A Tiny Photo Album

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I first tried out scrapbooking almost 20 years ago as a way to support my cousin, who was selling Creative Memories. I bought a few things from her, hosted an event, and got into the fun of putting together pages. About 10 years later I started watching mini album tutorials on YouTube because I was curious. And then I tried my hand at it and had so much fun making my own I knew it would be difficult to go back to regular scrapbooking 12×12 layouts. This is one of the first books I made using a tutorial from Ginger at My Sisters Scrapper. Her books are filled with hidden pockets, tiny photo mats, adorable journalling spots, and delightful tags. For me, the perfect papers for mini albums are Graphic 45. They’re so luscious and the designs are elegant and all that speaks to mini albums.

Equipment

• Graphic 45 Couture Collection 12×12 paper pad and chipboard stickers
• A couple of sheets of Recollections open stock paper in discontinued designs.
• Butterbee Scraps Bronze Metal Corners
• Butterbee Scraps Bronze Oval Filigree
• Tim Holtz Swivel Clips Fasteners
• Recollections Metallic Finish 1/8″ Eyelets
• Recollections Metal Charms
• Black Adhesive Glittered Borders (brand unknown)
• Recollections Kraft Cardstock
• Silhouette Chipboard
• 1/4″ Scor Tape
• Glossy Accents

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Following a tutorial from My Sisters Scrapper, I went small (I’m going through all the tutorials to find the right one to link). Very small. This album measures 3.25″ x 3.25″ and the spine is 2″. That makes for some very little pages and some even smaller photo mats, but the design is delightful and so cute.

I used the 12″x12″ paper pad and chipboard stickers for this album, and I still have quite a bit of both left over, so perhaps it will make another appearance. I included some open stock paper from Michaels that matched the design and sprinkled chip board stickers liberally. Everything is matted with black Recollections 65lb card stock. The pages are made from kraft card stock, also from Recollections.

Photo mats measure 2.5″ x 3″. You can also use them for journalling as they are blank on the back.

It’s hard for me to pick the one thing I like most about making mini albums: the construction or the decorating. Often, by the time I’m finished building them, I’m bored and want to move on, but there’s something I really like about finding the perfect papers to go next to each other. I like putting together a color story on a signature, or mixing patterns to do something fun.

One of the reasons I know I switched over to mainly making cards is because of that boredom. A mini album is a commitment for me. I am in awe of those people who can put one together in a matter of hours, rather than days…or weeks. It takes me forever. I always start out loving what I’m doing, and I’m always incredibly thrilled by the outcome, but I have to work myself up to doing the whole middle part.

One of the really fun parts of watching so many tutorials and so many creative people on YouTube, is I can now come up with my own designs and make albums the way I want to. So keep an eye out for some mini album posts. I have a couple of projects I’m slowly working on, in addition to my Use What’s In My Stash project.

Thank you for stopping by!