Saturday StepXStep

Hello Everyone! It's Rebecca here and I have a sweet and relatively quick mini-album to share with you today. I've got lots of pictures of the process and tips to share, so you may want to grab a cup of tea or coffee and spend a few extra minutes with me...

This post has lots of large pictures, so please click the photos to enlarge.

I started with an idea from Nicole Heady's blog, using little packets to construct an album. I was able to locate it, so you can see her project HERE. I made some changes to suit my goals. Firstly, I wanted a slightly larger mini album, from her 2-1/2"x 3" version. This one measures 4-1/2" x 3-1/4". While it's still a mini album, each tag is large enough for cropped photos and journaling. I also wanted hard covers and tags with an interesting shape.

To begin, I chose Pion's 'Grandma's School Book' paper collection. It contains beautifully coordinated pattern and embellishment pages, each in a 6x6" square, printed 4 to a page on 12 x 12" sheets. There's enough to make two of these albums from a single collection if you make each one with 8 inner pockets.

The first step was to sort the patterns. Wanting a progression of soft pastels for this particular project, here is how I divided them...

The group above is the one I worked with and the group below is the one I'm saving for a future project...

Using Alterations 'Pocket Envelope Die', I cut 10 pockets. The 6" width of each pattern square means that you won't be die cutting the full width of the flaps. To compensate for that loss of overlap, I used the small design stripes on this sheet...

Cut the strips apart and use them to close the seams. Wonder tape or another very strong, double sided tape will make this step very quick...

I used a Copic marker to add color to the inside flap of each envelope. Rather than spend time evening the color out, I scribbled in circles and let the uneven color remain as a texture...

At the end opposite the top flap, I cut the end off just above the embossed fold line...

Using a strong adhesive (again, I used wonder tape), attach the outside of each envelope flap to the back of the next envelope, until they are all attached. All of the flaps should be going in the same direction. I kept these in a color progression...

This is how the envelopes will look from the back of the album. The decorative strip looks like a wonderful embellishment, but it's functional too...

Using medium weight chipboard, cut two 4-1/2 x 3-1/4" and decorative paper 4-3/8 x 3-1/8" , adhere it firmly to the chipboard. It's important that the interior and exterior papers that you apply to the chipboard covers be very well attached so that the next steps will be secure. For this album, I left a small amount of the raw chipboard showing. You may decide to use colored chipboard, or paint it, distress the chipboard or perhaps distress the edges of the papers...

The view above is of the inside front cover and the first pocket. I've attached the stack of pockets to the front cover with a card stock hinge. To make this, cut the card stock 2" wide x 3" long, score it lengthwise at the 1" mark, then use an edge punch on each long edge. Repeat the same steps to attach the back cover...

Sorting through my collection of dies, I selected one from Labels 28 (Spellbinders), that fit very nicely into the pockets. In keeping with the color progression, I selected a range of coordinating colors from my scraps...

I love how the 'bump' of each tag shows out of the end.
To keep the mini album closed, I first punched a hole near the outside edge of the back cover. Using a covered hair elastic that I found at a drug store chain, I pushed it half way through the hole...

On the front cover, I punched a hole that corresponded to the placement of the back hole and added a hitch post that I colored with 'Snow Cap Mixative'. Be sure to use your craft mat, especially when working with alcohol inks or fixatives! It makes an otherwise messy cleanup, a breeze.

With the album in it's new and 'empty' state, it closes by folding the elastic in half and catching both ends on the post...

As the album expands with photos and treasures, you can make a hitch with the elastic and catch a single loop on the post...

Even the back cover has a pretty paper...
The final touches were fun as well. Using alcohol ink that was well diluted (either with blending solution or rubbing alcohol), I scrunched damp seam binding (also dampened with blending solution or rubbing alcohol) in my gloved hand and smooshed (high level technical term) it into some small pools of very diluted ink, separated on the craft mat. I kept areas of color fairly distinct this way, letting them overlap in places. Dampening the trim first, really makes it much easier to achieve a soft, watercolored effect. I wanted to spritz some fine drops of color onto the seam binding, but also wanted a quick way to accomplish the look, so I tried something new. After drying the ribbon with a heat tool, I used the fine point on some copic markers to create random dots. I love that I could control the placement and by using more saturated colors, could make the splatters more pronounced. The scrunched look wasn't working for me, so I ironed it a bit before making a triple bow...

A tiny white appliquéd butterfly for good measure and it was done! The possibilites are endless and with some more available time, there were lots of beautiful paper embellishments that could be added to this project from the paper collection. I hope you give it a try and thanks for taking the time to visit!

*Hugs*

Rebecca

The products below used in this project can be purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Hitch Fasteners	Ranger Inkssentials Wonder Tape - 1/8"	Ranger Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Sizzix Alterations Tim Holtz Movers & Shapers L Die - Pocket Envelope	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Snow Cap Mixative
Rayon Seam Binding	Ranger Tim Holtz Spun Sugar Distress Ink Reinker	Ranger Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress Ink Reinker	Ranger Tim Holtz Seasonal Distress Ink Reinker - Squeezed Lemonade	Ivory Venise Lace Butterfly Appliques
Pion Design Grandma′s Schoolbook 12x12"