Christmas Mini Album

This cute Kaisercraft Scallop Tree Mini Album was just perfect to showcase some of our Christmas photos from 2010.  I like to include a lot of journalling in my projects, and the mini albums moreso than ordinary layouts.  I guess I figure that one day, when I'm not around anymore, my kids will appreciate the handwriting, and the stories that I've documented.  Mini albums are really popular with my girls, they are forever dragging them out and flipping through them, so it's nice to have some text in there too. 

I like to keep my mini albums simple, so to begin with, I painted the edges of the album in lettuce green, using the Adirondack Paint Dabbers.  They make it so easy to edge chipboard with!   I covered the pages, front and back, using one sheet each of the pink paper (I can't for the life of me remember the brand of it, but if anyone is bursting to know, i'm sure i'll be able to find it out!), and the snowflake imaginisce paper. To make it fit, I laid all the pieces out and jiggled the pieces around to make it fit neatly.  I also made sure that each "pair" of pages had matching covering - a bit OCD, but that's ok :D

Once that's done, all the hard work is over.  Time to choose the photos to use, (which I printed out as wallet sized prints, and then cropped as necessary).  I also used some of the Imaginisce "Cottage Christmas - Gingerbread Village" paper to cut out little elements to add a bit of pizazz to my little book. 

The journalling was all done using Sakura Glaze pens, which are fantastic for writing on patterned paper.  They dry slightly raised and glossy, so they stand out from the pattern beneath for easy reading. 

I didn't add many raised elements within the pages of the book, as it bugs me when mini albums don't sit properly, but once I was all done decorating inside, I turned my attention to the front of the book. 

I wanted to decorate it so it looked like a Christmas Tree, so I quilled a few strips of another sheet of Imaginisce Cottage Christmas paper (cut into 3x30mm strips).  To make the bauble shape, I quilled about 25cm tightly one way, glued it together, and then quilled the remaining 5cm back the other wy to form the bauble top,  I topped them with a silver rhinestone, and a thin smear of kindyglitz just to add some sparkle. 
A strip of kaiser rhinestones and a ribbon with a rub on on top finished it off nicely. 

Simple but sweet!  I think I'll make a tradition of doing a mini album after Christmas each year, so that we can have the mini albums out as part of our Christmas decorating - a peek into Christmasses past!

I will be running a class on creating your own mini album like this at some point in February, at Scrapbook Shenanigans on Kern Brothers Drive, Kirwan (here in Townsville).  If you're interested, Michele will be taking bookings as soon as she gets back from holidays - I think she'll be back around the 5th Feb (the lucky thing is off to CHA in the US! I'm so jealous!).
For the class, there is another colour option if you're more fond of traditional colours rather than the colours I've chosen here.  For more info, feel free to send me an email at rita.c.fisher@gmail.com :)
x Rita