A 'Devoted' File Folder Mini Album

Today's post is a mini album I've made with one of Authentique's latest collections 'Devoted'.   This is a pet themed paper line that I instantly fell in love with as soon as I saw it!  If you have a beloved pet--you'll instantly understand what I'm talking about.

Our dog Toby came into our lives when he was just 12 weeks old.  Since then he's been just like any other member of our family.  Sure he's covered in fur, drools, barks, licks the floor & just about everything else including his own butt--but he's family & nobody in my family loves more unconditionally than Toby.

He's my eldest child--which is what I call him since he was here first before my son and like all members of the family, he's had his ups & downs.  Unfortunately for my little guy he's allergic to several types of food--that combined with low thyroid levels resulted in one itchy, red & blotchy little guy.  So daily he needs to take medicine to help with his allergies.  This is medication that he continuously has to take & I administer daily.

Late last year he got pancreatitis (he got a hold of some juicy but very-bad-for-you chicharrones which is literally fried pork fat) yeah, this didn't sit too well in his already sensitive tummy.  So off to the vet...

Then early this year he tore a knee ligament--hello vet once more!  It's OK though--he's my little furry guy & it's the least I can do in return for the unconditional love he showers me & the rest of my family with.

So needless to say I have many, many photos of Toby.  Yet, I've never put them in any sort of album.  I do have several layouts of him--but I've been wanting to put the best photos I've taken of him in a mini album.  So when I saw the 'Devoted' collection--I knew this was it!

In prowling YouTube & Pinterest (something I do every chance I get) I found a fabulous tutorial by 'Just A Few Designs' where the base of the mini album is 1 file folder.  Not too long ago I had invested in whole box of kraft colored file folders with the idea of making mini albums with them.  So this tutorial couldn't have come along at a better time.

The above photo is the front cover.  The paper was more than enough embellishment for this mini--so both the front & back of the mini is covered with the same paper.

Now, I used the tutorial as a guide.  I had to alter the measurements a bit since my file folders were a slightly different size than the ones used in the tutorial.  Also I added my own twist & creative mix to the file folder.  That's the beauty of this tutorial--the idea is there--but the rest is up to your imagination.  You can keep it simple or you can make it a bit more complex.

From the outside this mini doesn't seem like it can hold much--but there are several pockets for storage plus a few flips and folds that can store extra photos & journaling.

I've created a video show casing this mini.  It's hard to fully understand how this mini works without having the visual.

Please go easy on me with this video--it's the very first time where I actually talk through a video.  I was nervous & I kept stuttering & babbling!  I hope to get better in making videos with a bit more practice...

You can find the tutorial I based my mini album on here.

Enjoy!