An Easter Layout With 'Abundant'

Today's post is an Easter-themed layout made with the 'Abundant' collection by Authentique.  The photo is of my son & the Easter bunny taken on Easter 2017.  It's one of the cutest photos I have of my son & had been wanting to scrap it for some time.  The 'Abundant' collection provided that opportunity--plus it took me back to where I started with scrapbooking--which are good ol' fashioned layouts.

I hadn't done a layout in a long time.  It felt refreshing to create one again.  I added many bits & bobs, embellishments  & Easter themed tidbits to decorate my page.  In my stash, I had this mini nest complete with little eggs inside.  I also used several fabric & mulberry flowers in colors that added a bit of 'pop' to my page.  The orange star-shaped fabric flower is from my Etsy shop, 'The Midnight Kraft Desk'.

The base of the page was made by tearing the designer paper diagonally.  I ripped the paper with my hands in order to make the tear look as 'natural' as possible.  I then distressed & inked the edges.  The ink was a pearlescent dark brown ink that added a bit of shimmer to the edges.  Peeking out from underneath is an 8" inch white doily.  

The designer paper was then rolled up & is held in place with a dab of hot glue.

There's a bit of tulle tucked underneath the mini nest & as part of my journaling tag that 'softens' the look & feel of the layout.

Something else that I like to do is create these rolled up embellishments to further decorate my page. It's a way to add something different to a layout & also to use up any leftover scraps.

All of my layouts have some sort of journaling within them.  I tend to figure out unique or different ways of storing the journaling.  For this layout, I opted to store my journaling in a small kraft envelope that is also part of the layouts' base.

The banner seen here was fussy cut from one of the 'Abundant' papers & adhered with pop dots in order to give it some dimension.

The splatters were made with black liquid ink from my stash & some jute string was added to add a bit of visual flow to the page.

Supplies: Paper - Authentique, Resin Bird - Prima, Other - Jute String, Doily, Mulberry Paper Flowers, Fabric Flowers, Mesh Ribbon, Tulle, Mini Bird's Nest

Thanks for stopping by & I hope this layout inspires some of you to document those precious memories!

A 'Swaddle' Baby Boy & Baby Girl Exploding Box With Tutorial

For today's project I have my very first try at an exploding box.  I've used both the baby boy & baby girl versions of the 'Swaddle' collection by Authentique for these projects.

I got the idea for this sort of exploding box from a YouTube video that I saw promoting a die that creates the cuts for this style of box.  The origin of the die is in the United Kingdom.  I loved what the die did & I searched for it here in the states--but was not able to find it.  I found a shop in the UK that would ship worldwide but found it a bit costly to have it shipped here.  In the end I decided to try my own version of what this die creates & these exploding boxes would be the end result.

It's a bit more work but I like how they came out.  What I like best about creating your own--is the flexibility of this project.  You can make the boxes bigger or smaller--you'd just have to adjust the measurements based on what size box you decide to make.

The boxes measure 4 3/4" x 4 3/4" inches & are approximately 3" inches deep.  These exploding boxes open up to reveal four smaller boxes.  The four inner smaller boxes measure approximately 3" x 3" inches.

The smaller boxes can be used to store several types of different items.  Anything from chocolates to mementos, memorabilia, photos, trinkets...just about any sort of bits & bobs can be stored.  These would make for a really cute baby shower gift and just think of the possibilities when you make these in a different theme--such as for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day etc...

Here's the baby girl version.  I kept the decorating of these boxes similar for both the boy & girl versions.  The baby girl exploding box is available for sale in my Etsy shop The Midnight Kraft Desk.

This baby rattle 'shaker' was made from one of the 3" x 4" inch cut a-parts from the collection.  I had circle dies in my stash that matched the diameter of the baby rattle in the cut a-part...from there I created a miniature shaker & then fussy cut the rattle from the cut a-part & adhered it to the lid with pop dots to give it some dimension.

I love collecting mini items of just about everything.  :-)  Mini flocked teddy bears, ducks, bunnies, mushroom birds, mini lambs...anything in miniature I collect.  As you can see, they make for such a cute embellishment for these sort of projects!

