Don't you love it when you can use almost every last scrap from your supplies? I know I do, and this project is just perfect for using up those last bits and pieces! Once again I used the Bo Bunny 'Timepiece' collection from
The Hens' Den store. The album is purse or pocket sized, coming in at only 3" x 4 1/4" x 1/2" folded and tied, or 4 1/4" x 20" when it's opened up. And not only is it pretty folded and tied, it looks really pretty on a shelf or mantle all opened up for everyone to admire. Here is the front of the album ...
and the back ...
and the front side when it's opened up ...
and the back side when it's opened up ...
Not counting the front and back cover and the flap, there are 10 pages for pictures, journaling and ephemera. Before I show you how it all came together, let's talk about the supplies that I used ...
From
The Hens' Den store ....
Other supplies used include 12" x 12" Bazzill 'oatmeal' card stock, brown pigment ink pad, small bit of lace from my stash.
Tools used include paper trimmer, scissors, ruler, craft knife, sewing machine with cream thread.
Now to make the 'structure' of the album is very easy! I started with a 12" x 12" piece of card stock, and ...
- Cut off one inch (1") on one side of the paper to make it 11" x 12".
- Now cut two strips 4 1/4" x 12". You will have some left over, and it's great for journaling or matting your pictures on!
- Score each piece at 3", 6" and 9" so you will have three (3) 3" wide sections per strip and one 2" section.
- Crease each of the folds.
- Glue one of the 2" ends onto the back of one of the 3" piece of the other strip of card stock. Use a bit of the 1" strip you cut off earlier, cut to 4 1/4" long, and glue it in to fill the space to make the glued pieces even. See the picture below.
- Once you have both pieces glued together, you should have one piece 4 1/4" x 20" with 6 sections that are 3" x 4 1/4" and one section (flap) that is 2" x 4 1/4". You need to make one more score on the end with the 2" flap at the 2 5/8" mark from that end. This will give you one section that is 3/8" for the 'binding' and one section that is 2 5/8" for the flap.
- Now, using brown ink, ink all of the edges, including both sides of the folds, and on both sides of the paper. ALL edges and creases should be inked.
- Next, fold all the creases in an accordion (back and forth) motion until it's all folded up, and the flap (in your right hand) is folded over the top. This is how your book will look! You might even want to mark the front, back, and inside/outside flaps with a pencil so you'll know where you are working. The marks will be covered when the album is finished.
(Note: If you want to use 8 1/2 x 11" card stock, you will just cut the card stock in half length wise, score at 3", 6", and 9" on 1/2 and 3", 6", 9" and 9 1/2" on the other half. All other steps are the same.)
Next, let's work on the ribbon that will be tied to hold the album closed. It is attached to the very back page - another good reason to mark your pages before starting. I sewed mine on, but you can glue it just as well. Here is a picture of that 'page' ...
Do you see where the ribbon is sewn on? You can put the paper on the page first, or you can do sew (or glue) the ribbon on first and then cover it with paper. To make yours just as I did, you will need to ...
- Cut a piece of patterned paper at 2 7/8" x 4 1/8",
- Ink the edges of the paper with brown ink
- Adhere the ink to the BACK of the book! This should be the page next to the flap on the outside.
- Cut your ribbon to length,
- Sew it in a rectangular pattern onto the page where you adhered the patterned paper, right in the center.
Now we are on to doing the rest of the album! You will need to cut 11 pieces of patterned paper at 2 7/8" x 4 1/8", and two pieces each at 1 5/8" x 4 1/8" and two pieces at 3/8" x 4 1/8". Ink the edges of all with brown ink, then adhere them any way you want to the pages of the book. The 4 smaller pieces are for the flap and the 1/2 inch 'binding'.
And then the fun begins! Cut photo mats from coordinating card stock and patterned paper for pages where you want photos. Also, add bits and pieces for decorations. I used the rub ons and dimensional stickers from the Bo Bunny Timepiece line to decorate mine. If you want to get more creative you can add pockets, tags, flip pages, and all kinds of fun decorations.
I hope you will enjoy this album ... it is so easy to make, and you can use any products you want. I think it would be a great 'grandma's brag book' because of it's small size! Thanks for joining me today! Becky
