A few years ago, I collected pretty gift cards and dreamed up this album :) It's not a sentimental album but it was a fun project and way to track some of my favorite things at that time of my life :)
Looking through my album below, you'll notice that the 'front' of each page is a gift card with a photo related to that store on the back! The cover and back panel are recycled coffee sleeves, and the flower is made of fused plastic shopping bags. I'll show you how to make one too incase you'd like to make this album or adapt it :)
How to Make Your Own
You will need:
- Gift cards that represent stores you love (Tip! If you don't save or have a lot of gift cards, most stores will let you have one of their Gift Cards if you ask permission and explain that it's for a craft project.)
- photos or magazine clippings relating to those stores/gift cards
- a few colored plastic bags (for the fusing diy)
- 1 binder ring (available at office supply stores) or 6" ribbon
- metal fastener or 'brad'
- 1 fun colored nail polish
- hole punch or crop-o-dile tool
- dymo/label maker or stickers
- 2 coffee sleeves
- packaging like hang tags, labels, etc (optional)
- scissors, glue, permanent felt pen
Step 1/ To begin, crop your photos to be a little bigger than your gift cards (gift cards measure 3.5 x 2.25"). Then match your pictures with their corresponding g.c.'s (g.c.=giftcard).
Tip! If you're printing your photos at home, try printing on graph or lined paper. The lines show through a little bit and give the photos a cohesive & cute look :]
Step 2/ With each giftcard & photo pair, apply glue to the entire back surface of the g.c., then attach the g.c. onto the back of the corresponding photo (double check that your g.c. is within the borders of the picture and facing the right way).
Tip! 'Tape Runner Glue' makes projects like this so much easier and cleaner (rather than white glue or gluestick). I recommend the blue tape runner glue (above) from Walmart for $4, with a double refill pack for $4... it's the best deal I've found.
Step 3/ Trim the overhanging photo paper around each g.c. (it's much easier to trim it afterwards rather than trying to line the image up for a perfect fit).
Step 4/ If you'd like to "laminate" your photographs, attach a piece of clear packing tape before you trim the excess, smooth out the bubbles and trim. The packing tape does not need to wrap around the giftcard.
Step 5/ To thicken the coffee sleeve for your covers, open it up, fold inside out to cover the branding, then glue it flat as one piece. Trace a gift card onto two coffee sleeves and cut out; these will become the cover and back panel for your minibook.
Tip! If you' want to add extra pages to record best finds, a dream shopping list, color schemes, etc... make a few extra coffee sleeve pages.
Tip! To incorporate packaging or hang tags in your album, treat the best side like the front of a giftcard page and add an image or magazine clipping to the back (unless the back is just as awesome).
Step 6/ In a few steps, we're going to create a flower for the cover. For the center, I suggest using an old fashion paper fasteners (remember when your teacher used these for the centers of pinwheels, pie charts and colorwheels?). To dress them up a a little bit, apply a few coats of nail polish in your favorite color! It's super durable and a supply you already have on hand!
Step 7/ Punch a hole in the top left corner of one of your g.c.'s, then use that card as a template to draw a hole in the same location on all of your other g.c.'s. Punch out the hole on each card using a regular hole punch or crop-o-dile hole punch.
Step 8/ One of my favorite free craft supplies is fused plastic bags! I learned how to do this from a magazine a few years ago, and haven't passed up a good colorful bag since! Learn how to fuse plastic here (it's easy)!
Step 9/ Freehand or trace 3-5 concentric circles on a fused plastic bag(s). Do it all in one color of plastic or mix a few colors like I did.
Step 10/ Layer the circles smallest to biggest and punch a small hole in the center.
Step 11/ Lay your circles onto the cover of your mini album and poke a small hole where you want the center of the flower. Once the nail polish has dried, attach your flower with the paper fastener and fold back the ends on the other side. Then think of a title that suits your style or album theme and punch it out with a dymo label maker or use letter stickers. Attach it to the cover where it feels right.
Tip! If you'd like your dymo label to reach edge to edge on your cover... add extra spaces on both sides, stick it down then trim the excess off after it's in place... you'll never be short :)
Step 12/ Put your pages in the order you'd like your album to read, line up the holes and feed your binder ring through (if you're using a ribbon, lace it through and tie a bow or knot).
Step 13/ Sign your album on the back cover and you are done!! :)
Feel free to add more pages & g.c.'s to your album over time and write little notes or stories in your album! Leave it on your coffee table or dresser for you and your family & guests to enjoy, it's a fun insight into your personality and some of the things you like!
xo, Leigh-Ann