I also loved the fact that for both boxes, the 4" x 4" inch cut a-part that I used as the base for my boxes places the face of the baby images right in the middle so they are visible from top.  This was such an awesome coincidence!

Supplies: Paper - Authentique, Embellishments - Authentique, Fabric Flowers - The Midnight Kraft Desk, Other - Felt Flowers, Mulberry Paper Flowers, Sequins, Seed Beads, Rhinestone Frame

Below you will find two videos.  One is an overview of both boxes.  The second is a tutorial showing how I went about creating the base for these boxes.  Thanks for stopping by & enjoy!

A 'Saucy' Paperbag Waterfall Mini Album

Today's post is one that's long overdue.  This project was created last year & for some reason, I never posted it here.  This is a paper bag, waterfall style mini album made with Authentique Paper's "Saucy" collection.  In essence, this mini album is a book for storing recipes.  That was the driving decision to make the pages out of paper bags.  The paper bag pages allow for several pieces of paper & different elements to be tucked inside for safe keeping.

If interested, this mini is available for sale in my Etsy shop, The Midnight Kraft Desk.

The mini measures 8 3/4" inches x 5" inches with a 1 1/4" inch spine.  The covers & the spine are all made out of medium weight chipboard.  I've used a white elastic/ribbon as a closure for the mini.

I've left the front cover clean & simple.  I preferred to show off the design paper with all those cute kitchen related images.

On the inside cover, I've added a small accordion pouch in order to store additional paperwork/recipes.

On the back side of each paper bag page, I've created transparent, acetate pockets.  So there's several places in this mini to store paperwork, recipes & even photos if needed.  Inside the pockets I'm storing cut a parts that come included in the 'Saucy' collection.  I've also tucked several 3" x 4" inch journaling cards all throughout the mini.

Supplies: Paper - Authentique, Embellishments - Authentique, Other - Acetate Sheets, Elastic Ribbon, Paper Bags

Find below a brief video showcasing this mini.  Enjoy!

A Seashell Shaped 'Sea Maiden' Mini Album

Today's post is a project I completed last summer but never got around to posting.  So I may be getting a bit ahead of myself here since Winter just started--but what the heck!  So for today's post I have a summer themed project.  I used the fabulous 'Sea Maiden' collection by Authentique to make a seashell shaped mini album.  Lately, in addition to being on a mini album kick--I'm into 'shaped' mini albums.  I'm trying to make minis that are not the traditional square or rectangle shape.  

Since this was a summer project & the paper was sea themed, I went with a seashell shaped album.  Mini measures 4 1/4" inches high by 4 1/2" inches wide.  Mini is available for sale in my Etsy shop--The Midnight Kraft Desk.

Mini can stand since it has a chipboard spine measuring approximately 2" inches.  Therefore, this little album can be displayed on any shelf or desk.  I had it sitting in my living room shelf for a few days & it added a really unique & decorative touch to my book shelf.  :-)

It's held closed with a gold clip.  I attached a gold starfish charm to the gold clip.

The mini has six pages.  Every other page is a pocket page that can store journaling, photos & other small memorabilia. 

To create the pages I've used the Seashell Card die from Honey Bee Stamps.  The die is for making seashell shaped cards.  I cut the base of the card apart & used both the front & back of the card as a page for my mini album.  In other words with one seashell card, I would get two pages for my mini.

I then attached each page to the spine of the mini with small paper hinges.  Each hinge has a 3/8" inch gusset which left enough room to give the pages in my album some dimension.

Supplies: Paper - Authentique, Dies - Honey Bee Stamps, Embellishments - Authentique, Other - Fabric Flowers, Clip, Starfish Charm, Chipboard Seahorse

Below is a brief video showcasing the mini.  I hope this project inspires some of you to give shaped mini albums a try.  It adds a whole new unique twist to creating mini albums!

Enjoy!

