7 Gypsies American Vintage Photo Crate and Travel Journal
Hello, Friends! I don’t know about you, but I love a good road trip! There’s something magical about waking up in the pre-dawn darkness and packing suitcases, snacks and people into the car for a far away destination. I have such great memories of car trips we took with our kids when they were small: the silly songs we sang, playing the Alphabet game, I Spy, counting cows, roadside picnics and even the bathroom breaks were fun. So, I am super excited to share today’s project with you! I’ve been busy working with 7 Gypsies American Vintage Collection…which was just released this week…and I have made the most fun travel journal ever! It’s vintage, and funky, and fun, and interactive …and it’s in a photo crate! How awesome is that????
This darling little photo crate measures 4″ x 6″ x 4″ so it’s the perfect size for holding photos, souvenirs, maps and all kinds of bits and bobs. I changed the finish on mine by treating it to a light coat of Picket Fence Distress Paint and then lightly brushing it with Tattered Angels Roses R Red Glimmer Glam. I wanted it to be the same color as an old barn on the side of a country road. How’d I do?
I used just about every single element found in this collection…and some besides…to fill up my crate with fun file folders, ephemera, journal notes, and papers. On the front of the crate, the borders from “Go and See” and “States I Visited” were used to decorate the slats. I topped this off with the Road Trip book knob and a bunch of gears.
You know how when you are in the car, there’s something to see no matter what direction you look? Well, I designed this crate so that no matter which side faces forward, there is a nice view to be had. On the back of the crate, I created a happy little banner with denim and burlap from the famous scrap packs that are filled to bursting with fabric, burlap, paper and cord. I hand cut my little banner pieces, then sewed them onto a piece of natural sisal roping and topped them with more gears. They are held in place with a jaunty pair of antique silver vintage clips. That great vintage truck is from the ephemera pack. The crumpled road maps were fussy cut from the 8×8 paper pack. I know nobody uses maps any more, but I kind of miss them…and this is how ours always ended up looking after having been folded and refolded time and time again!
I tinted a 2″ x 2″ stretched natural canvas with Blue Ribbon Chalkboard Mist, topped it with a fringed burlap square, another gear (that makes me think of a steering wheel) and some cut out words from the totally fun “Across the USA” 12×12 paper. 
Both short ends of the crate received a little ribbon treatment with Red Center Stitched Burlap Ribbon and a vintage button. You can also see another great ephemera bit here….I love these replicas of route signs!
There’s nothing but fun inside the crate! On the right, I salvaged the gear package to make a really fun tag that looks like a vintage luggage tag. On the left is one of the file folders that I loaded up with fabric and ephemera and then stuffed with the hilarious “Are We There Yet?” journal tag. You will get quite a chuckle from the sayings because I guarantee, you’ve heard them all before. And, this is a quick, easy way to document a trip. Just fill it out and put it in the file folder along with photos, menus, and other great memorabilia.
The vintage photos on the “Go and See” 12×12 page are perfect for creating a quick card, journal page or in this case, a divider for the crate. I made each divider the same way: cut a 5.75″ piece of Kraft C-Flute, paint with Roses R Red or Blue Ribbon paint, and top with one of the photo squares from the paper. I added stitching, distressing, buttons and even stamped a compass on the paper. The red cording adds great texture, as does the clothespin.
I lined the back side of the C-Flute with paper from the double sided American Stamps paper. I love these bold stripes. I cut a thumb hole in the top and did not glue the top edge down, creating a pocket for photos. The 4″ x 6″ vintage post cards were scored, folded and turned into little journal notes.
I like that the file folders can be used horizontally or vertically. This makes for a great look in the crate and gives you lots of options for designing. Here, I mounted another of the border strips on a scrap of C-Flute and tucked a Travel Log notecard into the pocket. I found these vintage keys in my stash, and thought they looked great with this line. You could easily pre-load your crate with folders and dividers and then fill in the cards as you go…a great way to keep the kids engaged with the trip.
These letters were fussy cut from the 8×8 pad and matted onto a journal page that I splashed and splattered with Glimmer Mist.
Here’s the red barn that was the inspiration for this project along with some more fussy cut mini ephemera.
I made a handy little notebook to tuck into the crate by stitching papers into one of the file folders. Don’t you love the vintage telephone dial? Ask your kids or grandkids if they know what this is….that could lead to a really fun conversation!
Here’s the inside of the file folder. I love that these are decorated inside and out, making them reversible.
So, that’s my 7 Gypsies American Vintage Photo Crate and travel journal. Doesn’t it just make you want to hit the road and go someplace? I’ll bring the snacks!
Thanks for stopping by,