My most recent escapade with mini albums (still working on the 29 list).
Supplies: Felt: Michael’s. Ribbon: Making Memories, American Crafts, Dear Lizzy + American Crafts. Alphas, heart: Heidi Swapp. Brads: Dear Lizzy + American Crafts, The Girls’ Paperie, Pebbles. Glitter: Martha Stewart. Rings: Office Depot. Chipboard, thread, fabric.
Right?! Here are some tidbits about the album.
About the Felt
- The felt was $0.33 per 8.5x11” sheet at Michael’s. I determined the album size by getting four rectangles per sheet, so my felt cost was something like $0.71 (This is cheap cheap – open stock paper is about $1 per sheet).
- It didn’t really work to use my corner rounder on the felt. It worked much better to punch a piece of chipboard, use that as a guide, and round my corners with sharp scissors.
- I attached the photos with double-sided Scotch tape. It’s stickier than regular mounting squares (which would not have stuck to the felt), and I thought liquid glue (which definitely would have stuck to the felt) might ruin my photos since it’s not acid-free. You could also use glue dots, but those are kind of expensive. I tend to ration mine. (I know. You’re shouting, “C’mon! Live a little!”)
About the Cover
- I drew the sun on chipboard, cut it out, and covered it with glitter. I trimmed off a few rays of sunshine to make room for everything.
- The heart is clear acrylic. I love that you can see the glitter from the back side.
- Once I glittered the sun and heart, I covered the glitter with a layer of Modge Podge. It dries clear (without a sheen like on the beignet page), but it keeps the glitter from coming off so easily. I did one coat but should probably go back and do two more.
- When I’m making a mini album from scratch and not from a pre-made album, I always make sure I scrap my cover before I decide where to punch my holes. You don’t want to paint yourself into a corner (or punch yourself into a bad cover?).
About the Rest of It
- I printed my journaling (the trip is in this post) on regular paper, then taped a piece of white fabric over it and ran the paper back through the printer. I’ve never printed on fabric with my printer, and I almost chickened out, but I was set on not using ANY paper in this album. It took me two tries – you have to pull the fabric pretty taught and tape it on all four sides so that it doesn’t shift in the printer.
- I sewed most of the ribbons directly onto the felt. I used Fabri-Tac liquid glue to attach the ribbons that I didn’t sew. You could also use hot glue.
- The brads are tricky since they attach to the back of the page and would have been visible on the opposite side. There were a few times I planned ahead and covered the fastener-side with ribbon, but on most of them, I just cut the fasteners off with scissors and glued them like I would a button.
This is a great scrappy-but-non-scrappy project. You don’t need any special tools like a paper trimmer or bone folder, and you could knock it out in a weekend while you’re watching Friday Night Lights, even faster if you just listened to music and got someone to bring you your meals. : )
Feel free to leave any questions in the comments.
Until next year, roommies…