Baby Boy Diaper Bag Mini Album

Thanks for viewing stopping by to look at my Diaper Bag Baby Boy Mini Album. I created this album for a friend. The couple having the baby are not into really cutesy stuff, so I used this paper pad that’s just a but more edgy than your average baby paper. I really love the way it turned out.

You can see more of the album in the youtube video:

I used the hinge binding (Laura Dennison’s I think - but I’ve seen it so many times on youtube that I’ve lost track of where it started).

The thimble charm tassel I saw here: http://www.youtube.com/user/gladysgarden (she has some fabulous videos - take a look).

The micro mini album I saw here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OJkbRmMMeE&list=FLipu2K09pXKN1KZpXxPYbpQ


The album itself I just created like you would any mini except that I added the purse handles and the paper / buckle closure (it has a magnet under the buckle so you don’t have to actually unbuckle the paper strap). There are 7 page sets. Each page has front/back, a large fold out flap and a large side pocket with a tag. I’ve embellished only the pages you see when you flip through without opening the flaps so that inside the flaps they can include full sized pictures of the baby (either 5x7 or 4x6). There is room for 28 full size pictures plus what will fit on the embellished pages (another 14+) along with the 20 + various sized tags throughout the album (some as large as 4x5). With the hinges leaving a full half inch between pages, you can fit A TON of pictures in an album like this!

Thanks again for stopping by!

~ Make Today Count

Wendy

Haunted House and Halloween Mini Album Sneak Peek

Okay, this is totally a sneak peek because I am not finished with this yet.  I have a skeleton to go in the balcony of the haunted house and my album is near complete.  What do you think? Leave me a comment and let me know.  I started with a plain paper mache house from Hobby Lobby like this one:

 

I gave it a few coats of paint (okay, I painstakingly applied layer after layer until I got it just right lol), a balcony made from chipboard scraps, ragged cloth curtains in all windows, a chipboard door with real metal hinges and a door pull, not to mention spider webs and tombstones and voila!  You have a haunted mansion perfect for housing my Halloween Mini Album.  Here are a couple more pictures:

 

Close-up

 

 

The one below shows the inside.  I put "wallpaper" and a hanging picture on the back wall because with a couple of battery operated tea lights you can see through the windows.  I painted the entire inside black before installing the curtains and adding "wallpaper."

 

Now for a sneak peek at the album . . .wait  . . . for . . . it . . .

 

 

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So . . . what do you think?  I totally love it.  Of course I agonized over the cover like I always do, layering things on top trying to figure out if I was going to like it, because the minute you glue it down there's no turning back.  But I really do like how it turned out.  So here's what's piled on . . . 

 

 The two metal corners are die cut from metal tape and dry embossed using my sizzix.  After that I added layers of emboss enamel and paint and then chipped some off to look really worn.  The skeleton hand has been painted and distressed and wiped off again.  I added three layers of lace to look like a vintage sleeve.  I also added a jump ring with a rhinestone to create a ring.  The skeleton is cut from design paper and embossed using an embossing stylus to give it some depth (of course I also adhered it with pop up tape for more height).Under the hand and skeleton is a black rose trim with a bit of black crocheted lace peeking out from just under the edge.  I have added two stick pins I created using various beads from my stash, a teeny tiny glass vial with green "poison" in it (the lid is glued in) a frame I created with Amazing Mold Putty and Resin with a glitter spider from design paper, I Am Roses flowers and skeleton leaves colored with Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst sprays, some bones and a tiny skull from my stash, a title tag from design paper, and to finish it off, a Tim Holtz door knob. 

 

Whew!  I think that about does it for the cover.  Since I didn't show the spine, I don't have to tell you about that yet lol.  I will be selling this house/album on Etsy or Ebay so when I show the finished product I will give all of these details again for anyone who is interested.  Wait until you see how chunky this album is . . . I think the spine is 5" wide (I need to measure).

 

Well, there's the sneak peek, thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to comment and let me know what you think.

 

~ Make Today Count

 

Wendy

 

Twilight Mini Album ~ Last Pages

Okay, if you have been following or waiting for the last pages of my twilight mini album, here they are!  If you missed the first couple of posts you will have to go back to check them.

Another look at the cover. 

Kind of chunky! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

~ Make Today Count

Wendy

My Little Cowboy ~ AMP DT Project

Our road trip this summer took us to South Dakota where we visited Deadwood.  That was July and I am still finishing up our journal/scrapbook of that trip. This is one of the pages I wanted to make some charms to go on the page but the only ones I had were silver, plus, with all the cowboy pictures I have of my son, I knew I would use these again and again in different ways. Soooooo . . . I made my own using Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Casting Resin and added some Alumilite Dye and Alumilite Metallic Powder to complete the look.

These were the original metal charms:

 

 

Next I mixed my Amazing Mold Putty mixing a 1:1 ratio of "A" and "B" (click on the link at the end of this post to go to their website for a tutorial).

 

 

Then I made a mold of my charms and brushed the inside with  metallic powder (link above). As I said in my last post, this stuff goes a long way - you really don't have to use much  at all to cover the entire surface of what you are molding.

