I Always Listen To Denise Olson

On Shades Of The Departed, today's "Date With An Old Photo" discusses the thirty-five magazines I gave myself as a Christmas present. I use these magazines to aid in the identification of period clothing, jewelry, shoes, glasses, etc.

But, there is another answer to the question, "What do you do with all those old magazines?" I listened to Denise Olson in her Vintage Scrapbooking article and looked at all the things I could make rather than purchase. I am a good Scot after all.

Here are a few examples of what can be done with the graphics in an old magazine. I took the cover image from the magazine above and created a PNG file.

Next, I converted the image to black and white so that it could be colored in Photoshop, like a coloring book. Just because you might want to change the color scheme as often as you change your mind.

Then I converted it to my favorite thing, a Photoshop brush. A PS Brush is capable of amazing things.

I do the same process with old magazine advertisements. Some of the old ads are amazing additions to a family history.

Old magazines and books are filled with fancy letters and ornaments that make wonderful stamps. The advantage of converting them to a stamp being they can be any color. Using them in a family history document adds interest.

Once you've found the images best suited for your project, go look at the commercial products for inspiration. Then try to construct one of your own.

This article was strictly show and tell, not instruct. If there is any interest in how this was done let me know and I will prepare a How To Article.

All images in the possession of the author.