, which is eventually peeled away. Since the tape widths are narrow, separating the liner from the tape can be a bit frustrating. The easiest way is to hold the tape with the sticky side facing you and use the point of a straight pin to dig between the tape and the liner. Peel away 1/4 so of the tape, snip it off, and discard. Youve now created a nonsticky tab of liner to use. Instead of struggling when its time to expose the sticky tape, you can just pull the liner tab and peel it away.