Christmas Mini Album

We all know we take too many photos at Christmas as we try to capture every special moment, but sitting down to scrap those pictures can quickly become overwhelming. That's where a mini album can come in handy.

Mini albums are probably the easiest thing for beginners to start scrapbooking. Staring at a 12" x 12" page can quickly become overwhelming, and they can still pose a challenge to experienced scrappers as they use each page to try new techniques.

I think it's important, though, to have an overall theme for a mini album to pull everything together and help organize your photos, especially if you're trying new techniques on each page. For this Christmas album, I decided to title it "Christmas Fun" and each page of my scrapbook was themed with one of the letters from the title. The first page, for instance, was "C is for Cookies," while the second page was "H is for Happiness." I found that by using a theme I had to journal on each page - something I'm guilty of often forgetting or skipping on mini pages - to explain why I chose that letter.

Here are some basic supplies to have on hand before getting started:

• fourteen 12"x12" sheets of cardstock or patterned paper of your choice
• two 8 ½" x 10" sheets of cardstock
• scrap paper or cardstock of various sizes for journaling or making embellishments
• two large pieces of cardboard
• your favorite trimmer
• adhesive
• journaling pen
• large letters (stickers, Thickers, die cut letters, etc)
• embellishments and inks of your choice (I used ribbons from my stash, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, buttons, brads, Stickles, punches and a few embossing folders)
• tools for various techniques (I used the We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Stitcher, Glimmer Mist for masking, Copic Atyou Spicas for some sparkle and the We R Memory Keepers Heart Attack Distressing Tool)

Getting started is easy. Pick out the phrase or words that will create the theme of your album, and then choose corresponding photos.

Choose what size album you want - I decided on an 8" x 8" 12-page album and cut 12 pieces of cardstock or patterned paper in a corresponding size to make up each page. Using one collection of paper can also tie your album together cohesively and make it easier to match patterned papers, helping you to do a mini album rapidly. Save the excess cardstock; you can use the scraps on the pages for layering.

I decided to give the album a cohesive feel by creating a letter to go on each page. I cut twelve 1" x 1" squares in black cardstock, stamped each square with a letter, sprinkled on embossing powder and heated it. Then, I used gold ink around the edge of each square to really make the letters pop. However, you can get the same feel by using Thickers, alpha stickers or chipboard letters in the same color or font.

Now it's time to play! A simple mini album could have the same design over and over again on each page, enabling you to do a lot of pages rapidly, or you could challenge yourself to "scrap outside the box" and use techniques that you normally don't do in your layouts. Your choices could include using products for sewing, pennant banners, masking, distressing...the list goes on. Use the scraps from each 8" x 8" page you cut for layering on alternately-patterned pages.

For the cover, I cut two pieces of heavy cardboard to measure 8 ½" x 10", giving my album a nice overlap to protect my pages from bending. Cover one side with adhesive and then take one of your remaining pieces of 12" x 12" patterned paper and carefully attach. You should have some paper overlapping. Fold each corner into an angled edge, as if you were wrapping a present. Add adhesive to the uncovered side of the cardboard and fold the paper over, creating a clean finished edge. Repeat on the other three sides and then repeat the entire process on the other piece of cardboard. Then, take the two pieces of 8 1/2" x 10" cardstock and cover the inner cover of your album to hide the excess paper. You could make things even simpler, however, and purchase an 8" x 8" album.

You can decorate the cover of your album to reflect your theme. I included my theme, Christmas Fun, as an album title to tie everything together. Then, punch two holes in your album cover.

You can purchase page protectors in an 8" x 8" size to ensure your pages remain undamaged, or you can attach your pages to chipboard and leave them exposed.

There are many ways to bind your book. There are tools available to allow you to bind it yourself, while some scrappers prefer to purchase binding rings. In this case, I used some Christmas-themed ribbon to tie the album together.

Mini albums are quick, easy and the perfect way to use a lot of photos for any occasion. Build your own mini-album with Scrapbook supplies from Scrapjazz.