Tutorial: making your own page protectors

Hi everyone! I'm back with a quick tutorial :)

When I started this mini [using Documentary] I wanted to use page protectors for my pictures but couldn't find anything that fit (the album size is ~3.5 x 4.75)


so i made my own :)

[supplies: 8.5 x 11 page protectors, paper trimmer, hole punch, scissors, ruler, pen, 1" loose-leaf rings]

• start with a regular 8.5x11 page protector
• measure your album cover
  
• mark the sheet protector (so you know where to sew ;))
  
• sew 2 vertical lines (3.5" wide each) to create the pockets
• cut out the pockets. for this particular album you'll end up with 2 double pockets
• punch holes and add them to your album

And that's it. Please let me know if you have any questions and have a great weekend.

Tutorial : turn a moleskine into a travel journal

Hello my dearest SC lovers :)

Today, I would like to show you how I turned a plain moleskine journal into a perfect travel journal for my friends!
They went to Cuba last Spring and I wanted to make a travel journal for them : they're going to be able to fill it with as many photos as they want :)

I couldn't resist using my Magellan add-on kit from this month as the Making Memories embellies box is just SO perfect for my travel theme!

I love Moleskine, I've been collectiong them for years and have tons of them full of inspiration, ideas and travel notes : I always have one in my bag, car, bed table and scraproom!

Simply add double-sided tape on the front and back covers of your Moleskine journal.

Try to choose one paper that you really like as you will see it through the window of the cover.

Add papers on the inside covers too.
Try to keep the pocket on the last page too : you will be able to put tickets, notes and tags in there!

Get ready to attach your Moleskine to the Suitcase package.
Put double-sided tape all over the window, so that you know your journal will hold still.

Ta-da! Now let's decorate the cover!


I fell in love with that cute Plane ribbon : it couldn't be more perfect for my album!

Make a pocket with double-sided paper : simply cut a piece of paper (the size doesn't really matter, it just has to fit the back cover), fold the sided and the bottom inside the pocket and glue with double-sided tape.

There you go!
I hope you liked it and I'm looking forward to seeing any Moleskine journal altered into great mini albums :)
Enjoy!
c.

tutorial : building a mini

Hi all!! I'm here tonight with a tutorial on how I made the mini album in my Continental gallery. I've been holding these Fuji Instax Mini pics from our February trip to Kansas City, just waiting until the right kit came along. As soon as I saw this Making Memories packaging in the Magellan add-on, I knew it would make a perfect cover. The packaging had more of a faux suitcase shape, but I opted to trim it down into a rectangle. I then backed the opening in the front with a transparency and added a couple die cuts and Basic Grey studs to the outside.



Next, I spent some time thinking about how I wanted to construct the inside of the album. Since I was dealing with original photos, I wanted them to be protected - but I needed to keep the pages on a fairly small scale so they'd fit within the cover. Once I came across these divided page protectors (we keep them on hand for the boys' baseball and Pokemon cards), I know I could turn it into individual pages.



I began by cutting the page protector with my trimmer - I left one row of pockets intact, cutting about 1/2in beyond the dividing line. I repeated the cut on the other side of the middle row, which left me with two strips of three pockets. I then cut those strips into three pockets each - one divided page protector will give you six mini album pages.



My next step was to cut three pieces of kraft cardstock to 4x5inches. I scored them 1/2in from the edge and then added one to the back side of my album cover. I then used a hole punch to punch two holes through both the kraft cardstock and the cover.



Using the punched cardstock as my guide, I punched each of my page protectors as well as the two remaining pieces of kraft cardstock.



Since I knew the title page would show through the window in the front of the book, I laid it in place inside the album as I worked on it, and made sure to shut the album to see how it all looked before I stuck everything down! Once I'd finished, I wanted to hide the backs of the staples from my tiny attacher and the stitching, so I layered a second piece of kraft cardstock behind it. If you have additional journaling you'd like to add to your book, both the back of the title page and the back page of the album would be perfect - just stamp some journaling lines and write away!



Now came the fun part - working on the pages! I cut kraft cardstock to the same size as my Instax Mini pics and built from there. Each page got a label stamp stamped with pumice stone ink and punched out with my photo label punch, and a mix of products from the kit.



To bind the album, I simply stacked up all of my pages and threaded a length of twine through the two holes. I looped it around three times and then tied it off at the back of the album.



My boys have enjoyed flipping through this album - the size is perfect for little hands!!

Partly Sunny Favorites

I completely forgot that I was supposed to blog yesterday. I'm really sorry. I went hiking in Boulder with the family then we had friends over for swimming and kabobs. It was a delightful day, completely void of any thought that I had a job to do! So I hope that perusal through the Partly Sunny gallery will make up for it. :)

Also I'd like announce the winner of Sasha's rub on challenge, it's Rimna! Please send your information to info@studiocalico.dom stating you're the winner of Sasha's Rub on Challenge for the week of May 24. Congrats! Here's her layout:


And now the DT gallery favorites, through my eyes. I decided to go backward through the gallery this time. So enjoy!

