Old labels from fruit crates, cans, soap, etc.

[twowishes]

OK, so I've got this slight ... well, maybe we should make that "major" ... ebay addiction problem.  Sometimes I get obsessed with a new item and purchase it in quantity, without any idea of what I'll actually do with it when it arrives.  On the plus side, this is how lots of craft projects get started!

My latest obsession is with old labels from fruit crates, cans, soap and beautry products, and the like.  Manufacturers used drawings to differentiate their products, and many of them are perfect little retro works of art.  They can be expensive when collected as individual labels, but some careful shopping on ebay yields sets of dozens or hundreds for 10 to 30 cents each.  (I like old hotel / travel luggage stickers even more, but those are tough to find on the cheap.)

I've come up with some rather boring ideas for them, like use in greeting cards or as a decorative element on packaging.  But can you creative Craftster types suggest something better?  I'm particularly stumped by grape crate labels, which are an awkward size of 4 x 13".

Thanks for any suggestions you can come up with!!

[honorhappy]

  I saw them once used as a backsplash.  They would be great for any kind of decoupage to be incorporated into a room, or you could frame them in a collage.  Maybe decoupage your refridgerator or appiicances with the food ones, or just decorate your own canisters/fruit baskets.  Do the same with the beauty supplies in your bed or bathroom.  Decoupage on storage containers or suitcases, frame them and make lightboxes (there's a tute on here somewhere), or decoupage on baskets or containers for presents.  I'm a bit into decoupage, lol.  You could also probably make purses or bags, either with the duct tape/packing tape method, or by putting one of those clear pockets on a purse.  Maybe a shower curtain with the slots for pictures?  I think that there is a tute for that on here as well.

[Fontgeek]

First off, scan them all at as good a quality as you can, this gives you something you can use for cards or other stuff later on.  Second step is to decide how much you want to have these things in your life.  I know that may sound a little obscure, but are these just a passing fad, or are they something you have always loved and now you finally have some?

If they are something you really enjoy and want to have as a permenant part of your life, how about decorating the ends of bookshelves to look like old fruit crates, or doing a mural type wall decoration that looks like stacks of fruit crates.  If these are more of a passing fad, you may not want to do anything that drastic, maybe pick the nicest ones and put them on a coffee table under a sheet of glass for protection.  You can change them around as time goes on, and help keep the look of your room updated or up graped as the case may be.
Fontgeek

[twowishes]

Thanks to both of you for great advice!  I should be receiving the labels in the next week or so and am in the midst of a move so probably will find a home decor use right away OR take much longer to get to crafting.

Fontgeek, I love your idea of scanning them, and I'm intrigued by your question of "lifelong obsession vs. passing fad."  It's probably the latter, as are most things in my life.  Sigh.