Furniture Design Ephemera
When I was a kid, I wanted a dollhouse in the worst way. I was obsessed with tiny furniture. I never got one, but when my daughter was younger I found a deal on one at a local farmers market. I was so excited to make my childhood dream hers. The joke was on me because she had zero interest in it. It sat neglected on her dresser for several years until I finally broke down and put it in the attic to make room for things she actually enjoyed. It just goes to show you that we are all unique individuals with our own interests. I got excited when I spotted this vintage décor magazine ephemera because the illustrations made me think of doll furniture. Instead of a little house, I can decorate the pages of my journal with them.
Scroll down, and you’ll find two different free ephemera sheets. The first is a sheet of 3.5” x 2” journal cards, and the second is a sheet of slightly larger 2.5” x 4.25” journal cards. I say “cards,” but of course, you are always welcome to cut the images out and use them at your discretion in your junk journal, art journal, scrapbook, or other mixed media collage artwork. I go over some ideas below for how you could create a dollhouse theme in your journal.
Also, make sure you visit the design section of my free printables library. You may like these tea set designs, these decorative frames or these fashion designs.
If you enjoy these free journal papers, be sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest, so you’ll see when I post new ones.
3.5” x 2” Journal Cards
These furniture illustrations come from Le Garde-Meublem, a 19th-century French interior design periodical focused on showcasing various styles of furniture, interior design, and decorative arts. Creating a dollhouse-like theme in your art or junk journal using this furniture ephemera can be a fun and imaginative project.
Start by creating a backdrop for your dollhouse theme. This could be as simple as painting your background a pleasant color. You could add some stenciling to make a wallpaper effect or use patterned scrapbook paper. Keep in mind the furniture illustrations you plan on using to help you choose your color palette.
Once you have your backdrop, cut out the furniture images and paste these onto the background. To make it more realistic, try layering the cutouts to create a 3D effect. You can also use perspective to make some pieces look closer or farther away.
Pay attention to the little details in the illustrations. Add extra decorations like small beads or sequins to make it look like there are tiny accessories in the miniature world. This helps capture the charm and details of 19th-century interior designs.
Make your dollhouse theme interactive by adding fold-out panels or flaps that show hidden rooms or details. You can also try pop-up techniques for a playful touch. Dedicate different sections of your journal to themes like a bedroom or living room. Use matching illustrations to set the mood for each area, creating a story in your dollhouse-inspired journal.
Lastly, add your personal touch by drawing pictures alongside the Le Garde-Meuble illustrations. You can include family portraits or custom artwork that fits the 19th-century style. By combining the illustrations from these journal printables with creative techniques, you'll turn your journal into a captivating dollhouse-like world that celebrates the elegance of 19th-century interior design.
2.5” x 4.25” Journal Cards
Add this free vintage ephemera to your supplies for art journaling, junk journaling, bullet journaling, collage, artist trading cards (ATCs), scrapbooking and other mixed media artwork and crafts.
You may also enjoy these free collage sheets.
Terms of use:
Free to use for personal or commercial projects. You may print the collage sheets as many times as you wish for your personal crafts or in your projects to sell, including: art journals, scrapbooks, junk journals, collage art, etc. You may not redistribute or sell the collage sheets “as is" in either print or digital form.
If you wish to share the files on your own website, please do not make the files available for download directly from your site. Instead, include an image with a link back to this site.
To the best of my knowledge, these are all royalty free images that are in the Public Domain in the US. However, you should always do your own research if you plan to use them commercially.
