At the start of the March, my colleague and good friend Aurelie moved away to start a new chapter in her life. Already I miss her so much. At first I was sad that she was leaving, but it wasn’t long before I realised what a great opportunity lay before her, and wished that one day I would be brave enough to take such a leap of faith in the way that Aurelie and her family did.
And so, as a parting gift, I couldn’t just rely on a store bought card which would be undoubtedly displayed for a few days and then would make its way into the rubbish bin or get lost amongst boxes during the move. I wanted to create something especially for Aurelie, something she could remember us by.
This is a simple, and quick mini book that is super fun to make. It took me about 2 hours in total so is a great project if you are just starting out with crafting and perhaps want to try making a quick yet beautifully effective mini book. So here’s how its made:
Have a go…
First take some pattern paper which is 6×6 in size, and pick out 6 different coordinating patterns. This is especially easy if you use a pack of paper, as usually they will all be similar colours and matching designs. Using a bone folder, score a line 2″ from one edge on each of the pieces of paper and leave to the side for now.
Next take a piece of 12 x 12 cardstock, and using a trimmer cut this into six 6″x4″ rectangles. Stick the pattern paper on top of the cardstock, lining up the scored line with the edge of the rectangular piece of card. Then fold the excess paper around to the other side of the card. It will cover exactly half of this side of the cardstock. In order to embellish each of these pages in a reoccurring theme, I stuck a length of ribbon along this paper edge, and added handmade toppers -made using a circle punch and a scalloped circle punch, and layered using silicon glue. I also added small envelopes to the other side of each of these pages so that all our clients could write short farewell messages to Aurelie that could be tucked away safely within the mini book.
Next, to make the journaling pages, take another piece of 12 x 12 cardstock and trim into six 6″ x 4″ pieces. Using scallop edged scissors, cut a decorative edge along three of the sides of each page, and ink the edges to add a little definition if you feel like it.
Layer up the pages – alternating between a patterned page and the plain journaling pages, and with a little help from the Bind-it-all machine, you have a quick and easy mini book in no time.
Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle
Do you like the tag? This was a plain, boring, and simple clothing tag that came on a pair of new jeans. I instantly fell in love with the ball chain, and knew that it would be perfect for a project like this. The brand name was easily covered by pieces of cardstock and embellishments that coordinated with the overall style and design of the book.
Thanks for looking, and Aurelie, if you see this- don’t be a stranger!
