From Thrifted to Stunning

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Shop Your Stash: Turn Thrifted Labels into Beautiful Collage Elements with Hot Foiling

One of my favourite creative challenges is finding ways to use the supplies I already have. Whether it’s a thrifted treasure or a stamp set that’s been sitting on my shelf for a while, I love discovering fresh ways to bring them together.

For this project, I started with a sheet of thrifted labels that had lots of potential but needed a little something extra. Instead of leaving them as they were, I pulled out a few stamp sets from my stash and began creating a layered collage background right on the labels. Note: this same idea can be created using a piece of cardstock. The strip measures about 4″ x 6-3/4″ and each label is about 4″ x 1-5/8″.

Using a variety of images—text, leaves, textures, and other small details—I built up the background one layer at a time. This is a great opportunity to mix stamps from different sets, even ones you may not have used in years. Once you start layering them together, you stop seeing them as individual images and start seeing them as pieces of a larger design.

Give Your Stamps a New Purpose

We often think of stamps as the focal point of a card, but they can be just as effective as background elements.

Try pulling out stamp sets that haven’t seen ink in a while and look for: small floral images; script or text stamps; texture stamps; vintage-inspired designs; postmarks; splatters; leaves or tiny filler images. By combining a few different images, you can create rich, interesting collage backgrounds that are completely unique.

The Finishing Touch: Hot Foiling

Once my collage background was complete, I used Stampin’ Up!’s Hot Foiling System to add metallic details. This makes the labels feel extra special. The foil catches the light beautifully and adds just enough shine to make the collage feel finished without overwhelming the stamped background. It’s the perfect example of how a new tool can work alongside the supplies you already own instead of replacing them.

One Sheet, Multiple Projects

After foiling the labels, I cut them apart and started creating. From a couple of these strips of labels, I made:

• a card
• several tags that are perfect for journals, gifts, or happy mail
• a pocket created from a coffee filter, decorated with one of the finished labels to hold journaling cards and ephemera

It’s amazing how many embellishments you can create from one thrifted find when you combine it with stamps and some scraps.

Shop Your Stash with Fresh Eyes

One of the reasons I love projects like this is because they remind me that creativity can come from anywhere. Sometimes it simply means looking at familiar supplies differently. That stamp set you’ve been saving? Use one small image instead of the whole set. That retired sentiment set? Look past the greetings and use the decorative elements. Those thrifted labels? They’re the perfect canvas for layered stamping.

When you combine those forgotten supplies with a simple technique like collage stamping and hot foiling, you can create embellishments that feel completely new.

Watch the Process

I’ve shared the entire process in today’s video, where you’ll see how I layered the stamped collage background, added hot foil for a beautiful metallic finish, and turned the finished labels into a card, tag, and a coffee filter pocket.

I hope this inspires you to pull a few forgotten stamp sets off the shelf, gather some papers from your stash, and experiment with creating your own collage backgrounds.

Until next time,

Supply List

Click on any of these images to shop my Canadian online store or to find out more. In addition to these items, I also used scraps of ribbon and paper from my stash, the retired Elements of Texture stamp set, Fabri-Tac glue and Vintage Photo Distress Oxide ink.