Father's Day Prep

Hello Everyone! Are you prepared for Father's Day?  Can you believe that it is only a few weeks away!  My flowers are blooming already and I only recently planted them. This is the time of year when Mother Earth comes to life and soon we will hear children playing and families find more time to spend together at games, picnics, and vacations.  Its a really fun time of the year.

To celebrate Father's Day I decided to give a gift that was both unique and practical.  I altered a box and created a matching mini album to put inside it.  I thought this would be a great gift especially if it is filled with personal photos and mementos.
All that would be left to do is to add a ticket for two to a Rangers Game (or some other sport). 

Knowing how most men don't seem to be very organized I figured that having a convenient place to store the album would be greatly appreciation as well as a nice conversation piece.

Well the only thing left to do is to share what I have created as a Father's Day Gift with you.

First up is a frontal side view of the box.  

Here is the inside view of the box.  As you can see the box holds a mini album designed to match the box.

Although there are only eight pages (4 front and back) in this album it can hold quite a bit of photos.  Each page has a pocket that will accommodate two 4x6 photos, a total of 16 photos.

Additionally each page has a booklet tucked away that can be used for journaling or more photos.  This gives you an opportunity to add an additional 16 photos (4 per booklet) if desired.

The front and back cover have pockets for storing mementos and other small tokens.  The album is 6.5 x 6.5 with a 2.5 spine so it can get quite chunky if needed.

Hope you enjoyed sharing this little gift set with me and I hope it has inspired or given you ideas for Fathers Day.  

Until next time

Be Blessed, Stay Safe and Seek Happiness wherever you go.

~Lesia~

Products: Graphic 45 Good Ole Sport Paper Collection, Stickers and Chipboard

Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Metal Embellishments

Flip Mini Album

Mema's Online Store - Click Here

I decided to pull out an old tutorial I had stashed away so I could make a quick Christmas Mini Album. I thought this was an easy and fun one when I first tried and I still think it is, therefore I am going to share the tutorials with you just in case you'd like to give it a go.

There's lots of space in this mini so I've taken a few photos just to give you an idea (if you haven't seen it) because it has been out for a while. 

Although it only measures 6 x 6 it has lots of space for pockets and photos. You can also easily adjust the spine if you'd want a thicker mini.

I created mine with a half inch spine because I didn't plan on having a lot of embellishments inside and I have about 15-20 photos I want to add to it.



It is perfect for holding those special event photos such as a baby shower or birthday or road trip.





The items I used were the Tim Holtz lamp post die, a memory box doily die, chipboard from the paper collection, WOC flowers, stickles, gesso, a few pearls of course Graphic 45 12 Days of Christmas paper collection.

There are lots of flips and folds so I want to share just a few with you.



When you first open the mini you have your first 3-way layout. I added a pocket for photos and on the side flaps I am showing how you could use them for journaling or another pocket.

Next I skip to the third layout (just to save time and photos).



On this page or layout I added a pocket once again for photos (and yes I do plan to add a mat the black pocket) On the double flaps I decided to keep them together with eyelet closures.

This is the last photo I have of my mini but there are two more layouts in this mini.



Here you can see how it looks with the flaps open and the two center flaps closed down. There is room on each side for more photos and journaling.

So there you have my first Christmas Mini Album this year.  I have seen it created by several different crafters with variations but the two individuals whom I have followed are Gloria and Zina.

Leave your comments below and let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping By

Hugs and Kisses from Texas

Lesia

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Although they are very similar there are some differences. I've made them both and was pleased with the results of each. 

Below are links directly to the tutorials as well as a link to Gloria's video. There are printable instructions on Gloria's blog and the photo will take you there.



Link to Zina's Blog:
My Scrap and I




Link to Gloria's Blog: 
Scraps of Life:
(look for the printable instructions link)



Link to Gloria's YouTube Video tutorial:
Mini Flip Book By Gloria:

Boxed Mini Album

Hello everyone. While the challenges are up and running I decided to try my hand at yet another interesting tutorial rightly titled the "Boxed Mini Album."  It is quite interesting how it seems to be an exploding Mini Album but that is not its name.

This is the front of the box. As you can see I used very little embellishments because I thought the Designer Paper was gorgeous and didn't need much of anything else. I love the Corset and I added the flowers and the cog wheels.






