I love the new
mixed media mini albums from Fancy Pants. There are several styles in stock at
Everything Scrapp'n. They really are reasonably priced & make quick work of making a fantastic mini album. I've found that you can use the pages for several albums instead of having it all in one mini if you cut & add other pages yourself
But with the economy right now I was trying to think of a way I could pull off the look with items in my scrap stash at a lower cost. Minis make wonderful gifts for family & friends. They really have that wow factor going for them. A bit more labor intensive but an option for those of us on a creative budget.
I made the pages in this mini with an overlay, felt, & faux chipboard (layered cardstock diecuts) . I think it gives the same mixed media feel for much less money. I've made several "acrylic" look albums using overlays & the Hambly are by far the most sturdy for this purpose.
I know many of you make mini albums but I'm writing this so even the beginner would feel comfortable taking on a project like this.
The way I make a mini that seems to work for me is to pick out the paper products I want to use & get the "bones" of the pages done with the photos & even journaling. Then I will start layering the embellishments. I love the look of things hanging out of traditional book boundaries. Also since the viewer is holding the book in their hands the more texture the better. I just keep going thru my embellishment stash & try to think outside the box what would work.
Adhesives I use: Kokoyo dot runner, PVA (a bookbinding adhesive for layering pieces of paper this is aggressive & the layers stay together), Xyron is great for shooting small things thru, a good liquid adhesive with a wide applicator, Diamond Glaze (not only does this make embellishments by adding a glassy finish but for adding embellishments you want to stay put this stuff is amazing. even on metal everything stays on the page which is important with minis that will be handled a lot or even greeting cards), glue dots (for buttons & embellishments quickly attached), foam adhesive for adding dimension & popping the embellishment up off the page. We all have our favorites so this gives you an idea what I've tried & works
The front cover is 1/4th of a 12x12 Hambly overlay. I added bling to the butterflies. Since it's a transparency I used a contrasting color pattern paper for the 2nd page to really make the green butterflies pop. Even though the transparency is sturdy I put the the Thickers titlework & the clip/tag on this page because over time they could still be a bit heavy for the transparency sheet since it was serving as the cover of the book.
Pages 1-2 With my minis I like to add narrow "pages" in between the full size pages for visual interest & it also gives me a great place to journal. As the transparency page is turned different parts of the page layout are visible so I take that into consideration. On previous minis I put actual photos on the "acrylic" pages but this time I have them in there just for the butterfly motif.
Pages 3 & 4. The blue floral
diecut narrow "page" is a
Quickutz border punch that was layered on
Bazzill Bling. It was a make n take from
Archivers last summer.... I save everything & cutting it in half here from it's original 12" long size was a perfect
journaling spot. Buttons,
bling & flowers add texture.
Pages 5-6 I liked using the
fullsize photos of my flowers so it didn't leave me a lot of space for
journaling. Having the page with just
journaling gives a resting spot in an otherwise busy album.
Pages 7-8 Adding stitching to the
cardstock not only helps to adhere the layers together but adds texture & subtle lines to the page. Adding the felt
diecut border strip &
dimensional floral stickers along with the paper flowers decorates the page while keeping with the theme. Notice the 12x12 scallop
diecut paper hangs out a bit from the album for another design feature. The circular shape also helps break up the squareness of the book.
Pages 8 - 9 I adhered the orange paper to the back of the
diecut scallop paper & hand cut with scissors. Adding some rub
ons helped to fill in the space since I used different size photos in my collage. The heart is a Creative Imagination
Jouranling spot & I just did the same technique to back it so it would be pleasing on the "wrong" side. The more shapes on pages the more interest.
Pages 10-11 Repeating the same pattern papers from earlier in the book. Some of the flowers I didn't feel needed
journaling so I just let the full size photos shine.
Pages 12-13 Continued with similar techniques & patterns for unity
thru the book. I kept the butterfly overlay in mind when placing the embellishments as they would peak
thru. Metal embellishment are a fun addition to pages.
The back cover of the mini is the embossed craft felt. Stitching it to the several layers of same shape
cardstock really made for a sturdy back cover & the tactile feel in my the viewers hands adds to the
minibook experience... Notice with the cover closed how the
diecut scallops are not all flush in the book. That to me is a good thing. At the end is when I added the ribbons to the rings & top of the album. With the album closed I checked to see where each ribbon would end up hanging out of the top of the album. I chose according to what looked good on each page.
I hope you enjoyed this fun project I made with one of my favorite topics... flowers blooming.
The new Hambly overlays are so cute. I can see many different mini's just from the patterns on them....
This traditional
black hounds tooth pattern is masculine enough & would make a wonderful father's day gift. Also available in red in the ES store.
The cute
Onesies for a baby mini. This pattern comes in pink & this teal
This Vintage Patchwork pattern is perfect for the cut in quarters technique & gives you 4 different
coordinating designs on one page. It's available in pink too.
Here's a
grungy graph pattern that would make a great teen boy mini. It's
available in several colors. I can picture using this for photos of my hubby & sons motorcycle riding....
There are a couple different
floral patterns in some great colors for a
girly or heritage albums. Since they are available in not only pink but also white, brown & black
Make sure you head on over to the Everything Scrapp'n Blog today for the full design team reveal. Leave a comment for entry in a RAK Prize 
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