Last year I made High Castle themed shelf (which grew and took over an entire wall of my dining room!).
In that same spirit, I’m working on a WWII/1940s era display. I’ve started posting work in progress (wip) photos on Instagram with how and where I got everything I have so far.
You don’t have to break the bank to make something unique. It doesn’t even have to actually be from the era you’re going for (although that would be nice). I am posting my progress in the hopes that it helps someone else out there who is trying to create something similar.
Uncle Sam & Wooden Crate
The tin U.S. Army recruiting poster is a replica, but it was only $8.99 on Amazon (who can beat 2 day shipping?). I got the crate at Home Depot for almost the same amount.
Awesome Fanta & Coke bottles
I picked these tasty gems up from the import aisle at the grocery store. They look antique and were only $1.25 each. Did I mention that they were delicious too? If you’re going for a 40s/50s vibe, these are a cheap and easy to get prop. These ones were imported from Mexico, so check the Hispanic aisle if your store doesn’t have an import one.
Giving the Crate a Makeover
I did a quick google search to find ideas for the crate to make it look and feel like it belongs in that era. Once I had a good idea of what I wanted, I opened up Word and used the Stencil font to type everything out and arrange the words. Once I was done, I printed it out.
I flipped it over and rubbed the charcoal pencil (orange) on the backside of the letters. I flipped it back over and laid it over the crate. I traced the letters with the regular pencil to make a charcoal imprint onto the crate.
Now all I have to do is paint over the imprint! Just remember, charcoal smears easily, so if you’re going to do two sides of something, you’ll have to fully complete one side (ie, finish the paint job) before starting the other.
Thanks for tuning in! I’ll be back again with more updates.
