Hello Monday! Hello Mini!

Have you ever been doing something for awhile and just need a change of pace to let your brain think differently for a few days, maybe regain your creative mojo?  You know, the scrapper needs to start quilting, the quilter needs to start knitting, the knitter needs to start gardening, the gardener needs to start painting and the painter needs to start scrapping…. I needed a break from painting so I turned to my favorite craft - my good stand-by original. Yup I’ve been scrapping and I went to town making a mini album this weekend.

Here are few tips to make your own mini album.

1. Pull together a few leftover scraps from projects, advertisements, magazines or wrapping, and bits of buttons, ribbons or tags from your mending kit. If you are already a scrapper, you will have enough supplies on hand, I’m sure! But for everyone else, anything will work as long as the paper is heavy weight. Don’t forget the basics like glue, double sided tape, scissors, hole punch, pens, measuring stick, etc…

2. Measure the size of the cover you have chosen. I used the advertisement from a rewards card program I got from a clothing store, about 4x6.You could also use the cardstock from recycled packaging or a nice card you received in the mail. Cut several sheets of matching cardstock to fit inside the book.

3. Mark with a pencil where you will punch holes for the binding first before you punch away. Then stitch the pages together with a binding stitch or blanket stitch using twine or heavy floss.

4. Decorate the front cover of your book. I used stamps and embossing powder, big alpha stickers, decorative tape and a few found items off of new clothing. You could even cut the letters out of a nice magazine, and use the ribbon off of a gift. Be creative because half the fun is upcycling things you would have throw away!

5. Now fill up the inside with handwritten notes about this moment in time and add photos!

Voila! You have a mini book to remember today. Hope you have a Happy Monday!

I used the inspiration from a silly post I did about my boys a couple months ago. I gathered up some recycled supplies and a few leftovers from past projects. I decided to put some of my hand-carved stamps to use and I whipped up this little mini.