Free Victorian Ads Ephemera + How Lack of Time Doesn’t Mean You’re Not Creative
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How Lack of Time Doesn’t Mean You’re Not Creative: Quick Ways to Make Art Journaling, Junk Journaling & Collage Work for You + Free Victorian Ad Printables
If you're like most of us in the creative community, you've probably thought, "I wish I had more time to journal, collage, or create." Finding large spans of uninterrupted time for creativity can seem impossible, especially if you have a job, kids, caregiving duties, or a million other things going on. But here's the truth: not having much time doesn't mean you're not creative.
Creativity is not defined by how much art you produce or how long you spend making it. It's about noticing, imagining, gathering, and playing. Whether you're an art journaler, junk journaler, scrapbooker, or just someone who loves pretty paper, there are ways to keep your creativity going, even on your busiest days.
In this post, I'll dive into mindset shifts, fast project ideas, and time-saving tips. Plus, I'm giving away a beautiful set of Victorian canned goods advertising ephemera you can download and use today.
Free Giveaway: Vintage Canned Goods Advertising Collage Sheets
To help you jumpstart your next mini creative moment, I’m giving away a set of four full-color, printable collage sheets featuring quirky, colorful Victorian canned goods advertising sourced from authentic Victorian Trade card images. You'll find:
Cheerful picnic scenes and food illustrations
Children with branded condensed milk labels
Women cooking, serving, and advertising canned meat and soup products
Richly colored typography and product labels perfect for layering
Use them for:
Tag backgrounds
Art journal accents
Vintage cooking- or recipe-themed junk journals
Altered playing cards
Format: High-resolution JPGs or PDFs (ready to print at 8.5x11")
Get the Printables: Scroll down through the post to check out all four Victorian Food Ephemera Sheets
Now let's talk about working your creativity into your life...
Redefining Creativity in a Busy Life
We often define creativity as "making something," but it's so much more. Creativity is also about how you:
See beauty in a rusted hinge or a tattered envelope
Think of a new way to layer washi tape
Jot down a phrase in the margins of a receipt
Busy doesn't cancel out creative. Instead, it reshapes it. Try this: keep a small envelope or zip pouch with you to collect scraps, quotes, ticket stubs, or interesting textures. You may not use them today, but you're fueling your creative fire.
Mini Exercise: Keep a "creative thought log." Jot down one image, quote, or color combo each day that catches your eye.
Small Acts of Creativity Count
You don't need a full spread to count as creative time. Sometimes, just:
Gluing one image onto a tag
Adding a doodle to a journal margin
Playing with color swatches on a scrap of paper
...is enough. Think of these as "creative snacks" – little bites that nourish your artistic side.
Ideas for Micro-Journaling:
Use a 3x5 card as a mini collage base
Create a weekly "5-minute page" where you only use what's on your desk
Add a word or phrase to an existing journal spread
FREEBIE TIP: Use my new set of Victorian canned goods ephemera printables to cut out one element and make a quick ATC or journal tag.
Time-Saving Tips for Art & Junk Journalers
If you're short on time, the best thing you can do is prep ahead. Here are a few strategies:
Batch Print Your Ephemera
Pick one day a month to print your favorite collage sheets. Store them by theme (e.g., nature, food, portraits) in a simple accordion folder.
Assemble a Grab-and-Go Kit
Fill a pouch with:
Scrap ephemera
Tags or index cards
Now you can create while waiting at appointments, on the couch, or even in bed.
Use Pre-Made Printables
When your brain is too tired to invent, use themed printables like the ones I create here on TheArtScavenger.com. These reduce the number of decisions you have to make, letting you jump right into layering and playing.
Prompt Lists Save Brain Space
Create a list of journal prompts (try "vintage food memories" or "what's on your picnic blanket?") to keep the ideas flowing.
Mindset Shifts for Creative Confidence
Let go of the belief that creativity has to be big, polished, or time-consuming.
Try saying these out loud (or write them on a tag!):
"Five minutes of creativity is still creative."
"Messy pages are beautiful too."
"I am creative, even when I don’t feel like it."
A single moment of noticing, cutting, or gluing is part of your practice. Don’t discount the little things.
Tip: Turn these affirmations into journaling cards. You can even back them with vintage advertising ephemera for a charming effect.
Quick Project Ideas That Fit Busy Schedules
Need ideas that work in 5-15 minute bursts? Try these:
One Scrap Challenge
Use only the materials on your table. Layer 2-3 pieces together and glue them to a tag or card.
Tag Tuesday
Make a tag every Tuesday using a prompt, theme, or color. Keep a stack pre-cut and ready to go.
Ephemera Collage Cards
Use an index card or postcard and glue down 3-5 scraps. Done! Frame it or tuck it into a journal.
Perfect for This: The Victorian canned goods printables at the end of this post feature labels, vignettes, and food ads perfect for collage layers.
Your Creativity Is Valid, Even When It’s Quiet
There are seasons of making and seasons of collecting.
If you’re pinning ideas, printing printables, or flipping through a vintage magazine, you’re feeding your creativity. Quiet times aren’t creative failure. They're a normal part of the process.
Some days, you'll make a full junk journal page. Other days, you'll cut out a single image and save it for later. Both are valid. Both are creative.
Give yourself credit.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need hours of time, expensive supplies, or perfect plans to be creative. What you need is the willingness to make a little something when you can and the compassion to call yourself an artist, even when you’re busy.
Whether it’s a five-minute tag, a layered page using printable collage images and scraps, or just the act of printing and cutting a collage sheet, your creativity is real and worthy.
So grab those Victorian ephemera printables, pick one quick idea from this post, and celebrate the fact that yes, you are creative, even with a million things going on.
Love These Printables? Support The Art Scavenger!
I love sharing free vintage printables, and if you enjoy them, there are easy ways to support my work so I can continue creating and offering more free designs:
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.
