Album in a box

Well I have tackled another video - I quite like doing them but hearing your own voice is very strange...

WOYWW 134

I belong to an online mixed media group and this year was able to take part in the 12 days swap where participating members make a handmade gift for everyone else. These are the beautiful gifts I received this year

They are not shown to there best on my very scruffy cutting mat - no new one from Santa this year 

:-(( - but are all beautiful and demonstrate a lot of time and effort.

My gift is not amongst these - I made a stitched bookmark with a Christmas theme

and packaged it like this ...

with a wrapping and tag like this ...

More work desks can be viewed here.

New Year Giveaway

Looks like a great giveaway here or click the parcel on the sidebar

WOYWW

Another wednesday and this is what my desk looked like this morning

Working on a gift card holder for a Christmas present and in the background you can see the beginnings of an explosion box and in the far corner an almost finished mini album. See more crafting spaces here.

Shortly after this my desk looked like this as I decided to try videoing my album - this is the result left just as it is with all its 'faults' - my first video upload ever ...

Christmas Images

Really lovely Christmas Images from Lisa Vollrath

Another Mini

Can you tell I'm addicted to these - they are lovely to make, have a functional use (when the photos are in) - AND use up my enormous stash of patterned paper. Most of my minis have some stamping and die cutting in them but for my stamping friends I don't think there is in this one ...

Phew! a bit of script stamping on this page ...

This album is made of chipboard following a pattern by Tanya Deurrich

Treat Bags

As well as stamping and mini albums I like to make boxes and bags. Here are three different types I made recently ...

from an idea by Kathryn  and with embellishments made from my favourite Paperartsy stamps.

And the 2 above from tutorials on Split Coast Stampers.

Christmas TP album

This album is approx 23/4 inches by 5inches and is made from flattened toilet paper rolls. A useful upcycle! It is made to hold small photographs on the pages and tags and I had planned to add these before photographing, however my scanner is inexplicably not working so here they are before - if I get the photos in I will re-post.

First then is the front cover - 'stickled' numbers and a poinsettia made from Paperartsy stamps with a bit of gold tinsel underneath ...

Pages 1 and 2  - a place for a photo on page on page 1 and a fold out 'booklet' on page 2 with spaces for smaller pictures and journaling ...

This next picture shows page 2 open ...

Here are pages 3 and 4 ...

and here the same pages with the tag out of the pocket and the file folder opened ...

Pages 5 and 6 - 5 has a 'bellyband' with a 2 layer tag in it and page 6 is a pocket with 3 smaller tags inside ...

and here are the tags (I like the way the acetate one turned out) ...

Now pages 7 and 8 - a double pocket on page 7 with 2 tags and a booklet held closed with a magnet on page 8 ...

and shown here with the tags out and the booklet open ...

All 5 'pages' hold a tag which fits inside the flattened toilet roll ...

If you've made it this far - thank you - and I apologise for the poor quality of the photographs (I think I need to try a lightbox). The main inspiration for this album came from Belinda Akers who has a great Utube channel. Other ideas included are my own or from various Utube tutorials that I found using 'tp mini album' as a search term. Thank you to all of the people who share their work in this way.

WOYWW

Here is my rather dull (and a bit grubby) desk this morning - lots of toilet rolls being beaten into submission to produce mini albums - I have only just discovered these and love working in this smaller size. If you would like to see a completed album there is a second post today with photographs of a Christmas offering. Anyway the desk ....

If you want to know what it is all about head over to Julia's blog here.

Murmuration

Loved this ...


Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Album box 2

This is the second box I made - see previous post for links to the Utube tutorials I followed for inspiration. This one is 3/4" deep which gives a little more space for embellishment and is, I think, better thought out. This one has the photographs added as I plan to give it as a Christmas present.

The box closed and tied with ribbon. It measures just over 6" x 6" x 3/4". It is constructed with black cardstock and the paper is Basic Grey Marjoline.

With top and bottom flaps open

With left upper flap open

and then the right one

now with the inner lower flap down you can see the left and right inner flaps. The following pictures show these open and I've removed a couple of the photograph mounts to show spaces for journaling on the backs 

and here is the box with the photographs in place and showing the opened 'spread'

With this box I wanted to add a few extra pictures so made another pocket on the back ...

the ribbon tie holds everything in place.

Album Boxes

The album 'box' on yesterdays desk is the third one I've made and still needs finishing off. The original video demo of these appears to be by Vanilladaze on Utube. I have watched this and taken further inspiration from Creativecafegirl and Charliejones2686 (who also has a series of tutorials on Utube showing how she put this together).

The box below is pretty much the vanilladaze version but I made some alterations for the next two I made. These are fairly minor adjustments to the measurements and I have made the boxes 3/4" deep rather than 1/2". I have also been careful about where I add the embellishments in the later versions so the boxes are flat when closed - almost - no major bulges anyway.

So here are the pictures of my first box which is 1/2" deep ...

The box closed, measures just over 6" square and the paper used is Basic Grey 'Wisteria'.

With the top and bottom flaps opened and showing pockets and tags that I have created with spaces for photographs

Next with right and then left upper flaps opened ...

and then inner bottom flap (below) ...

Next we can open right and left inner flaps ...

to reveal the final inner back page and the entire 'open' spread'.

Some of the pages are a bit thick in this album and the second box I made is better thought out ... I have also added the photographs to the second one as it is intended to be a Christmas present. I will photograph it and upload later.

WOYWW

Or for those who don't know 'Whats on Your Workdesk Wednesday' over at Stamping Ground. I've never posted to this blog before although I often check out the entrants. If your interested in other peoples 'messes' just go here - great fun and inspiration. And to prove my previous post is a 'work in progress' here is my desk this morning. There should also be a huge box of tissues in view as I have the worst cold ever and progress is slow :-)

I'm working on 'box albums' for Christmas presents and will show more soon - I need to work at being a better photographer.

Another giveaway

A great blog and giveaway here ...

...and the chance to win this




In case anyone still checks out this blog I will be resurrecting it shortly with new projects as I am now creating again.

Blog giveaway

My little blog is sadly neglected these days but there are plans to return to it - I have finally taken the plunge handed in my notice and  plan to take a few months off to relax .. while I work my notice I want to let you know about a 'giveaway' by my favourite shop LB Crafts in Olney Bucks - Lin is giving away these!

Mini Album 3

This will be a present for my sister ...