AFAR Magazine March/April 2014
I don’t know if it’s tooting one’s own horn or validation that motivates this post. Regardless. While flipping through the pages of AFAR, a travel magazine that I love, there it was…matchbooks are trending. And what did I just make a month ago? Matchbook Art!
See?!
Want to do know how to make it yourself?
I bought two 18 x 24ish inch matted frames from Michaels. They were buy one get one free. $20 total.
I bought 4 pieces of turquoise 12X12(?) scrapbook paper from Michaels. Spent about $1.50 max.
I had a matchbook collection from way back filling a large gallon ziplock bag. I went to a vintage/junk store and found another bag of matchbooks from the 50’s and 60’s for $12…which is what inspired this whole project.
I sorted through matchbooks for hours at the dining room table–each of the old ones had something funny or unusual about them. So many of mine had hilarious and fun memories associated with the places. I edited and laid them out based upon their merits–pretty, unique, memorable–on the scrapbook paper with the white matte around them (so I knew exactly how much room I had to work with.) I ripped the excess matches and cardboard out so the matchbooks wouldn’t be too bulky. I moved them around. I edited. I replaced. I rereplaced. Some I kept opened–some I kept closed. I moved them around some more. I tweaked. Then I Elmer’s glued the whole lot. Pretty sweet art. Definitely make two framed pieces if you decide to do this. Companion pieces of art make any room look good…or in this case striking. Get it?