 

 

After trying the dyes on my last project and liking the way it looked, I mixed a couple of drops (and I mean just drops) of the African American dye and then added a little of the metallic powder to side "A" before mixing the resin on a second set and this is what it looked like in the mold:

 

 

This is what each set looked like fresh out of the mold with nothing added on the surface.  As you can see, if you didn't want to play with them you could absolutely leave them as-is and have a great look.  Or you could take it a step further like I did and  paint, daub, brush and rub to get them the way I wanted. That's what I did with the top set.  The bottom set I left alone except to rub just a bit of the metallic powder on the raised areas to highlight it just a bit.

 

 

After playing with these products, I have found that I love the dyes and powders almost as well as the putty and the resin (not quite because I love, love, love the putty and resin). 

One tip I have for making charms or anything with a bail on it, is to pull it out of the mold before it is rock hard and use a paper piercing tool to open the bail and then put a toothpick or skewer in the hole to hold it open while it dries.  If you try to re-open the hold once the piece hardens, you will break it.  Doing this before it hardens and having it ready to go can save the major meltdown that might happen if you break it later (this would be me waiting until the last minute to make a gift and then the piece breaks when I don't have time to start over - lol).  Below is an example:

Here is one last look at my finished project:

Thanks for joining me - Make sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think!  Also, don't forget to check out the Amazing Mold Putty website for these and more Amazing products.

~ Make Today Count

Wendy
www.scrappinwendysway.blogspot.com

Robin's Nest and Helmar Home for the Holidays Blog Hop Project

 

Hi everyone!  I am so excited to be a part of The Robin's Nest and Helmar Home for the Holidays Blog Hop!

If you are hopping along, you should have arrived here from Liz Chidester's blog  . . . if you just happened upon my page or were checking in on me, head on over to The Robin's Nest Blog so you can hop from the beginning.  Don't forget to "follow" each blog as you visit and leave a comment on their blog hop post to be eligible for some blog candy.  Your name could be drawn for fab prizes!

Here is my Home for the Holidays Mini Album created for the Blog Hop.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.  These papers were a fun choice for Christmas.  I am usually drawn to the Red/Green/White combo that gets a little boring.  This was a great deviation from what I would instinctively choose and create; and really allowed me room to play with the paper without any expectations.  I LOVE the finished product.  Let me know what you think (comment and follow for a chance to win prizes).

In this project I used Glitter Christmas Trees cardstock, Glitter Christmas Words cardstock, Red Swirl Glitter cardstock, Glitter Black and White Holly, Glitter Silver on Black cardstock, Christmas Dew Drops  , Helmar Quickfix Adhesive Runner, Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive,  This was the first time I used the Helmar Quickfix Adhesive and I have to say that I really like it.  Most tape runner style adhesives I've tried do not have the staying power you find with a wet adhesive, but I'm happy to report that this one actually does.  I am also impressed with the 450 Quick Dry Adhesive and will definitely have to get some more of that.

Here are some pictures of my project:

 

Here are a couple of close-ups:

 

Thanks for hopping along! Be sure to go to the next blog in the hop which will be Lisa Wilkinson.

~ Make Today Count
Wendy

Cowboy Up Mini Album ~ Robin's Nest DT Project

I created this mini album as an insert to my travel journal from our summer road trip to South Dakota (Deadwood). We had so many pictures from this little photo shoot, I couldn't decide on just one or two. By creating a mini album insert, I was able to use 10 pictures! Here's what I did:

I started with my stash of Robin's Nest Papers and chose the double-sided Cowboy Cardstock (you really need double-sided paper for this to come out finished looking) and double-sided Calamity Jane Roses Cardstock. I don't think I could have found more perfect paper for these pictures if I was to try and create it myself. I love, love, love the cowboy paper and the roses with a touch of glitter is fabulous. The colors are perfect muted tones that really capture the feel of the old west. I also used the Cowboy Stickers which were the perfect finishing touch.

I started with my two sheets of paper and cut the Cowboy Cardstock (link above) to 7"x 12". I scored it 1", 6" and 11" on the long side (this will be the cover). I cut the Calamity Jane Roses Cardstock (link above) to 7" x 9.5" and scored it in the center. I used the 5" strip that was left to cut a piece 4.75" x & 7" I then used the left over scrap of the CJ Roses Cardstock for an extra fold-out piece. Here are the cut pieces:

The next step was to attach the CJ Rose 7" x 9.5" piece to the flap (created by scoring at 1") on the left side of the cover with the fold facing in. This creates a double fold-out and should look like the picture below when open.

The next step is to add the 4.75" x 7" piece of CJ Roses Cardstock to the flap on the right side (flap created by scoring cover at 11"). Now it should look like this with the double fold-out on the left and a single fold-out on the right:

When the double fold-out is opened it should look like this:

The last step to the construction portion of the album is to add the small scrap to the single fold-out on the right side. When both fold-outs are open it should look like this:

This is a top view of the whole album:

The next step is to add your pictures and embellishments which, of course, is the fun part! This paper was so perfect, I didn't have to add much to get that old west feel I was looking for. . . it just sort of came together. Here are some pictures of the finished album:

Thanks for looking at my Cowboy Up Mini Album. Be sure to saddle up and mosey over to the Robin's Nest website to check out the whole line of western paper and embellishments. Check out the Robin's Nest blog to see more fabulous creations from the Robin's Nest Design Team.

~ Make Today Count
Wendy