If you’ve ever dreamed of diving headfirst into a pile of vintage papers, postcards, and ephemera, welcome to your new happy place. The Art Supply Center Collage Trunk is officially overflowing (like, five-boxes-and-counting overflowing) with prime collage materials just waiting to be rediscovered.
Tucked in the back of the store (right below Reba, IYKYK), it’s part art supply, part history museum, and part scavenger hunt. You can fill and make your own bag for just $2.99, which means you can dig, curate, and collect to your heart’s content without breaking your art budget.
What’s Inside the Collage Trunk?
Basically everything and the kitchen sink, if the kitchen sink were made of vintage paper and mixed media treasures. The trunk and its overflow boxes are packed with:
- Fabric scraps and fringe for tactile layering
- Vintage stamps, foils, and stickers
- Old postcards, photographs, and book pages
- Empty sewing patterns and vintage packaging (so good for texture and typography lovers)
- Estate finds, studio clean-outs, and weird little things that defy category but spark ideas
Every handful is a surprise and no two digs are ever the same. One minute you’re unearthing a stack of 1950s travel postcards, the next you’re finding the perfect piece of lace trim or foil begging to be turned into art.
Collage 101: What to Do with Your Finds
Not sure what to make with your newly found treasures? Collage is all about layering, experimenting, and embracing the unexpected. There are no rules, just glue, scissors, and a good sense of adventure.
Here are a few jumping-off points to get you started:
Mini collages: Start small. think postcards, bookmarks, or trading card-size art pieces.
Art journals: Layer vintage papers and photos in a sketchbook to add texture and visual storytelling.
Mixed media panels: Combine your collage elements with paint, fabric, and drawing for dimensional pieces.
Decorative projects: Use collage elements to make greeting cards, shadow boxes, or even wrap gifts in found-art flair.
Try using gel medium or matte Mod Podge as your adhesive, it helps papers lay flat and gives everything that smooth, finished look.
Why We Love the Collage Trunk
We’ve been collecting cool paper things, fiber bits, and vintage odds and ends for years. Some from estates, some from artists’ studios, some from who-knows-where. The Collage Trunk is how we make sure those materials find new creative lives.
It’s like thrifting for art supplies, except every find already has a story. Regardless of whether you’re a lifelong collager or just want a fun weekend project, you’ll leave with a bag full of inspiration (and probably glitter on your hands).
Stop by Art Supply Center and dig into the Collage Trunk yourself. Just $2.99 to fill your own grab bag of vintage awesomeness. Whether you’re working on a serious mixed media piece or just want to make something weird and wonderful, there’s no wrong way to collage. Come explore, get messy, and find your next favorite piece of paper history and tag us with your find @ArtSupplyCenter!
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