Budget Friendly Mixed Media Mini Album

Make sure you check the post prior to this on for the Design Team Inspiration Slide Show. It's fantastic.

This is my version of a mixed media album

I love the new mixed media mini albums from Fancy Pants.

There are several styles in stock at Everything Scrapp'n. They really are reasonably priced & make quick work of making a fantastic mini album. I've found that you can use the pages for several albums instead of having it all in one mini if you cut & add other pages yourself.

But with the economy right now I was trying to think of a way I could pull off the look with items in my scrap stash at a lower cost. Minis make wonderful gifts for family & friends. They really have that wow factor going for them. A bit more labor intensive but an option for those of us on a creative budget.

I made the pages in this mini with an overlay, felt, & faux chipboard (layered cardstock diecuts) . I think it gives the same mixed media feel for much less money. I've made several "acrylic" look albums using overlays & the Hambly are by far the most sturdy for this purpose.

I know many of you make mini albums but I'm writing this so even the beginner would feel comfortable taking on a project like this.

The way I make a mini that seems to work for me is to pick out the paper products I want to use & get the "bones" of the pages done with the photos & even journaling. Then I will start layering the embellishments. I love the look of things hanging out of traditional book boundaries. Also since the viewer is holding the book in their hands the more texture the better. I just keep going thru my embellishment stash & try to think outside the box what would work.

Supplies you will need if you want to make your own 6x6 mixed media album (I've linked them to the Everything Scrapp'n Store for you): 1 Hambly Butterfly Overlay cut in quarters; 1 Creative Imagination Holey Moley Cardstock Overlay; 1 sheet embossed felt from craft store; Chipboard for pages or kraft paper that you can layer as I did to make faux chipboard; 3 Binder Rings or Bind it All Rings; Collection of Coordination Patterned Paper - Including some that are diecut this adds interest; Several colors of Coordinating Cardstock; Ribbon & Trim; Embellishments: Bling, Clips, Buttons, Flowers, etc; Letters for Titlework; Journaling Spots/Tags; Stamps/Ink; Diecuts; Rub - Ons; (this is the perfect time to go thru your old stash of paper & embellishments... adding beads or changing things slightly can get rid of the dated look & immediatly freshen them up)

Adhesives I use: Kokoyo dot runner, PVA (a bookbinding adhesive for layering pieces of paper this is aggressive & the layers stay together), Xyron is great for shooting small things thru, a good liquid adhesive with a wide applicator, Diamond Glaze (not only does this make embellishments by adding a glassy finish but for adding embellishments you want to stay put this stuff is amazing. even on metal everything stays on the page which is important with minis that will be handled a lot or even greeting cards), glue dots (for buttons & embellishments quickly attached), foam adhesive for adding dimension & popping the embellishment up off the page. We all have our favorites so this gives you an idea what I've tried & works

The front cover is 1/4th of a 12x12 Hambly overlay. I added bling to the butterflies. Since it's a transparency I used a contrasting color pattern paper for the 2nd page to really make the green butterflies pop. Even though the transparency is sturdy I put the the Thickers titlework & the clip/tag on this page because over time they could still be a bit heavy for the transparency sheet since it was serving as the cover of the book.

Pages 1-2 With my minis I like to add narrow "pages" in between the full size pages for visual interest & it also gives me a great place to journal. As the transparency page is turned different parts of the page layout are visible so I take that into consideration. On previous minis I put actual photos on the "acrylic" pages but this time I have them in there just for the butterfly motif.

Pages 3 & 4. The blue floral diecut narrow "page" is a Quickutz border punch that was layered on Bazzill Bling. It was a make n take from Archivers last summer.... I save everything (you never know when you can find a use right) & cutting it in half here from it's original 12" long size was a perfect journaling spot. Buttons, bling & flowers add texture.

Pages 5-6 I liked using the fullsize photos of my flowers so it didn't leave me a lot of space for journaling. Having the page with just journaling gives a resting spot in an otherwise busy album.

Pages 7-8 Adding stitching to the cardstock not only helps to adhere the layers together but adds texture & subtle lines to the page. Adding the felt diecut border strip & dimensional floral stickers along with the paper flowers decorates the page while keeping with the theme. Notice the 12x12 scallop diecut paper hangs out a bit from the album for another design feature. The circular shape also helps break up the squareness of the book.

Pages 8 - 9 I adhered the orange paper to the back of the diecut scallop paper & hand cut with scissors. Adding some rub ons helped to fill in the space since I used different size photos in my collage. The heart is a Creative Imagination Journaling spot & I just did the same technique to back it so it would be pleasing on the "wrong" side. The more shapes on pages the more interest.

Pages 10-11 Repeating the same pattern papers from earlier in the book. Some of the flowers I didn't feel needed journaling so I just let the full size photos shine.

Pages 12-13 Continued with similar techniques & patterns for unity thru the book. I kept the butterfly overlay in mind when placing the embellishments as they would peak thru. Metal embellishment are a fun addition to pages.
The back cover of the mini is the embossed craft felt. Stitching it to the several layers of same shape cardstock really made for a sturdy back cover & the tactile feel in my the viewers hands adds to the minibook experience... Notice with the cover closed how the diecut scallops are not all flush in the book. That to me is a good thing. At the end is when I added the ribbons to the rings & top of the album. With the album closed I checked to see where each ribbon would end up hanging out of the top of the album. I chose according to what looked good on each page.

I hope you enjoyed this fun project I made with one of my favorite topics... flowers blooming.
The new Hambly overlays are so cute. I can see many different mini's just from the patterns on them....

This traditional black hounds tooth pattern is masculine enough & would make a wonderful father's day gift. Also available in red in the ES store.

The cute Onesies for a baby mini. This pattern comes in pink & this teal

This Vintage Patchwork pattern is perfect for the cut in quarters technique & gives you 4 different coordinating designs on one page. It's available in pink too.

Here's a grungy graph pattern that would make a great teen boy mini. It's available in several colors. I can picture using this for photos of my hubby & sons motorcycle riding

There are a couple different floral patterns in some great colors for a girly or heritage albums. Since they are available in not only pink but also white, brown & black

There are several other great patterns available in the store that are sure to get your creative juices flowing. Here's the entire section of overlays.

I hope you will give one of these super cute yet inexpensive mini albums a try. When you make one please link back to this blog... I love to ooh & ahh. I get so much creative inspiration from you all.

Have a creative weekend,

Suz