Review | American Girl Crafts Mosaic Frame Kit

Reported by Maria Del Pinto

The American Girl dolls are pretty popular in my household, and we have been blessed with another opportunity to test out one of their kits. The American Girl line of craft kits by EK Success can be found at local craft stores, online and other retailers.

The American Girl Craft Kits vary in price, and are geared to specific ages. This particular kit is recommended for American Girl fans ages eight and up.

The American Girl Mosaic Frame Kit retails for about $19.99.

The Mosaic Frame Kit comes complete with:

  • A project & idea booklet
  • Acrylic Frame
  • 142 Patterned Shapes
  • 1 Green Square Stencil
  • 1 Pink Circle Stencil
  • 24 Clear Plastic Bubble Stickers
  • 16 Self Adhesive gems
  • 3 Ribbons
  • Adhesive Foam Squares

The instructions include some drawings that make it fun for the crafter to follow, without having to stop and read the whole booklet.

You really should read it, though, because the booklet offers some great tips and ideas for personalizing the projects.  There are even instructions for creating a fun scavenger hunt game to entertain the kids.

The colorful papers in the kit are actually pre-cut shapes that the kids can use to decorate their frame.

The clear bubble stickers are pretty neat and a nice finish to the pictures and/or die cuts used in the project.

The frame itself is really cute, it is made from acrylic which is safer for the kids to craft with.

Making the project is pretty easy, just choose some pictures.  My girls found it easier to hold the photo stencil to decide which pictures to use.

Or you can use the frame to see how the pictures will look.

Once the kids have picked out the pictures, then they just need to cut them out.  The pictures are pretty small, so if you are working with younger children, then I would recommend cutting the pictures out for them.  If you have one of those fun inch-sized square punches, then those will work too.  The project took about 30 minutes total to make and came out great.  Below is the frame done using just the kit supplies and our pictures.  

My oldest daughter glued some of her favorite jewelry pieces (from pieces she had broken but did not want to throw out) to her frame.  Now she can enjoy both the memories from her pictures and from the pieces of jewelry.  So the possibilities are endless with this kit.  If you are looking for a fun quick and easy craft for your American Girl fan, then this kit will not disappoint. It is super easy and a fun memory project for your own American Girl to do.  The finished project is so cute.

Tips:

  • Lay everything out so you can pick your colors, shapes and photos.
  • If you are using the kit for younger children, you can help avoid frustration by using either the enclosed adhesive foam squares, or use glue dots (my personal favorite).
  • Your kids may want to keep adding decorations (stickers, buttons, etc.), so be prepared to have fun items on hand for them to add to their frame.

Pros:

  • Easy to follow instructions.
  • All the supplies you need are in the kit (except the photos and scissors).
  • Easy to finish in a short time period.

Cons:

  • Really geared for one child at a time. (Beside the one the manufacturer sent me, I purchased another kit so that both of my girls would be able to do one).
  • Habit forming, once we started the girls wanted more to make for friends.
  • Price may be an issue for some, however, I found some great deals online.

We would love for our readers to share with us what types of crafts do their children enjoy making? Post a comment and let us know.

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