Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Craft Fair

My friend, Emy and I joined St. Paul the Apostle Church craft fair.  We were both excited. Emy quilts and sells tea cozies, table runners, bread covers, and tissue box covers. Her crafts sell like pancakes! People love her tea cozies and end up ordering the colors they want.





As for me, this is my second craft show.  I join for the fun of it.... and yeah, perhaps to get back a few bucks I spent on scrapbooking supplies to buy more scrapbooking supplies.

I made very simple mini albums, some photo holders, and some desk frames. I didn't even know how to price these things! I enlisted my daughter to help me out.  She helped make the photo mats that went into each pocket page, including the photo mats on the desk frames. I think she had more fun than I did and started to talk about how if they had craft shows monthly, she would be making things and be at every show.


It was not quite a surprise that a lot of people didn't know what a mini album is and what to do with these things.  It's good that my daughter made a sample with pictures in it.  It was very simple.  We didn't want to confuse and scare the customers away.


These are the desk photos.  Behind the frame is a pocket to fill up with 5 - 6 more photos. On the front is a photo mat with a template so people will know what size photo will fit on the mats.  If people get tired of the photo on display, they can take it out and choose another photo from the pocket.  That was just the idea!


Here's dear daughter, arranging the mini albums.  I made them for different occasions and for different ages.



Not everything got sold, but at least, I got back money I paid for the spot at the show plus the cost of papers and cardstocks I used.  So what to do with the the ones that didn't get sold? I gave away a set to a cousin in Canada.  The rest will be for my daughter to fill up with her own photos!

Here's hoping that after this exposure to mini-albums, people from the parish and surrounding areas will buy more next time... and next time, I will include minis that will be lavishly decorated!

Happy mini-scrapbooking everyone! TFL.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Fast and Super Easy Mini

So... I am addicted to making mini albums.  I have now the courage to cut up those pretty papers and make them into something useful.

This is a super fast and easy mini which I copied from Steffogal1 at www.withagrin.blogspot.com. I made this with one page of 12x12 K&Co patterned cardstock and a few scraps.

 Instead of using ribbon for closure, I used magnets. 







... and here's another time capsule my daughter can fill up.  Can't wait to see the outcome!

Happy scrapping everyone!

Thursday, July 05, 2012

Desk Photo Holder for a Baby Girl

My son's office mate is going to have a baby girl, so he asked if I could make him a mini album to give at the baby shower.  I saw this design from Marla of Lake Avenue Designs and I've always wanted to try it.  I must have been in a great scrapping mojo that day, very inspired... that I set to make one right away!

 In the end, I tied ribbons between the two flaps to prevent the book from sliding and flopping on the desk.

 The first page

 The second, third, and 4th pages

 Inside of second page after the first page was flipped open to the back

 The third page after the second page was flipped open to the back

 The fourth page after the third page was flipped open to the back

The last page....

 The mini album on its profile

 The back cover

 What the front looks like

What the back looks like when the pages were flipped over.
Please take time to visit Marla here http://www.lakeavenuedesigns.com. 
She has a tutorial on how to make this.

Happy scrapping everyone!


Sunday, July 01, 2012

Wedding Shower Guest Book

So now, at last, I can post pictures of the wedding shower guest book I made for my friend's daughter, Marga. I had a little trouble with the binding as I couldn't make up my mind which would be better: ribbons to be tied in bows or key rings?  Whichever Marga chooses, it will work out perfectly.

I assigned my daughter, Chrissie, who is one of the bridesmaids, to be in-charge of the guest book.  She went around greeting guests giving out journaling tags, explaining what the guests are supposed to do.  I think most of them are used to seeing a notebook that looks like an address book.




So here's Chrissie with her basket full of tags... I pulled her aside when I got a chance so I can take a picture of her by the lake.

The guest book is made of chipboard and patterned cardstock SEI's "Couture".  I had to choose papers with the color purple as that was Marga's color theme.  This is 12" tall x 6.5" wide.


I bound the album with purple bows.  The cover is decorated with Prima flowers centered with pink beads, a Tim Holtz plate, Recollections bling, yellowish roses that I got from the wedding section at Michael's.  I just hand-wrote the title of the album.

The inside front cover (page 1) has an acetate pocket to hold the journaling tags.  I meant for this to house a copy of the wedding shower party invitation.  I also made a small photo mat which I glued on the sides and bottom so I could insert another tag behind it.


Between pages 1 and 2 is a purple bi-fold photo mat that can hold 3 photos.  The right fold is a pocket and holds another tag for Marga's own journaling or a couple more of tiny photos.  This tag is topped with a purple flower.  

On page 2, I added several tiny mats, like a waterfall effect.  I glued strips of purple cardstock punched with one of Martha Stewart's punchers at the bottom of each page to make it look like the edges are laced .


Pages 3 and 4 (below) are open spaces for bigger photos.  Page 4 has 3 inserts, each holding a photo mat and 3 journal tags.


Pages 5 (below) holds more journal tags tied with bows of different colors.  The edges of the tags are inked using Colorbox and Tim Holtz Distress inks.  Strips of paper using a Martha Stewart puncher are used to hold the tags in place.

Page 6 is blank for bigger photos.



Page 7 (below) is blank for more photos, or Marga may write her thoughts about the day on this page, or make a list of gifts she received. Page 8 was made just like Page 4, above. I folded the patterned paper in half, glued it on each end and in thirds to make pockets.



The flip side of Page 8 was made just like Page 5 above. One side of this page was punched with another Martha Stewart puncher.  The strips of paper is from a purple cardstock this time.


A couple of tags were pulled out to show front and back.  On the front, I wrote "Wishes for you" so guests will know that this was meant for them to write their greetings for Marga and Zax.  The flip side of the tag is where the well-wisher will write their contact information.


Pages 9 and 10 were left blank for bigger photos.  I made a trifold, adhered it on page 9 and tied it with a purple bow to prevent it from flopping around.  I then inserted one of the tags behind the ribbon.  The trifold can hold 5 small photos.


I glued a pretty lace ribbon on page 11.  This will hold more tags or photos. Between pages 11 and 12, I made a purple photo mat insert.  Marga can either adhere photos here or write something about what games were played, who won, and what the prizes were.


Both sides of the lavender photo mat is a pocket to hold more journal tags.


Page 12 is designed exactly like page 4.  Pages 13 and 14 were left blank for more journaling or photos.










I found these metal treasures at Walmart.  They are just so perfect for this album. And I ended up using ribbons and bows instead of the binding rings.  At that time I couldn't find big ones that would fit all these pages.

TFL