Hello Everyone! I rarely find myself repeating projects because I get rather bored, quickly. However, last year, I made something for my tree that when the kids pulled it out this year, they really loved looking at it. I made a keepsake Christmas ornament mini album with a photo of everyone last year. It's an accordian style mini album with ribbon sewn along the top for hanging on the tree. It's different and we still very much love it! So, when I pulled it out this year and saw how much the kids enjoyed it, I decided to make it a tradition.
If you're like me, you always end up with an over-abundance of Christmas photos that get put into a box. This is a way to enjoy those photos year after year and watch everyone grow! Here is a shot of last year's with Crate's 2012 Christmas collection...
This year, I went with a kraft base that was super easy to create! Take a 12 x 12 sheet of cardstock and from it, cut 'two' 5 x 12 strips. {Last year, I cut 'three' 4 x 12 strips, but it was a bit small to work with and then got bulky quick.} Fold the cardstock strips, creating three sections. Sew the 'two' strips together to make an accordian album base like this one.
Punch all the corners with a rounded corner punch.
I made the cover from a family photo, layered on some embellishments and added an "a" for Atkins. I then added glitter glue to the tree for extra texture, and a few gold sequins. I even threw in a batch or two of gold - I'm totally obsessed with the hue right now!
Here's the album unfolded...
Notice that the ribbon is attached to only the cover page, thereby allowing the album to still be unfolded. The ribbon itself is heavy burlap. To keep the album closed and contained while on the tree, I clipped onto the album a pretty, glittery clothespin.
In completing the rest of the pages {petite & cute!}, I took to using Crate's Christmas collection, Bundled Up! It didn't take very long to decorate them - thanks to the endless array of embellishment options, creating an album of this sort is more convenient than ever. Finally, I added some extra glitter spots and used Maggie Holmes' Flea Market gold doily vellum behind some of the photos for an extra bit of sheen.
Again, I intend to create this project every year so that when we pull out our ornaments, everyone has the chance to look at our family photos from years past. Imagine a whole collection of these?! Totally priceless - even great as gifts, or maybe, a new family tradition. Happy Holidays!
This is a great idea. I am going to try to "lift" it. Hope it turns out half as well as yours! Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Gina M | December 11, 2013 at 07:08 AM