My Mind's Eye Gingham Garden Mini-Album

    I really like mini-albums, but I don't like how stiff they always turn out when I make them.  So this time, I am using the Country Craft Creations Beginners Mini-Album Tutorial, which wraps the spine and the front and back covers all separately making for a more pliable spine.  The thing that I have the most trouble with is laying the hinges on straight, because it seems that the flaps on hinges get in the way of me seeing the edges to line it up straight.  The Country Craft Creations way, folds those flap under the hinge and just glues it on top of the spine.  That makes it easier to put on straight, but I am not sure if it will make the hinge connection on the spine too weak.  

   The spine is 2 1/2 inches x 8 1/2 inches and the covers are 6 1/2 inches x 8 1/2 inches.  The pages are 8 x 6 inches.  The paper is a collection called Gingham Gardens by My Mind's Eye.

   I left the front cover very plain -- just a couple strips of the matching washi tape and a strip of border from a punch in my stash (which I used throughout the album).  I covered all the edges with more of the washi tape from the collection.

The spine:

The back (the stamp I bought from Paper Sushi on Etsy):

There are 4 hinges using a 7 7/8 x 9 1/2 inch strip.  It was scored at 1 3/4, 2. 2 1/2, 3, 3 1/2, 4, 4 1/2, 5, 5 1/2, 6, 6 1/2, 7, 7 1/2. 7 3/4.  All said and done this makes four 1/2 high hinges with 1/2 inch gussets between the hinges (and an extra 1/4 inch on each side of the hinge).

The inside front cover and first page:

The actual page one (on right) just has a tuck spot for a big picture.  The inside cover:

The inside cover has a deep pocket with one of the chipboard pieces from the collection on it.  Inside the pocket is an accordion folder tied with ribbon:

And turn the page:

The left hand side has a flap that folds down and then a longer flap that folds up:

The right hand side is a 3/4 wide pocket page with photo mats and a flap:

The mats in the pocket are what holds the flap closed.

There is a photo mat that slides out on the right hand side when you pull the ribbon:

And turn the page:

The left side is a belly band with a photo mat.  (One of the book mark magnets from the collection is on the top middle of the photo mat and there is a chipboard piece to use as a stopper at the bottom of the page.

The right hand page is another three fourths pocket page, done the same as the previous one:

And turn the page:

The left side is a vertical pocket with photo mats

The right side is two pockets that have the opening on the right with tags inside the pockets.

The bottom pocket flips down and the top pocket flips up to reveal more places for pictures:

And the last page and the inside back cover:                                                                              

The left hand side is a pocket page with a flap (held down by photo mats):                                  

The inside of the back cover (right side) is a water fall, held closed with a magnet of the strap:   

                                                                    

I didn't take a picture of it, but when the book is closed it does not gap open at all -- actually it is smaller on the right edge than the spine is (if that makes sense), so there is plenty of room for pictures.

Now, on to the next mini-album.

Christmas Mini-album

 This is a mini-album that I made with the possibility of using it for a swap at the A&M group on facebook.  The papers and most of the ephemera are from My Mind's Eye Comfort and Joy collection.

The front cover is approximately 8 inches X 7 1/2 inches.

It is decorated with the chip board pieces from the Comfort and Joy collection (along with one cut apart which is raised up on a piece of chipboard), burlap snowflakes from Hobby Lobby, a piece of paper doily and a banner of plain card stock.  

The spine is 3 1/2 inches by 8 inches and is decorated with a piece of the Comfort & Joy chipboard:

And the back with a piece of chip board from another collection:

The goal was to keep the covers, so that the book will still fit in a bookshelf and hopefully I have achieved that.

The front (and back) covers I left plain except for the Comfort & Joy buffalo check paper.  The pages are approximately 7 1/2 by 6 inches.  The front facing page is a 2 pocket page.

Close up of the embellishments:

A photo (or journaling) card is stuck in the largest pocket while the small pocket contains some gift tags from the Comfort and Joy collection:

The signatures are made as pocket pages

 

The next pages (and the back of the photo/journaling spot in the pocket page):

The flaps on the left page are magnetic:

Pocket pages with photo/journaling cards:

The next pages have a pockets and a flap (magnetic) on the right:

I couldn't think of a way to decorate these pages without making them too thick.

 Each of the pockets have a little photo/journaling folder:

 The folders open:

Next pages (with the pocket page card on the left):

I messed up these pages and then didn't have enough designer paper of the same pattern to fix it right (so the paper is a little small of the right page -- the left edge of the right page). 

The next pages are flaps that fold up on the top and have a pocket on the bottom (with a flap).  All are magnetic.  They are decorated with only a chip board button on each flap.

The top flaps oepen:

And with the pockets flaps open:

Another flap page (with tuck spots):

There are cut a parts from the collection in the pocket page:

Next pocket pages with cut a parts and a photo/journaling card:

The page on the left is wavy for some reason, I didn't notice it until after I already had it in the book.  The only thing I can figure is that the black cardstock wasn't as thick as it was suppose to be.  (It didn't get wet or have too much glue).  The right side has a water fall.

Showing the photo/journaling card in the right pocket page:

Pocket pages with cut a parts:

The last page is a repeat of the first page:

I haven't figured out how to get the pages to lay flat when it is open and the black cardstock that I used to make the pages with isn't the quality that I would like, although the package said that it was 110 lb.  

I forgot to ink around some of the pages.  I am not happy with the hodge podge look of the front cover.  All in all, I have a long way to go before I will be truly satisfied with a mini-album I made.  As far as the group swap goes, I don't know if there will be other newbies to mini-albums in the swap, so it may not be good enough to swap.  And one of the directions for the swap was to put at least 3 embellishments on a page and I obviously couldn't do that and still leave room for photos.  If I do get in the swap, I will send all the remaining pieces of this collection that I have to my swap partner -- maybe they will be better at decorating!