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Friday, 20 August 2010

Vintage postcards....

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When I was a little girl, an old lady I used to visit once a week called Mrs Exeter gave me a pile of old letters and postcards. At the time, I thought it was rather a boring present (yes, I am ashamed I ever thought such a thing...) but now I love them! They're not just any old postcards. They are correspondence from 1930s England between my friend and her godson Gordon.

They've been sitting around stored away and I had all but forgotten about them in the hustle and bustle of every day life. Then last week, they suddenly popped into to my mind and set me a-wondering what I could do with them. It seemed such a shame to just have them stashed away. I wanted them, or at least some of them, to be on display. But how to do it?

I found two picture frames that I really loved. I'd bought them a while ago but hadn't yet used them. Do you buy the frames before you've decided how to use them or buy as you need them?


I find if I buy when I need them then I can't always find what I'm looking for. So, if I see a picture frame I particularly like then I often buy it and look out for how I can use it. I will, of course, have to stop this frame-buying fetish sooner or later, otherwise our house will be filled top-to-botttom with picture frames!


They're slightly distressed off-white wooden frames. One is slightly larger than the other, which I like. Adding interest and all that.

I picked out two letters that I liked the colours of especially (no orange stamps for me!!!).


One has a lovely old red stamp and slightly yellowed paper. Aaaah! So gorgeous. Really and truly vintage.


The other is the envelope from a letter in a gorgeous grey-green-blue colour (as you will know, my favourite ever colour, in its many guises).

Then it was just a matter of popping them in the frames. The envelope did need trimming slightlyto fit, which I feel terribly guilty about. But, I decided it was better to be cut and out, than hidden away in a box, so I got scissor-happy....



And putting them out on our console table in our living room, which was looking a little bare.

I'm so pleased with this project! What do you think? Do you like them?
What would you have done with a box of old letters? Ideas on a postcard!! (hoho)....or, much easier, you can leave a comment below....




Well, it's Friday again, which means a lovely weekend ahead! I hope you have a smashing time, whatever you do, enjoying the last of the summer days.

17 comments:

  1. Proper love it!!! And 1930s!! I would have settled for 60s even and still love it! xxx

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  2. Yes, I love it! And it's so nice that you know the person they belonged to. I love the frames too and yes I buy a frame if I like it. I know I will always find a way to use it.

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  3. Oh what a lovely gesture to give those to you but these are the things we never appreciate when we are young, eh? I think you have done them justice by displaying them in such a lovely manner!

    So glad to have found you, looking forward to see what else you have in store. And I must say, those candlesticks in your dining room are TO. DIE. FOR. Love...

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  4. Thank you! You're right, it was a really kind thing to give. I only wish I hadn't waited to many years to do something with them!

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  5. This is such a great idea! Thank you for sharing!

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  6. Love this! I have some old letters from my grandmother to my grandfather. I could do this!

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  7. I adore this
    I still prefer to send letters over emails :)
    Always fun to get something other than bills in the mail..
    This is really special and a wonderful project
    Jenny
    www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com

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  8. I have to thank you for this inspiration....I just purchsed a 1933 scarpbook of a college student in my home town for $.25 cents! It has some really great stuff in it and this would be a perfect way to display it!

    Thanks for the inspiration!

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  9. What a great idea! Very cute! I'd love for you to come link them to my link party this weekend. Hope to see you there.

    Krista
    whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com

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  10. Very nice way to create art. Those beefy frames are wildly amazing! This pair really makes a nice statement!

    Donna

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  11. This is fantastic - love it!

    Melissa
    http://www.burstsofcreativity.blogspot.com/

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  12. I love these. I am a big fan of framing any type of vintage ephemera. I just did some altered vintage recipe cards on my blog. I plan to frame those. Love the colors you used. Becoming a follower!

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  13. This is a beautiful idea -thanks for posting :)

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  14. Love your idea! And those frames are just gorgeous! Love how thick they are with all that molding. Where ever did you find them?

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  15. Thank you! They were from a little independent shop in the Cotswolds called The Old Country House.

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