A 'Frosted' Folio Accordion Mini Album

For today's post, I have a project created with the 'Frosted' collection by Authentique.  This was one of those projects that evolved into what it is as I went.  I can't be the only crafter out there that goes through one of these once in a while right?  I knew I wanted to create a mini, I wanted it to be different from what I've done in the past & that's about all I knew when I started.  Then as I created--it evolved from there.  This is also why I don't have a tutorial for this mini.  I can't even remember how many times I started, stopped & restarted this album--there were a lot of mistakes & failed idea attempts with this one.  :-)

I have to admit though--I really liked the end result.  Sometimes these projects turn out to be the best creative endeavors--simply craft as you go & follow the creative flow.

Album is available for sale in my Etsy shop 'The Midnight Kraft Desk'--feel free to pay my shop a visit if interested!

The mini measures 4 1/2" x 7 1/2" inches.  Mini is held closed with an elastic ribbon.  I incorporated a couple of the matching 'Frosted' coordinating Spectrum card stock--'Denim' & 'Orchid'.

There are three scored spines within this mini measuring 1/2" an inch each.  These spines allow for lots of photos, journaling & memorabilia to be stored within this mini.

There are two waterfalls in this mini.  Waterfalls have 4" x 4" inch photo mats & each waterfall can store up to 12 photos.

Each waterfall is held closed with an 'elevator' belly band.  The name comes from the fact that the decorative element on the belly band can slide up & down the belly band.

I fussy cut some of the images found on the 3" x 4" inch cards cut aparts & used them as embellishments to tuck within the album.  For these two pages I used a snowflake border die by Sizzix to create the borders.  The top borders are the negative pieces that remain after cutting out the main image.

In addition to the two waterfalls, there are also two accordion folds that allow for additional storage of photos & journaling.

In the center of the mini are two belly bands that hold two large tags.  These tags measure 6 1/8" x 4 1/8" inches & can store 4" x 6" inch photos--no cropping needed.

There are two purple paperclips that keep the accordion fold elements closed.  I've decorated the paper clips with silver glitter tulle & mesh ribbon.

Supplies: Paper - Authentique, Embellishments - Authentique, Dies - Sizzix, Other - Silver Doily, Mesh Ribbon, Tulle, Winter Spray, Fabric Flowers

Find below a short video showcasing this mini.  The mini is capable of folding out in a couple of different ways.  Enjoy!

A 'Pleasant' Cascading Mini Album with Tutorial

For today's project, I'm fulfilling a long overdue promise.  Several months ago I created a 'faux' tag mini album with the 'Alpine' collection.  You can see that post here in order to refresh your memory.  I had several requests for a tutorial on how I went about creating the base for this mini.  I've now recreated this mini although I took a slightly different approach.  I feel that this second time around, the mini came out better with the adjustments that I made in creating it.  The mini is now a bit wider providing more room for storing photos, journaling & other memorabilia.

Mini album will be available for sale in my Etsy shop, The Midnight Kraft Desk.  Feel free to visit if interested.

I've used the fabulous Autumn themed collection 'Pleasant' by Authentique for my mini.  Autumn is my absolute favorite season of the year--so I have to admit that I truly enjoyed using this collection for my project.  

I've fussy cut the owl from one of the ATC cut aparts found in the 'Pleasant' collection & adhered it to the front of my mini.  I absolutely loved this image & thought it would make the perfect focal point to the front of my mini.  I decorated the top border of the front page by adding dots of gold Stickles all along the edge.

Just like the 'Alpine' mini, this album consists of 5 double sided pages & is held closed with a string of jute.  I've used lightweight chipboard for the base of the mini.  The album measures 8" inches in height x 5 1/2" inches in width.  Each spine or gusset, measures 3/8" inches.

I ended up decorating this mini the same way I decorated the 'Alpine' mini.  I've used pockets, belly bands, stand alone 'swing' pockets & several tags in different sizes to embellish the mini.

What I like most about this mini is that it can be stored closed or can be displayed on a shelf or desk.  The design of the mini allows it to be a stand alone album & can be used as a decorative element in any room.

Supplies: Paper - Authentique, Embellishments - Authentique, Dies - Sizzix, Other - Fabric Flowers, Jute String, Autumn Spray, Mini Pine Cone, Resin Pumpkin

Below you will find two videos.  One is an overview of the mini & the other is a tutorial showing how I go about making the base for this mini--specifically how I use dies to create the top borders for each page.  Thanks for stopping by & enjoy!