Vintage Card/Label Holders and Free Printables

Collecting vintage items has always been more fun for me when they are actually things of a practical nature that I can use. One of those collections is my vintage hardware card and label holders. I wrote about finding and collecting them in my post at SC Johnson’s Family Economics, here.

So while I was thinking and writing about my holders, I searched through an old hardware catalog that my dad gave me dated 1940 and found some great product illustrations.

I scanned those illustrations and modified them complete with tiny screws into free label printables of faux card holders that you can download over at WorldLabel.com and print directly to their full sheet label stock. The kind folks at WorldLabel.com created text fields in the label files so you can type your own text in before you print.You can also print to label stock with the centers blank and take them a step further-

Create a window section by placing a piece of clear pvc plastic, new or cut from a section of product packaging, over a card holder frame, flush with the top of the edge of the hardware piece. Trace a rectangle just outside the center area along the heavy folds in the frame illustration with a permanent marker. Trim out window section.Trim out the frame.

Use a brown marker to color the white cut edges of the label.

Hold the frame backwards up to the light and draw circles where the screws are. Lay the label upside down onto a stack of paper and with the pen, fill in the circle to create an embossing.

Remove the backing paper and attach the window plastic, flush with the top of the label.

Place onto your final surface and slide a labeled card cut to size into the holder.This darling 12″ x 12″ vintage class photo paper is from Jenni Bowlin’s JBS Mercantile.You can also photograph your own vintage hardware to use for labeling, or download mine for free here. 

And finally, here’s more freebies for you- images of one of my favorite card holders attached to the front of a card cabinet with a section of cigar labeling tucked inside.

Disclosure: I am a paid blogger for SC Johnson and compensated for design work for WorldLabel.com