mini madness

Some of my most favorite things to create are mini albums and here are the reasons why:

1.  They are so stinkin' cute!

2.  They are SUPER easy to make!

3.  They don't require large amounts of product to execute!

4.  They make great gifts!

5.  They can solve a "What should I do with these pictures?" dilemma!

6.  They can be stored easily or left out on the table for everyone to enjoy!

7.  Smaller pictures require less ink to print!

8.  Did I mention that they are so stinkin' cute?!

9.  They are very budget friendly!

10.  Great things come in small packages!

Well, there you have it...TEN reasons to make a mini album for yourself or someone you love.  I'll even show you how :)

First, you want to gather your supplies.  This helps save a ton of time and if you have everything you want in front of you, the less likely you'll feel overwhelmed.  Printing off your pictures beforehand is also a good timesaver.  I chose to use 4"x4" prints from my Hipstamatic iPhone app.

The main ingredients for this recipe are cardstock, letter stickers, a few embellishments, thread, twine, even ribbon will do!  Oh, and don't forget your pics.  

Here are the items I chose for mine...everything came from Studio Calico

Now, depending on the size of album you want is important when cutting your cardstock.  I chose a 6"x6" album so I cut a 12"x12" sheet of cardstock in half to achieve my finished size.  I also cut additional sheets of cardstock for a total of 10 album pages.  Depending on the amount of pictures you have and how you want your album to look will vary the number of pages you need/the size you want to make.  

Next, I scored my cardstock pages in half so they would fold nicely when I lay them together to bind them.  I punched four holes on the score line and used some baker's twine to tie them together...

Here's a look at the inside...

So far, so good...and super easy, right?  Here's another look at the inside with the pages fanned out.

I only had a few sheets of kraft-colored cardstock to work with so I filled in a few extra pages with some patterned cardstock and since it's double-sided, it'll really give it some pop.

I usually never decorate the front of my albums first, but I had a very specific idea in mind for this one so I went ahead and got 'er done...and voila!

 Now all I have to do is fill up the inside with my pictures.  Stay tuned because tomorrow I will have some more tips and views of my "Fair Shots" mini album.

I hope this little tutorial inspires you to make your own mini album for yourself or a loved one.  This is probably one of the easiest and cheapest routes to go as far as mini albums are concerned so get scrappin'!