Mini Scrapbook Albums

This is an album I made for my daughter and 3 of her closest friends. Each album was slightly different but they were all made from the same coordinating papers. The front cover and the circle tage are made from chipboard and covered in paper. The rest of the cover is embellished with ribbon, stamps, distressing ink, stickers, a brad, and chipboard letters. I made the pages out of 9" white envelopes with the flaps cut off. Some of the pages were cut at an angle on one side to show that they all made pocket pages and show some interest inside the book. I also Included a package of coordinating stickers in each girl's book so she could embellish the pages herself.


The edges of the covers and each individual page is distressed with ink to add more interest.

You can use this idea for several different varations to fit your own needs.






One of the most precious gifts you can give is a scrapbook full of treasured memories. You can make your scrapbook gift even more personalized by creating your own mini album. Mini albums are fun and express your own creativity. Creating your own mini album allows you to choose the shape and size you want. Mini scrapbook albums are perfect for theme type albums.
There are a vast amount of choices in scrapbooking papers, embellishment, and other supplies to choose from. If you are pressed for time you can even choose to purchase a plain scrapbook and then decorate the outside cover to make it more interesting. If you decide to make your own scrapbook covers you can use the 5.5" x 9" envelopes for pages and just cut off the flaps. This would create pocket pages which would hold other memorabilia or tags used as pull outs for additional space to hold pictures. You could even make an entire mini album out of tags with ribbon adorning the top of each tag. Another option would be to purchase a CD tin and include a circle album inside. CD tins are great for sports theme albums because you can decorate the outside of the tin to look like a basketball or baseball or any other sport you are scrapbooking.
Mini albums are a great gift for any occasion. You can even create a scrapbook for your child and each of his or her closest friends. This is a wonderful surprise to everyone involved especially when presented on the last day of a school year. They will have a treasured keepsake of the year's memories with their friends tucked inside the mini album. You can purchase mini albums in a variety of shapes and sizes. A mini album is a wonderful gift for the bride to be. Mini albums can even be used as decorative recipe books to hold the famly's most prized collections. Mini scrapbooks can be found in the shape of circles, flowers, hearts, and stars. They are easily found at most craft stores ready to be decorated. Just use one of the pages as a template for the paper you are going to adhere to each side. Try making your own mini scrapbook album.


Original design by by Audrey Key, CTMH Consultant

Trunk or Treat

Pumpkin Patch Scrapbook Layout

Using a simple layout can make for some of the most interesting scrapbook pages. This Pumpkin Patch layout has clean lines and its simplicity is appealing.

This layout was created by using one sheet of printed paper and a coordinating sheet of card stock. Two 5x7 photo's fit perfectly between the words which create a fitting title for the layout.

The following page contains three 4x6 photo's and is bordered with contrasting ribbon. Leaf punches and a cricut pumpkin cutout help to embellish the negative space. You could add a journaling pull tab behind the pictures for additional space.

Using Scapbook techniques for Unique Ornaments

Have you been searching for an idea to do family or classroom ornaments on a budget? Making CD photo ornaments is the perfect project. It requires very few tools and supplies.
First you will need to take pictures of the subjects you are wanting to create the ornaments for. If you want to get really creative, you can manipulate your photos for a different look. One suggestion might be to turn a photo into a black and white and then highlight one color or subject in the photo. An example of this might be to take a picture of a child wearing a red Santa hat and turn the photo to black and white and then highlight just the red portion of the hat. This can be done with many photo editing softwares, such as Photoshop, and is very simple with a little practice. The resulting picture is unique and impressive.
Second, you will need to take the pictures to your local photo lab, or print your own 5x7 prints if you have a quality printer. If you print your own pictures, you have the ability to experiment with different types of paper to see which outcome you like best. There are a variety of different papers from heavy weight matte, semi-gloss, glossy, and portrait paper. After your pictures have been printed they will need to be cut down to a 4.75" circle to fit on the CD. If you have a circle cutter this step is very easy. Circle cutters are very inexpensive and can be purchased from most craft stores. If you do not have a circle cutter, just take a CD and trace around the outside edge and then cut with scissors. Adhering the photo to the CD is quite simple. You will need a photo safe acid free glue stick. Using the colored glue sticks that dry clear are helpful in seeing where more glue is needed on the CD. Just cover the CD with glue and adhere your photo being careful to make sure it is centered. It is best to wait at least 30 minutes before handling the CD's once you have adhered your photo's.
The next step involves punching a hole in the top of the CD for the ribbon hanger. Many scrapbookers already have a handy tool called a Crop-a-dile. If you own one of these, punching the holes in the CD's will be effortless. Crop-a-dile tools may be purchased at craft stores for approximately $20 and have a variety of uses. Just set the punch to the desired distance using the 3/8' hole and squeeze down on the CD. Using this tool helps prevent the CD from cracking while punching the hole.
If you do not have a Crop-a-dile, a sharp object or awl will be useful for you. You will have better results if you heat your tool prior to punching a hole through the backside of the CD. Once you have your hole punched, just thread some ribbon through the hole and your ornament is complete. These can be further personalized by writing a message or the year on the back using paint pens. This is wonderful idea for preserving the handwriting of a child. You now have a personalized ornament to hang on your Christmas tree.
Mendy Warwick

