Hello Friends!
Do you remember road trips when you were a kid? Mom and Dad waking you up in the dark, wrestling you into your jeans and tee shirt and sleep walking you into the car? You would wake up and find yourself looking out the window at the sights along the highway, and then the games would begin: I Spy, the Alphabet Game, sing-alongs, stopping for a picnic lunch, counting cows. And every 5 minutes, the inevitable questions, “Are we there yet?” Well, 7 Gypsies has captured all of those great memories and nostalgia in their fabulous American Vintage Collection . I recently had a chance to play with this line, and worked it up into a fun, funky American Vintage Road Trip memory crate.
I love seeing old barns along the road when I travel, so I stained my Vintage Photo Crate with Roses R Red Glimmer Glam. I cut the sassy borders sentiments from the 12×12 “Go and See” papers and used them on the front of the crate. Dontcha just love them? I also cut a strip from the “I Visited” journal cards and glued it down beneath that totally fun Road Trip knob. To keep with the Road Trip theme of this crate, I added a bunch of gears, along with the 7 Gypsies logo from the gear packaging. The idea for this crate is that you can store souvenirs and photos from the journey inside, and it makes a great piece of home decor as well.
Here, I misted a tiny 2×2 natural canvas with Blue Ribbon Chalkboard Mist. Then I added a bit of red burlap and words from the “Across the USA” 12×12 paper. You can make any kind of custom message using these clever word strips.
You know how when you are on the road, there’s something to see no matter where you look? Well, that’s how I designed this crate, too. I crafted a happy little banner using red burlap and denim from the blue sampler pack. It is stitched onto natural sisal rope , topped with more gears and held in place with two jaunty vintage clips. The cool vintage truck is from the mini ephemera pack, and the crumpled maps are fussy cut from the fabby 8×8 paper pad. I crumpled them all up and then inked them so they’d look like they’ve been on a road trip.
The file folders in this collection make it super easy to create unique photo displays and journaling spaces. The graphics are awesome, and they are incredibly sturdy. The little tag on the right is made with some 7 Gypsies packaging that I’d salvaged and covered with 8×8 stamp paper, more mini ephemera and some old keys. I also painted the top with more of the Roses R Red Glimmer Glam. I love the shiny enamel look it adds to the tag. The red hemp rope adds a great pop of color and texture to the tag. I tucked one of the sassy, cute “Are We There Yet?” cards inside the folder. These are a blast…and they’ll have you laughing…because they are soooo true!
I am soooo crazy over the Go and See Paper in this amazing collection because it makes fast work of creating a scrapbook, a card, or a crate. A 12×12 sheet of Kraft C-Flute was cut into four 5 3/4″ sections and used as the base for the crate dividers. Each was topped with a red clothes pin, and some were stamped with a compass image.
When you flip the dividers over, each one has been covered with either the stamps or the bold stripes of the “American Stamps” 12×12 paper. I used a 3/4″ circle punch to create a thumb hole and then glued the bottom and sides to the back of the C-Flute, creating a pocket for photos or other memorabilia. Scoring and folding one of the fabulous vintage 4×6 Post Cards creates a nifty little journaling spot.
I’ve tucked the Travel Log ephemera into this folder. I love that it gives you a quick and easy way to record the weather, how long you traveled that day, the day of the week, what you ate and where you slept. Here’s a look at the rest of the dividers.
Finally, I sewed one of the file folders into an actual mini journal, giving you yet another place to quickly jot down the events of the day.
The possibilities for the American Vintage Collection are endless! I hope you’ve enjoyed taking this little road trip with me! I’d love to hear about your favorite elements from the collection, and your favorite road trip memories in the comment section below.
Happy travels!
kathy
'American Vintage Road Trip Crate' have 3 comments
April 16, 2015 @ 8:51 am jpscraps
Awesome project! So many cool things to look at. I love the little banner.
April 16, 2015 @ 12:48 pm Gloria Stengel
What a fantastic way to use the collection and the crate! I love seeing all the bits and pieces. The fold outs and pocket are so wonderful. I would love to have this on my coffee table! It takes me back to those family road trip days of the 1970s!
April 17, 2015 @ 11:19 am Vanessa McPherson
Our family travels a lot; this is perfect for us!