Hi all! Today, I'm here to show you how to make a brochure-like mini album to hold a few of your favorite Summer photos. Mini albums are a favorite of mine to make, but it's rare that I take on the challenge due to the extra time involved. This fold-out album, however, was super simple and was completed while watching a favorite movie!
Project Supplies
{Little Bo Peep Collection}
Patterned papers (Sophia & Charlotte), 6 x 6 Paper Pad, Brads, Wood Veneer Shapes, Grey Lullaby Thickers, Blue/Green Lullaby Glitter Thickers, 12 x 12 Alpha Label Sheet
{Little Boy Blue Collection}
Patterned Papers (Leo, Oliver, Christopher), Brads, Stand Outs, Border Stickers, Phrase Stickers, Accent Cuts, 12 x 12 Alpha Label Sheet
{Acorn Avenue Collection}
Patterned Paper (Chestnut Boutique)
{Sleigh Ride Collection}
Patterned Paper (Silver Bells)
{Other}
12 x 18 Sheet of White Cardstock, EK Success 1 3/8" Square Punch, Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Office Clip, American Crafts Foam Tab Circle Adhesives
Begin by taking the 12 x 18 sheet of cardstock (purchased as a single sheet or in a bulk package at your craft store) and cutting 2 1/4" off the edge so the paper measures 12" x 15 1/3". Align the edge of the cardstock on the 12" mark of your scoring board; score the first section of paper at the 7.5" mark (your scored section should measure 4.5"). Using the same measurements, repeat this action two more times. You should end up with four sections that measure as follows: cover (2.25"), inner accordion pages (4.5") EACH.
From here, I decided that the album be a little more "square-like" and a little less rectangular.
The rest is a breeze! Decorate the cover and accordion pages with your favorite Crate Paper papers; I started with the front cover and the last accordion section as it was imperative that they coordinate. The last accordion section will serve as a partial cover, so I knew I'd need it to be a wild, eye-catching pattern; the new Chestnut Boutique paper from Acorn Avenue was a perfect fit.
I decided to use the second accordion section as the area for showing off my mini photos. With your square punch, punch out 15 pieces of patterned paper. These will be used to frame your photos. Re-arrange the paper squares slightly uneven and then glue them down.
Re-size fifteen of your favorite Summer Photos so that they're bite-sized! I used instagram photos since they're of a lower quality than your DSLR and point-and-shoot photos. Since my square punch is 1 3/8", I resized my photos in Photoshop so that they were a teensy bit larger at 1.35" x 1.25".
It's time to embellish. Your array of photos will already lend a lot of color to the album, so the embellishments should be minimal. However, the album will look naked without a few bits here and there, so don't skip out on them! Brads were my go-to item, but you'll notice that I also used a few label stickers. Add varying sized brads to a few of the photo corners. I thought individual letter stickers would look great in the photo corners as well; Pull out your 12 x 12 alpha label sheets and run with this idea!
You're nearing the finish line! As you can tell, I'm working back to front with this album, so the next step is to adorn your first accordion section. Keep this area simple as you've already created an eye-pleasing set of pages. Use wood veneer frames from either the Little Boy Blue, Little Bo Beep, or Storyteller collections to frame your main photo. Add a title, stand-out, border sticker and doily, and then call it done!
The inside cover has been left for journaling. When creating the heading, use the alpha letter stickers! Anything more will add too much bulk to the front cover, which will make your album difficult to close. Finish off the album with handwritten journaling!
If you gave the album a bit of dimension by using brads and foam dot adhesive like I did, you'll likely need a small office clip to close it shut.
Viola, you're done! You now have a beautifully unique mini album to remember your Summer Fun for many years to come!
~
There's a winner to announce in regard to last week's Gossamer Blue "August Kit" giveaway. What an honor it has been to celebrate with them during their highly attended grand opening. We can only imagine that things will get far more exciting for them from this point forward and that Lori will continue to surprise her just-found fans with even more beautiful, generous product assortments in the months ahead. Good Luck, Gossamer Blue!
And the winner is....
"What a great kit! I am dying for the bee hive washi tape! Thanks for the chance to win :)" Posted by: Liz Michaud | August 01, 2012 at 11:39 AM
Congratulations, Liz! Could you please forward your info to [email protected] We'll have Gossamer Blue prepare your box while we await word from you! Congrats - the bee hive washi tape is soon to be on it's way...
great tutorial...awesome layout..
Posted by: Annette Allen | August 06, 2012 at 08:39 AM
Love the mini, adorable!
Posted by: Patricia | August 06, 2012 at 04:41 PM
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Posted by: Get More Instagram Followers | October 27, 2012 at 03:28 AM
i am a sucker for mini albumns, i can't get enough of them! what a great way to keep a photo history without too much work. thanks for the idea.
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