I had a hard time picking a favorite from Waleska's gallery this month, they were all fun and happy, but I think this one won because of the banner. I love how she stamped underneath it and then added the fabric swatches over top. And those faces? How could you not smile at them?

Not Tina's typical style, but it is totally fitting for the topic she journaled about here. I think that's why I love it. Her journaling is absolute joy on paper. Everything on this page has a reason of being there. Love how she chose her title too, it's a fun way to use the strip.
I wanted to pick Airplane Alert for my favorite, just because I loved it in Susan's sneaks, but come on, how can you not laugh and smile at that picture? I thing Susan's happy selection of papers and embellishment perfectly highlight an adorable baby. :)

I love the way Steph W. captures her 6 years with her sweetie. A fun way to look at things that can seem so day to day. I love hwo she used the MM flowers, the perfect little touches to a beautiful layout. And the paint and stamping balance so nicely with the K&Co paper lace, pretty.
Hee hee, Steph H. made this before she knew about twins and I think that's part of the reason this one is my favorite this month. I just LOVE the stamped starbursts around the circles, brilliant, but the journaling is the best part. Well, that and how she turned the 8 into an S. Um, cool.

I love how Sasha took a couple of different papers and used bits and pieces of them to compliment the Jenni Bowlin Coredinations paper. What a fun finishing touch to add the stitching. I love the "Impossible Nothing" she added with the MS punches. Very cool.

By no means is this kind of layout unique. Lots of scrappers have captured whole season on a page before, but the way Nicole S. has designed this one is so beautiful. Her strips of paper between the photos and the center so nice and clean allow the photos to shine.
This one by Nicole H makes me giggle for a couple of reasons. First, I'm at the bottom of the technology latter as far as it comes to phones. And I know when I some day convert as she has, I'll be the EXACT SAME WAY. Secondly, it's green. Could that be any more perfect? I also LOVE the look of the bubbles punched cardstock over the striped MME paper from Front Porch. Lovely.

Bright colors popping against the fun Cosmo Coredinations is one of the things that I loved about this layout, but then I noticed the green stitching and that won me over Maggie!

See how easy it is to bring momentos from your life into your scrapping? I adore how Lisa used the tag from her son's birthday/mother's day trip to a cupcake shop in her layout. It's front and center, but doesn't take away from the fabulous photos. Great way to use that stamp too!

I love how Laura can capture so much in such few supplies. Her stitching and type always pull me in to study. and then she does the cute little heart over the top of the yellow and it just makes me smile.


Yep, I was right. I knew I'd love this one by Kelly. The colors just POP on the dark cardstock and combined with those hilarious pictures of Brady, well this one went into my favorites pile pretty quickly. I love how Kelly used the banner stamp too.
Although she had a bunch of masterful layouts in her gallery this month, I REALLY LIKE Joy's idea. Pre-make a summer fun album and fill it in as you go. What a clever idea for capturing your summer before it slips away. You can tell this is a momma who's good at planning ahead. Since summer officially starts for me this weekend, I'd love to slap something together, now i have a template to copy. :)
Always one for her happy combinations of paper and color, Jenn did not disappoint this month. I love how sh used the cloud paper tucked into all her strips of color to represent a rainbow. Beautiful!

I knew when I saw her sneaks I'd like this layout. I was even more pleasantly surprised! the way Davinie brought in the fabric swatches with the Jillibean flowers from Front Porch makes this layout sing of summer.
Celine's album was so beautifully put together, I really loved how she combined the green/yellow/browns in the kit and made a fun album about her friends.
This alphabet set was the reason I bought Front Porch as my add on this month. I love how April took hers a step up and colored them. It's absolute genius! And what a fun look at her 9 years of marriage, congrats April and Greg!
Finally we come to Mou Saha's gallery. I love Mou's style, probably because we're both inot handwriting your journaling. It always pulls me in on her pages. I love the perspective on this photo, and the planes are just fun.

The Mind Behind the Mini

I'm not much of a mini-maker. I really don't have a place to put little albums, don't want to stick them in a drawer, and most times I just don't finish them.

But this month when the big box of goodness arrived on my doorstep, I was a bit baffled with what to do with the Maya Road chipboard banners. I had recently posted some faux TTV pictures on my blog, and I thought that it would be a good idea to start a charm bracelet-esque mini for my travels. One that I can add to each time I visit a new place.


I used my most favorite Studio Calico stamps - the Noah Alphabet Set to abbreviate the cities, like "NY" , "CHI", and "NOLA."


Then on each opposing banner, I wrote what year the trip was, where we went and who I was with.


I added my pictures, some bright bits, punched holes, inked the edges with Black Staz-On, sprayed a layer of Charcoal Mist and strung it all together on a ball chain.