When you lift the lid of the box off it falls to the back and the sides fall down just like the exploding card.  Here in the middle you see a non-removable mini album.  This one has 6 pages but using the tutorial you can go up to 14 pages, I think.

Now on to sharing a few of the pages with you.  All the pages have the flip out tab shown on the left side of the page. This can be used as a journaling note or turned into a pocket for a tag.  The pages are all sized to accommodate a 4x6 photo.  And the album itself can hold up to 54 photos easily.

Here is an example of another page. I added the 3D balloon on the left flap but the paper is just to pretty for much else. This page alone can accommodate 6 photos and 2 spots for notes.









Continue to open the page completely by removing the two inserts and you'll see that there is room for 4 photos on each insert.  Now that's a lot of photos.

Here is another page with just a little twist. Not only does it have the flap on the left it also has a lift up flap on the right side. I added the corset using a die from Cherry Lynn Designs.

Now let me share the same page with both flaps lifted to show a pocket that has space for two tickets for journaling or adding a cute quote or maybe a hand-written note of some kind.

We're almost done so stay with me. On this page I create a half pocket to hold a insert for a standard photo and a place for journaling (we all know that journaling is not a word, right?).

Here I opened the flap and pulled out the insert.  The light pole was another Cheery Lynn die.









I didn't show you all the pages or the inserts but I think you got the idea of what the mini is all about.  IF you want to see more just go to YouTube and search for "Boxed Mini Album" and you'll see some really gorgeous ones.

Below is a YouTube video link to "Christi" the original designer "Paper Hoarder Disorder" showcasing her Steampunk Spells Boxed Mini.

DP: Bo Bunny "Somewhere In Time"
Chipboard: Medium Weight "Marco Paper"
Black Soot Distress Inks
Cheery Lynn Designs Dies
Bo Bunny Embellishments

Purchase the Tutorial here: Paper Hoarder Disorder

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with us.  I hope you've enjoyed your stay and will come again real soon.

Don't forget to join in our challenges by clicking on the tabs above and tell me what you think. I love reading your comments.

Hugs

Lesia

Skinny Mini with Card

Whew!! The joys of Christmas...it takes a year to get here and then within 24 hours all the hustle and bustle is over and our lives return to the ordinary and the daily routines slowly pokes its head back into our lives.

For me it was time to finish a project I was working on right before Christmas and now that the little ones are resting I managed to finish it and now it is time to share.

WARNING: This post is photo heavy! Although there were lessons learned with this project, I am still quite pleased with the way it turned out and hope you'll enjoy seeing it (or them). So if you're ready for a lot of photos...then here we go.



To start I decided to show the skinny mini along with a matching card that was made using the leftovers from the skinny mini.

Just another tutorial I found on YouTube and decided to give it a go.

Here is the set again but with the inside of the card showing.

The paper for the entire project is Graphic 45 Secret Garden. This paper is so gorgeous that I used very little embellishments and they were mostly on the cover of the mini.

The flowers are as usual Wild Orchids and then lace I picked up at my local crafting store "Crafty Scrapper" which has a little of everything.



The ribbon is Stampin Up and I inked my edges with Walnut Stain distress ink (I need a refill).  Next up are photos from the inside of the skinny mini.  I've tried to keep them in order.

The first page has a flap on the left that is held down with a magnet.  On the right you have a pocket that will hold a 4x6 photo if you'd like but I created a little pocket and inserted it in the pocket.

On the left when you open the flap you have another pocket for tags or whatever.  I added a tag using the paper to cover the tag and created a space for journaling on the reverse side.

The second has two flaps that lift upward.  On top of the flaps I created corner pockets for whatever you want to tuck away and added a couple of embellishments.  Then we lift those flaps to show belly bands that can be used to hold photos or other sentimental objects.

On the base there are two holders that hold a mini pocket album in the open position.  This pocket mini is perfect for holding 4 photos.

On the last page I have another pocket on the left and on the right a smaller pocket that is tucked in two bottom corner pockets.  I really love how this paper just seems to bring everything together.

And finally we have the back of the Skinny Mini where I added ribbon to try and add a bit of interest.  Lastly I added my signature block.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check and see if you're a "Friday Winner".

Hugs

~Lesia~