Mo's Matchbook Mini Album

Where in the world have a been you ask? Wellllllll.....I have had the most wonderful visit from my oldest daughter and my two grandsons. What a treat to visit almost all week with them! Cole and I had a slumber party every night ( a test to see if he was ready  and able to stay all night  without Mom nearby---he passed the test with flying colors!) I took Cole to his first movie (Toy Story 3) and he had a great time as well. Been a great week for sure.

Okay...here as promised...simple instructions on how to make this fast and easy matchbook  mini!

I made this little boy mini album for Erin's hubby Matt and the girl mini album below for their friends Todd and Amber.

Both Matt and Todd have decided this year to make a career change into law enforcement and both are currently attending the state police academy. I thought the Mom's would have fun filling these little books full of family  photos and giving them to the "new recruits". A small touch of home to have nearby. I included some stamped  Ali Edwards journaling images,  and a sampling of patriotic ribbons and nestie stars with the kid's names on them to decorate the inside pages. I hope the Mom's will  have some fun scrapping these little mini's.

I stumbled on this cute mini album on a site called Stampin Addicts and a post by Beedubya back in February 2010.

I used some cuttlebug folders for texture as well as my cricut/scal program for the word DAD.(still figuring that out LOL)

I think this looks like Todd and Amber's daughter Maylee!

Mini Album Details:

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Stamps: Mo's Digital Pencil Too images,  Support the Troops
Cardstock: SU! Navy and Red, SU red striped DP,blue star DP by Paper Pizazz
Ink: Memento Black and Copics
Misc: ribbon from Michaels, Star nesties, Star and dot Cuttlebug folders, Cricut/scal for the word Dad

Here are the pieces you will need to make this mini album. If you enlarge, you can see the score lines or read below.
 
Pages: 3 x 4 1/2 inches---6 pieces of cardstock for the pages (scored at 3/4 inches and you could round the corners on the other end if you choose)

Front Cover: 3 1/4 x 10 inches---score at 4 1/4, 4 1/2, and 9 1/4

Pictures: 8 to 10 pictures sized/cropped  at 3 3/4 x 2/3/4 or smaller(depends on how much journaling you want to add. This mini  makes a book with 12 pages.) See photo size suggestion below as well.

DP:  cut at 2 3/4 x 3 3/4 if you want to decorate any pages and then add journaling like I did in the turtle mini in the pictures below. If you want to add pictures over the DP cut the pictures to 3 1/2 by 2 1/2.

Fold the cover at the score lines and it should resemble a large matchbook.Insert the pages under the 3/4 inch end of the front cover and staple. Now...you will need a heavy duty stapler for this (I used a heavy duty office one at work) OR you could punch holes through the cover and pages  and tie with a ribbon. Make sure you don't do what I did in the pic below. Try to staple closer to the end of the album so that you leave room to tuck in the front cover. This was a little too high up for my liking...I forgot already from the first mini like this I made! Drats!!!  I did add a couple glue dots to the front and back of the "spine" and added ribbon tied around the spine  for decoration., or add a strip of DP.

Don't staple too far in from the edge (like I did here) , you need to be able to tuck in the front flap. (Do as I say, not as I do in this case LOL)

This is what it will look like when you have stapled in the pages and added the ribbon. I added fun DP to these on a few pages  just because they were unfinished gifts, but this should really be pictures.

Below is a picture of my Gwamma's Boys mini that I carry in my purse. If you have a clear envelope it will protect your album-- but really I made this simple so I could carry it without any fuss---and show off my baby boys! I made this back in April and it is still holding up well!  I think the cute turtle DP is made by 3 Bugs in a Rug, but I used it all, so no way of knowing for sure!

Here is the mini I made for me and below are the pages. You can see a larger version by clicking on each picture below.

My daughter Erin with newborn Luke and Cole when Luke was just hours old.

 

Cole holding his baby brudder for the first time. I love the Ali Edwards Technique Tuesday journal stamps.

Erin with Luke as a newborn...love this pic...Now at 4 and a half months--Luke only has eyes for his Mama!

Two brothers taking a nap at home.

Luke napping during his first visit to my house back in March. I love how babies sleep with their hands up in the air like that!

Cole and this Gwamma love to put puzzles together...here he is with a fave truck puzzle..Thanks Auntie Linda! 100% Boy is from a boy stamp set at Michaels.

An early morning game of match box cars with Mommy! The last page!

Hope you find time to make a little mini like this, they are so much fun! Thanks for stopping by and if you are reading this...thanks for sticking clear to the end LOL!