I'm really excited at how it turned out. Are you a mini-maker?

Behind the Scenes - a baby book

I have quite a few friends that are pregnant or have just had their babies. My friend had little Jada in November, and when I saw the colors of the last kit, I knew I had to make a baby girl book.


When I make a mini book I think of a few things:

• What is the subject matter?
  
• Who is the book for? A scrapbooker, a non-scrapper, a grandma, a new mom?
• How much handling is the book going to get?

As I considered these questions. I decided to go with an easy to handle, easy to clean and easy to travel with 4x6 photo book. These type of books are very quick for a new mom to "fill," and they are also pretty rough and tumble. I love using these traditional books in a new way by filling some of the pages with photos and some with scrapbook pages.



On the opening page I included the vital statistics of Jada as a newborn. There is also room for a newborn photo of her.


In the following pages I followed a simple pattern that was easy to duplicate and relatively flat, I also left room with the awesome SC stamp for Jada's mom to fill in some of the things that happened during that month.


At the back of the brag book there is plenty of room for extra photos that the family might want to include and carry around with them.

Let me know if you try one of these quick and easy brag books for anyone in your life. I'd love to see them.

This would be a perfect purse accessory for a new mom, or a doting auntie, or especially a gramma who wants to show off all those wonderful grandkids!

Challenge - Use those Holiday cards

Oh Christmas Card. Oh Christmas card (sing with me now). It seems like there is the same dilemma every year. Create your own with your blood, sweat, and tears? Order one from an online service and try not to feel guilty about it?

After all that hard work in deciding what to do, what happens? You send them all out and are left wondering if the stress was worth it. Does anyone really care if you make it or buy it, as long as you send one? You know, not there's anything wrong with NOT sending one....

This is not something to be worrying about this time of year!

One dilemma I have had is what to do with the Christmas cards I have received. Steve's grandmother used to date hers every time she sent us a card for any occasion, which made me feel she must think we intend to keep them. Now don't get me wrong. I don't throw all of my cards away. I keep the special ones. But after a while, they tend to pile up, don't they?

What do you do with yours?

My challenge for you this week involves your Christmas cards, either the one you sent, or the cards you've received.

Below I have some very VERY old projects to share with you, ideas on what I've done in the past. Be nice.

In this first one, I took the photo I used for our 2005 Christmas card (I was about 20 weeks pregnant with Payton here) and put it in the center of my layout. Then I trimmed squares (no square punch for me at the time) from the Christmas cards I had received, and layered them around my photo. How fancy. Do I want to rip off those Quickutz alphas right now and switch them for something bigger? YES I DO, lol. I will work to restrain myself though. heeeeeee.



If you are the type of person who likes to save your Christmas cards, though, especially if they come from Grandma and have a special message, you might try making a special notebook.

The following project is Morgan's card book. I simply trimmed two pieces of chipboard, covered them with paper and embellished them a bit, and then attached them with jump rings. Every time she receives a card, be it for her birthday, Valentines, or just because, after it's been displayed for a bit, I punch holes in it, and put it in her book. This book is currently getting full and needs bigger rings, but it's a great keepsake and fun to look back on the cards she's received, from Congratulations at her birth to a random postcard she received from her Grandmother.



I know it might be a busy week at your house, but my challenge to you is to think about those Christmas cards, and do a project with them. Make a mini album, create a layout, etc. I plan to create a layout with my 4x8 photo card and will share it later this week.

You have until Saturday night at midnight, PST. I'll then draw a winner for that weekly $5 gift certificate to the SC store. It'll help with those star punches that work perfectly with the main kit coming up. This one. And this one for sure.

make your own kid's book

Happy Wednesday! It is cold and snowy here in the midwest - in fact, my kids will be home for snow day #3 tomorrow. Eek! I think cabin fever is beginning to set in...

I wanted to keep our children's book theme going this morning, and suggest an activity that is perfect for days when you're stuck inside - have your kids help you make a book that's just for them. Here are a few ideas :

• a counting book (have them pick out buttons or other embellishments to add to each page)
• an alphabet book - my bigs and my mom have been working on an alphabet album for a couple years -they take photos and draw pictures of items that start with each letter in the alphabet.
• an animal book - personalize it by using photos that you've taken on a trip to the zoo.
• a family book - photos of each member of the child's family
• a color book - photos or drawings of items that match each color

Last January, one of the add-ons for my favorite kit ever, Bibliography, was a little book kit called Footnotes. Kelly made this adorable little book about all the things that makes her youngest, Brady, happy. You can see more of the pages here.




I used the same add-on to make a little book about things that road. You can see the rest of it here. I read this one to Sam a few times today - it's still a favorite. =)



There are a few more examples of books in the Bibliography gallery if you'd like more inspiration- I know both April and Jenn made them.

I hope this idea can bring a little fun to your long winter days. =)