Baby Boy Onesie Mini Album

Today I'm up with a handsome little mini album at
SIMPLE STORIES
www.simplestories.com

 I created the album with pieces from the SN@P! Baby Boy Set 
 and a onesie shaped die by Top Dog Dies.  I love to make small albums such as this to
 give as gifts to a new mom or grandma...they're the perfect size for a brag book and display  
so sweetly on a shelf or cabinet!

The die that I used is actually a 'card' die, so look for that if you're interested
 in shopping for it.  First, I cut the shape from white mat board; you can also use a 
medium-heavy weight chipboard.  When I cut the shape, the scoring area of the 
die actually cut instead of score, which worked out perfectly.  So a 12 page mini album
 would consist of cutting the entire die shape three times from a 6X12 sheet of material.  
Next, repeat the process and cut the shape  from either a cardstock or patterned paper. 

The 'mat' portion of the pages were die-cut with a onesie 'finisher' die set, but you 
could also cut an oval or rectangle so that it fits nicely.  I die cut the pieces from various
 4X6 cards found in the SN@P! Baby Boy Set, as well as some plaid and solid patterns
 found in the  Homespun 6X6 paper pad.  The front is simply decorated with some
 layered hearts and adorable stickers from the set.

I decided to go with a 'flip-up' style album, so just keep in mind the direction that
 your pages need to be decorated when putting it together.  Between each chipboard page,
 I added 2-3 of the 'months' cards found in the Baby Boy SN@P! 3x4 cards. 

 Great place for mom to journal or add extra photos.
Also, when putting the album together, I try to stagger the embellishments from 
 page-to-page so that one page's embellishments doesn't layer right on top of the next page's. 

Use designs found on the larger, 4X6 cards as embellishments. 
 Below, I cut one of the hearts from a card and then simply added some hand-stitching over it. 

Although I try to keep the 'bulk' to minimum with such a thick album, I still like to raise
 up a few of the stickers by adding foam adhesive to the back.  Brads and buttons dress
 up plain stickers and give a touch of dimension.

 And don't forget about the other fun products by Simple Stories that you can mix in! 
 The DIY Kraft and Burlap pieces are great for layering.

One of my favorite SN@P! products are the adorable pockets!  
Here, I've added one of the smaller ones to the page and then simply 
tucked in one of the DIY Kraft tags.

In finishing, I like to add some baker's twine around the edge of the album.
 This isn't necessary, especially when using a clean-cut die, but it does add such a soft texture. 
 For the binding, I took the first page of the album and punched two holes at the top.
  I then used it as a template for creating holes in all of the following pages. 
 The album is quite thick, so I strung through two 1.5" rings and tied on single ribbon
 bows to each.  Now it's ready to be adored for many years to come!


Here is a quick list of products:
DIY- Kraft Journal Layers #5120
DIY- Kraft Tag Foundations #5133
DIY- Arrow Burlap Stickers #5148
DIY- Banner Burlap Stickers #5149
DIY- Icon Burlap Stickers #5150
SN@P! Baby Boy Pockets #4153
SN@P! Baby Boy Stickers #4154
SN@P! Baby Boy 4X6 Cards #4155
SN@P! Baby Boy 3X4 Cards #4156
Homespun 6X6 Paper Pad #3822