I saw these little cuties on eBay, spent some time figuring out how to make them, and decided to share. They'd make great party/shower favors, stocking stuffers, whatever! Here we go:
Materials Needed:
- 2 strips of cardstock 2 3/8" x 11 13/16"
- 16 squares of cardstock 2 1/4" x 2 1/4"
- 16 squares of patterned paper 2" x 2"
- 2 squares of patterned paper 4" x 4"
- 2 squares of chipboard 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"
- 16" ribbon
- split ring
- lanyard hook
- 2 identical punched pieces approx. 1 3/4" - 2"
Cover chipboard squares with 4" squares of patterned paper, mitering corners. Score long strips of cardstock at 2 3/8", 4 3/4", 7 1/8", and 9 1/2". Accordian fold strips. (The last panel on each strip will be 1/16" shorter than the others in the strip.)
Overlap the two shorter panels as shown and adhere to make one long continuous strip.
Mat patterned paper squares with cardstock squares, then adhere them to panels on strip, alternating patterns and leaving the first panel on each side of the strip blank. Make sure you have the panels right side up (if they are words or other patterns where it matters) on the back of the strip - it's easy to get confused.
Put adhesive on blank panel on front side of strip (you can't see it in the picture because you have to fold it to the back to attach it), center on inside of cover piece and adhere. On inside of back cover, put adhesive across the center, then adhere ribbon, placing it so that you have 5 1/2" of ribbon extending from right side, with remainder extending from left side. Then adhere blank panel of back side of strip (again, you have to fold it to the back) to this cover piece, completing the book itself.
Punch a hole in the upper left corner of the panel attached to the back cover (this will include the cover itself, of course). Attach lanyard hook and split ring through hole, as shown.
Wrap long end of ribbon across front, and tie book closed at right side. Slide one punched piece under ribbon, centering as shown.
Adhere second punched piece on top of first, sandwiching ribbon between, and making sure everything lines up properly. Embellish as desired. All finished! Here is a view of it open:
Here's another one:
Isn't that little cherry charm the cutest?! I attached it with a flower brad through one of the holes I punched in the scallop circle. All of the designer papers are from the "Summer Picnic" collection from Stampin'Up!, and the cardstock is all DCWV. I got that great double-stitched ribbon from Michael's, but I have no idea where I got the cherries. The stamp is from SU's "Sweet on You" set, and is stamped in Old Olive and Real Red. Here's what the inside looks like:
And here's another one that shows another way to keep it closed:
I started thinking about other closures for this little album. What I came up with is incredibly simple! I took a plain old ponytail elastic (one of the small ones) and stapled it to the front cover before I added the embellishments and the inside pages:
To close the book, you just slip the elastic around the entire thing! I used Stampin'Up!'s "Carte Postale" and some black embossing powder to make the accent. I layered two daisy punches (ivory) behind a red circle and added an epoxy sticker, and put the whole thing on top of the Carte Postale square, then attached the entire accent with a glue dot on top of the elastic. (The glue dot is one of the thicker ones, so the accent is "popped up" high enough for the elastic to move freely without messing anything up.)
The other two items are large binder clips embellished with paper, ribbon, and such. The red "flower" behind the accent on the clip on the right is actually heart sequins glued to the back of the circle accent. These clips make great photo holders!
Originally published October 29, 2007, September 25, 2008, and March 3, 2008