Making a Military Album

by Patricia Folchert (Nov 8, 2012)

Is there anyone on this planet more deserving of a top-notch scrapbook album than those who fearlessly protect this wonderful nation? I would say no, so when I was asked to create an Air Force album for my brother-in-law I wholeheartedly said yes. Then I decided to share it here with you, because so many of us are blessed to have family and loved ones that serve in the Armed Forces. Since it is an entire album I will only share twelve pages with you today, including a front cover page, five double layouts and a back cover page. They are somewhat simple with a patriotic theme. I chose the red, white and blue color palette to match the theme and the photos.

Air Force Cover Page by Patricia Folchert

If you are like me you always want the cover page to be a splendid introduction. That is why I added some star bling and gemstones to the fun We R Memory Keepers/Red, White and Blue Collection stickers. The two photos seemed to work well together to begin the story of this album.

United We Stand (left) and (right) by Patricia Folchert

The idea behind these layouts was to emphasize that behind every serviceman (or woman) is a family that loves him and stands firm beside him. To create these pages I used the cutouts and stickers from the BoBunny Liberty collection and a couple cute Bella Boulevard flags.

Graduation Day (left) and (right) by Patricia Folchert

The photos are the focal point of this super simple double layout. Just a handcut banner across the top and a title block are enough to accent the story of this day.

Awards Ceremony by Patricia Folchert

If your serviceman or woman was honored with special awards along his or her military journey, then you will want to highlight those moments when he or she received them. This is another simple double layout with some border strips across the bottom and some medals and award stickers in the top corners.

Proud Parents by Patricia Folchert

Don't forget those wonderful photos with parents; make the layout even more special by adding photos of them with their children too. For this layout I cut out the large star design from a paper and then added handcut border strips on the bottom to plain navy cardstock. The red vellum paper was used to mat several of the photos in the album which also dressed it up just a little.

Armed Forces Concert by Patricia Folchert

There are many events to celebrate in the military, such as concerts, balls and countless ceremonies. Capture and highlight those functions in a brilliant way. These two photos from an Armed Forces concert were so good that I wanted them to have center stage. Using two complementary papers I created the backdrop and added cutouts and stickers with bling for that extra pop.

Air Force Back Cover Page by Patricia Folchert

Thinking of how I would like to end the album, a prayer was what came to mind. For you see, my brother-in-law will be headed out on his first deployment soon and I just wanted him to know that we would be praying for him and that God will be watching over him where ever the military takes him next. So that was the idea behind this page; the design seemed perfect and the airplane photo was an indicator of travels to come.

I would just like to say "Thank You" to all of you out there that have served this country in any capacity. I also want to thank those family members that patiently wait for them at home and provide the foundation that allows those servicemen and women to perform at optimal levels. We are truly blessed to live in a country with such a tradition of commitment and honor. If you are designing a project honoring one of these extraordinary individuals, please share your layouts with us here at the Scrapjazz Gallery. We would love to meet the heroes of your families.

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