Make it Crate :: Fabric Frames Minibook w/Deb Duty

The Maggie Holmes fabric frames are one of my favorite parts of her entire "beautiful" collection. I decided to feature them as the base for each page in a minibook about a monarch we watched go from caterpillar to butterfly last year.

I wanted the fabric frames to look like they were the actual pages of the book, so I used a magazine cut down slightly smaller than the size of the frames. That way, my pages were already bound for me, but you can't tell it's a magazine once it was finished!

Here's what you'll need: 

1. an old magazine

2. heavy-duty scissors

3. adhesive

4. Maggie Holmes Fabric Frames

5. square photos

6. patterned paper

7. washi tape

8. paper piercer

9. twine

 

1. Use a heavy-duty scissors to cut out the top corner of the magazine at just under the size of the frames. My magazine was 80 pages long and a bit difficult to cut. The pages came out a little jagged and messy, but that's ok - they don't show! Divide the magazine pages evenly into six sections and staple the pages in each section together at the bottom.

2. Adhere a frame and photo to each page, positioning the frame all the way to the center. I used tombow mono multi liquid glue because it allowed me to reposition the frame before it dried if I needed to. I adhered the inner edge first, added the photo underneath the frame and then adhered the rest. 

3. Cut a piece of patterned paper to fit the last page of the album and adhere it inside the last section of magazine pages. I added a label and some journaling to this page. 

4. Cut two pieces of patterned paper at about 4.25" x 5" and adhere to front and back of minibook even with the outside edges. Cover the spine with washi tape so that no part of the magazine shows. After this step, you'll have a nice little minibook. You could embellish the cover, add a title and be done!

5. I decided to add one more thing - a separate cover. The patterned paper is 10.125" wide by 5.125" tall and is scored 4.75" in from each side to create a spine. I decorated the front with thickers and embellishments and rounded the corners. The cover is attached to the minibook with twine. I used a paper piercer to punch a tiny hole through the binding and cover about half an inch from the ends. Then I used a needle to thread the twine through the holes and tied the twine into a bow. 

And now here's the completed minibook about the butterfly that emerged from it's chrysalis in our backyard!

This was a really quick and easy way to make a lovely little minibook. I didn't embellish much because the fabric frames are so beautiful on their own. I encourage you to try turning an old magazine into a minibook. It was a lot of fun, and I'm very happy with the little book of butterfly photos!

Comments

[Julie Tucker-Wolek]

Wowwwwww! That is just awesome! LOVE it!