Painted Globes | American Crafts

It's Friday and I'm headed out of town soon! Can you tell I'm excited? My husband's birthday signals two things - Spring and a trip to Atlantic City. The man loves to gamble but at the same time let's just say he's quite attached to his money. The one exception - his birthday weekend. So while I'm packing up to head south, here's a peek at something I made recently.

Introducing Globe Gallery from American Crafts. I love finding interesting things to decorate my craft space and the Globe Gallery by One Canoe Two is perfection! At just under 12 inches tall, they are the perfect size for any desk or shelf. I love all of the custom accents that can be added to personalize the base globe making each one a unique creation. They come in five different themes from constellations to wildflower. I love them all!


I chose the Map design with it’s beautiful script writing and gold base. I used the collection bunting and wrapped it around the globe twice overlapping. This adds a nice punch of color to the blue and aqua background.  The adhesive backed pushpins keep the strands in place. It's easy peasy decorating!

I used just a few 3-D butterflies from the collection and placed them along the strings of the bunting to add a pop of texture to the globe.

To add an element of texture to the base, I used the Life is Lovely Vinyl cling on to add tone-on-tone words.

Keeping the same design principle of gold on gold, I added adhesive nail heads from the collection along the arm of the globe. They were really made for marking places on the globe itself, but I thought why the heck not?  I'm a little craft rebel like that. 

This project took me under an hour from start to finish. I need more of the types of easy projects in my creative life! You can check out the entire Globe Gallery line here. 

I'll be back next week with more crafty projects. Have a great weekend and wish me luck! (Um, I mostly shop in Atlantic City, so the odds are good).

SUPPLIES | Click on the photos for more info

American Crafts Christmas Tags + Photos

Tis the season for gift giving! What better way to personalize gift giving than with photo gift tags.  I like these because I have a few preschoolers who can't read, but they can sure spot their photo!

Create a beautiful collection of family photos gathered under the tree. It’s a great way to dress up and a super simple project that you can create in one sitting.

Start by printing 2x2 photos and cutting down the tags from white cardstock. Next, grab a handful of supplies including some washi tape, wood veneer trees, a re-inking Christmas stamp, scissors and some string. That's it, now get to it! I made these while binging on a 'This is Us' marathon and it was just enough to keep my hands busy but still able to watch all that goodness!

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Counting Down the Snow + American Crafts

There's no denying it, snow season is here! This is not my favorite time of the year in the Northeast, but I go with it and can appreciate the beauty and quiet that snowstorms bring. I wanted to highlight that with this photo of my husband and son sledding behind our house. Notice that I'm taking the photo from my nice, cozy home!

The idea for this page came from these numbered Dear Lizzy chipboard tags. They are my favorite embellishment from the Saturday line and I wanted to highlight them. What better way to do that then to tell the story of all the blizzards we plowed through last season.

I love how versatile these are - you can use them to count down any theme. They also add a really nice splash of color to the crisp, white background.

This page design is clean and graphic. The black and white title gives it a nice clean look. By layering a script title from Dear Lizzy Hello and a smaller, plain Dear Lizzy Petals Thicker font, the title is bold and balanced. I love how the Dear Lizzy Petals Thickers look like "snow" is falling right in the letters. 

This story is a reminder to appreciate the little things that the coldest season of the year brings. Frostbite and all. 

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American Crafts + The Gratitude Season

I'm getting the house ready for the big gathering next week. I love the anticipation and prep of this time of year. It's when I really think about the things that I'm grateful for, drink pumpkin spice lattes and wear boots and soft sweaters for the first time. I drink in this season - the one before the dreaded freeze.

This layout celebrate all the things that I love about right now. Things I'm grateful for, the traditions of Fall! I used a mixture of American Crafts Dear Lizzy and Shimelle collections to create this cozy layout. 

I was going for warm and cozy with a splash of color. Using these fun wood clips from the Saturday collection adds a pop of color and texture to this Autumn themed photo. I love the whimsy of the bird icon.

The chipboard title is also from the Dear LIzzySaturday collection and features this bright yellow “I love right now”. The bright color and sentiment is a great nod to the heme. I love that scripty font. I used a steel die to cut out the leaves and I love how intricate they are and how easy it was to press them out of very thick cardstock.

Combining fall patterns, colors and embellishments is a great way to tell your story and create layouts that both meaningful and easy to make. Celebrate all the things you are grateful for this season.

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Documenting Disney: The Short and Sweet Version

Vacation mini books are one of my favorite projects to make. Sometimes the smaller the better. Little snapshots and details of a trip that bring all the memories back - I love them! I kept this one clean and simple like I tend to do. 

If you'd like to see a more detailed look, check out my Instagram account today and I will be posting a flip through video.

To create this cover I printed out a free Mickey Mouse head clip art image onto white paper. I used that to make a template and cut the shape out of the gold star transparency. I kept the colors to gold and white, keeping the embellishments to a minimum. I like this stark design with a subtle nod to the Disney theme. It keeps things simple.

Let's get started on connecting the dots of the story!

1. Take the Iconic Shot. Let's start the story out right with an iconic photo of the castle. Once we see that castle, we know our vacation has really started!  This page is monogrammed with my boy's initial in a gold and white Thicker and a gold heart flair. A date stamp and some simple sewing finish it off. 

2. Mark Time. I was standing around Main Street waiting for my family, drinking a latte and soaking up the magic. When I looked up I noticed that smack in front of me was this clock that I hadn't noticed before. Perfect for documenting the start of our day! In all of our trips to Disney, I don't think I've ever taken this shot. Remembering to mark time is a great way to start a mini!

Don't forget to add small details, even when you're creating a simple project. That little puffy heart in the center of the letter "o" gives this title a spark of special.

3. Sights, Sound, Smell.  There are certain sounds and smells that can bring you right back to this place and time. Focus on what that is for you and document it. Our family always visits the Confectionary on Main Street, oftentimes more than once. There is an overwhelmingly sweet, buttery baking goodness that just oozes out of this storefront.  My mouth waters just looking at the photo.

Intricate die cuts make a great spot for adhering photos to a mini album. They add so much detail and still give a peek at what's coming next.

4. Focus on the Details. Take a close up shot of an iconic shape that reminds you of the park. It can be anything from rows and rows of stuffed animals, a carousel of Mickey ears, or bunches of balloons. Zone in on that one image that speaks to you! Intricate die 

5. Ride it Again. Don't forget to highlight favorites - foods, attractions, shows. I remember a time when my son was so in love with the Peter Pan story that he actually thought he was the real Peter Pan. This attraction will be my favorite because of that special memory. There's always a crowd here, so I focused my shot on the sign and icons cutting out all of the visual clutter.

Use rotary stamps to add text to die cut shapes like this pretty feather. To add even more detail, use gold stickers for an accent.

6. Sweet Endings. End the story with a highlight or exactly how you began like I've done here. I remembered to go back to that exact spot we started and marked just how long and full that day was! Maybe it was dinner, a parade or fireworks for you - whatever the memory, remember to document and take a detail photo.

Capturing a Disney vacation can be a monumental task, almost a chore. Keep it short and sweet by creating a mini of highlights until you can really dig in and tell the full story. 

This is the type of project that keeps me motivated! Keeping the colors and embellishments to a minimum let those photos and memories shine. 

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