A Tale of Two Mini Albums

"Hello...my name is Sheri and I am NOT a scrapbooker."

Happy Saturday Everyone!  And welcome to Paper Hoarders Anonymous!  Bwahahaha!


Those of you that visit regularly, especially on Wednesdays, may remember that I was working on some one-sheet mini albums.  Even though I don't scrapbook, mini albums, for some reason, fascinate me!  They are such cute little works of art.  I see all these lovely, lumpy, super-embellished minis all over the internet (like the uber-talented Laura Denison -- love, love, love her work).  Mine never quite turn out as "over the top" as those, but they're still kind of cute!

On a recent search of You Tube, I found two cute ideas for mini albums using only one sheet of 12 X 12 paper.  These are the brainchild of Creations by Christie.  I've seen other versions as well, so you may know of other sources for these instructions.  Since I don't have any special tool or machine for binding little books (except my Cropadile and book rings or ribbon), I thought these styles might be cool to try.

The first one I made is a mini pocket album.  This little gem ends up with eight little pockets, where you could put photos or other mementos.  I've put tags in mine.  As you can see, my decoration level is very minimal.  Just some ribbon pulls and a decorated cover.  I felt like the beautiful paper could stand on its own without any help.  This would be the perfect little size for a "brag book" or school pictures or a special event.

The second one I made is a mini book with tags.  Same basic concept, but with a more vertical result.  There are six "pages" inside with space for photos or journaling, as well as four pull out tags.  Again, I've kept the decor to a minimum, leaving as much space for the recipient's additions as possible.  I only put photo mats/journaling cards on half of the interior pages and just added a little snowflake detail to the tags.

So what are your thoughts on mini albums?  Please feel free to share any tips, tricks or tutorials that you use!

By the way, if you've entered my blog candy give away, stay tuned later today as I'll be announcing the winner.

Thanks for looking at my blog. I appreciate all the wonderful comments everyone leaves. Happy Stamping!