Scrapbook Calendars

We all know, of course, that scrapbooking doesn't necessarily mean that your memories go into a scrapbook. Some of your beautifully laid out pages will go into frames, birthday cards, or websites. Another popular option for your scrapbooking materials is to make a scrapbook calendar.
There are several ways to do this.
Some companies print up a calendar that comes with lay-outs and accessories, and from month to month you can simply design your own family pages that coordinate with that month. This is an excellent option for beginners or for those with little computer experience.
You can custom make your own calendar pages. It is easy to buy or make seasonally appropriate display pages, and to print out the monthly page of dates. You then apply your own pictures and memories and out them together. You can use this technique to custom make gifts for different friends and family members, each one tailored to your special memories of them.
Online calendar services. This is an excellent source for those who do a lot of computer scrapbooking. You design your 12 pages, using either your own templates or ones that they offer, and you email them to the company. The company then prints them out and binds them into a professional looking calendar. You can buy several copies of this calendar to give to relatives as gifts.
One of the best things about scrapbook calendars is that they make meaningful but inexpensive gifts for all your loved ones, and express your unique memories throughout the year.
Lisa is the owner of Modzy.com, the #1 online scrapbooking supplies store. Find thousands of scrapbook products and low prices everyday at http://www.modzy.com

Mini Scrapbook Gift Albums

Christmas is just around the corner and the shopping malls are full of people scrambling to find just the right gift. But many of us long to make Christmas simpler and more meaningful by giving items made with love instead. You can easily create meaningful gifts for everyone on your list using scrapbook supplies you may already have. I love to make and give mini scrapbook albums. They are quick and easy gifts that can be put together with photos, patterned paper and a few embellishments. Here are some basic directions to create a simple mini-album and ideas on how to personalize it.
First purchase an inexpensive small photo album at a dollar or discount department store (the plastic kind with slip-in pages made for 4 x 6 photos). Take out the front and back covers and use them as patterns to create new covers using colored cardstock or a favorite patterned paper. Make the title using stickers, chipboard, stamped or die-cut letters, and add a few small embellishments. (This is a small album, so you don't need to overdo it!) Slip the new front and back covers back into their slots. Tie a length of coordinating ribbon around the spine of the album to dress it up.
Now decide what will be inside the album. Your first option is to create and give a "finished" album, full of both photos and decorations. What grandparent wouldn't love to have a mini-album full of recent photos of all the grandchildren? This would also be great for family members who are far away or you haven't seen in while. Or how about creating an album for your best friend filled with pictures of the both of you over the years?
Another option would be to make an "unfinished" album that contains decorative pages, but no photos. This would be useful for a busy mom who doesn't have time to scrapbook the pictures of her own family, or the traveler who has lots of photos from their adventures. I also like to give empty albums decorated with holiday themed papers so photos from this year can be easily slipped inside - an instant Christmas 2008 album! If you choose this option, make and decorate the pages, but leave empty spaces for the recipient to add their own photos and journaling.
Finally, this type of mini-album lends itself to many other ideas. It would also be lovely filled with a collection of inspirational quotes and accompanying pictures. Or how about copying your favorite recipes onto 4 x 6 recipe cards, decorating them and slipping them into the album? Or create a mini calendar for the upcoming year with monthly calendars downloaded from the internet accented by a variety of seasonal photos and embellishments. It can truly be personalized for anyone.
Mini-albums are inexpensive, yet meaningful gifts. And the best part is that because of their size they can be made very quickly - you still have time to make one for everyone on your list for this Christmas!
Noreen Smith is a wife and mom of two young boys who are her main scrapbook subjects. She owns Sharing Memories Scrapbooking and loves to help others preserve and share their memories and stories through a wide range of projects for beginner and experienced scrapbookers alike! Visit http://www.sharing-memories-scrapbooking.com for lots of ideas and inspiration.

Making Scrapbooking a Family Affair

With today's busy life styles many parents find themselves looking for wholesome activities that everyone can enjoy. What better way than planning a scrapbooking party or get together that is family friendly. Kids love photos and they too like to create artwork showcasing their favorite memories. In fact, many parents that hold these types of parties are shocked at how creative their entire family can be and how much of a joy spending time together can be once again. Read on for more information about the planning and implementing a family friendly scrapbooking party!
There are moms and baby days, preschooler days and many others, so how about turning a memory session into something similar. The hostess should plan the party or get together by choosing the theme and setting the date. On the invitation it should be made clear that the intention of this party is to create lasting memories with the family and spend some time documenting the past. All guests could be given a "to bring list" and that way the hostess is not out as much expense. Another factor that should be addressed is that the theme and activities are age appropriate. Granted it would be impossible to accommodate everyone, but having a good idea is the way to productive family and scrapping time.
Not only are these events very popular they are also very productive. It is important that every family spend time together, but also other factors such as creativity, hand-eye coordination and teamwork is built during these scrapbooking parties. Making them a great way to connect, enjoy and build some great memories pages.
Lisa is the owner of Modzy.com, the #1 online scrapbooking supplies store. Find thousands of scrapbook products and low prices everyday at http://www.modzy.com