A Step-by-Step Guide to
Mini-Albums
Itsy-bitsy. Small. Petite.
Teeny-weeny. Tiny.
Miniscule. Little.
Miniature. Mini, Even the
words to describe it are
cute. And who doesn't love
cute? Easy to make (but
difficult to give away!),
mini-albums can be
heart-felt gifts. Simple
books or artistic
masterpieces - the final
product is up to you!
Choose A Theme
The initial step to creating a mini-album is to determine the theme.
Maybe you already have a theme in mind, but if not, here are some ideas.
- Scrapbook a vacation you have shared with the
recipient; or maybe they
have taken their own vacation and need a stunning way to showcase some
favourite photos.
- Document the recipient's or a hobby that you share
together.
- Build an album detailing the life and times of the
recipient's pet.
- Create a book about the recipient's collectibles.
- Document a favourite sport.
- Create a baby book in which new parents can put
photos of their beloved newborn.
- Make a mini-album of much-loved photos accompanied by
catchy quotes.
Size Matters
How much information and photos do you have? How much time do you
want to spend on this project? These are important questions to ask
yourself when picking an album size. Mini-albums come in many different
sizes including 3, 6, or 8 inch square albums.
A matchbook-sized album can be a sentimental piece of artwork that the
recipient can carry with them in a pocket or on a keychain. These mini-mini-albums
can be strung on a ribbon to make a charming necklace, or even a sentimental
Christmas tree ornament.
On the other hand, maybe you have a penchant for detailed journaling or
you need to include lots of photos to tell a story. If that is the case, go
with the larger format. When picking an album, keep in mind the final product
as well as the recipient. And remember, if you can't find the album size,
that you were daydreaming about, get your creative juices flowing and make your
own!
Colour Me Happy
Different colours convey different messages. Pastels evoke softness or fragility
often associated with newborns, so baby blue or cotton candy pink are perfect choices
for a baby album: however, pastels are probably not a great choice for a mini-album
about your husband's love for hockey. A bright colour (think fire engine red or
royal blue) combined with white or black can evoke a feeling of energy and confidence -
perfect for an album about the winning team!
Establishing a colour scheme for an album is essential . It creates a sense of fluidity
throughout the album.
Initially try and keep your
colour choices simple (one
or two colours), so that
your pages are not
overwhelming to the eye.
When you have created
several mini-albums and dare
feeling confident, spin the
colour wheel and see what
happens!
Raiding the Piggy Bank?
After deciding upon a theme (or in my case, several themes
for several mini-albums!), an album size, and the basic
colour(s), determine how much money you want to spend. You can
spend and hour or two at your local scrapbooking store and colour-coordinate
your album, papers, and embellishments, or you can conduct a mini-inventory
of your own stash for paper and supplies that may be perfect for
your current creation (see Figure 1). If you use what you already have, you'll
only have to purchase the necessities.
It's in the Design
Imagine. Sketch. Plan. Do what you need to do to design pages that complement
the theme of your mini-album. I find that sketching things out helps me visualize
different ideas, which I can then change to better fit my real layout. It's
easier than starting over after I have glued things down! When making gift albums, I
like to create a title page followed by several "filler" pages. My filler pages are
generally in the same format, with different embellishments. Filler pages can also be
virtually the same, with different photos, or different quotes. And finally, like writing projects in
English 101, don't forget your conclusion. Create a final page, an ending, so to speak, so the reader isn't
left hanging.
Get Scrappin'
Whether you are a novice scrapbooker or a seasoned cropper, mini-albums can be tailored to your skill-set and budget.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the piles of photos, making (and finishing) a mini-album can give you
a real sense of accomplishment. And best of all, a mini-album can be made in a weekend, but
will be cherished by the recipient for a lifetime. So get scrappin'! |
