in the mini mood.

sometimes, i just am.
the mood strikes me to make a mini album, and i get busy lol.
and since i pretty much only scrap with my SC kits, sometimes i have to improvise.
no kit in this month's kit?
no problem!!

just gather what you see here...-chipboard packaging or shape that you dig
-your fave scissors
-trusty glue stick (i use Tombow brand, but whatever you have on hand is great)
-smidge of sandpaper from my husband's stash
-whichever paper you would like to cover your mini in
-a scrap piece of chipboard
-your Basic Grey file set...which, for a distresser like myself, is a definite must have and all-around go-to tool.

ok...now, take that smidge of sandpaper and sand the sheen off of the packaging. it allows the glue to adhere better, which as a result is better for your paper to stick to.
next, trace lightly around the paper with a pencil...don't worry if you goof and it isn't a perfect trace.
grab your scissors and cut around your outline on the paper. but don't just cut ON the line...oh no! cut OUTSIDE of the line, so that you are actually cutting it bigger than your tracing. again, perfection not required.

schmear your glue all over the chipboard...go all the way to the edges!!

flip your paper over and adhere it to the chipboard. see how mine is nice and off center/raggedy? no matter! the only time that would matter is if you were using something like ledger or graph paper, and you wanted it to line up properly on the cover. it's nice to use a print that is random enough to be forgiving the first time you play. oh, and you would have of course taken the buttons out of the packaging, lol...this is a spare set i have, so pretend you don't see them, ok?

now...here is the fun part! i'm right handed, so i hold the chipboard in my left hand and sand with my right. the key is this: MAKE SURE YOU HOLD THE CHIPBOARD AS NEAR TO THE EDGE AS POSSIBLE!! this will prevent any unwanted bending, but it will jeopardize a freshly manicured hand. notice i have no polish on my fingernails...if i did, it is likely that it would be a fantastic abstract pattern when i was done sanding, lol. see how i file right along the edge? you can see the outline of the chipboard as it turns white from the sanding...this is a good thing! also notice my trusty BG file...yes it's creased, and yes it's a bit beat up...but it keeps on ticking! if you don't have one handy, an emery board will do as well...just try to use one of the thicker ones, as it will be tricky to use the thin.

now just keep sanding all along the edges...all the way around. you will notice the paper starts to break away from the chipboard where you are sanding...again, a good thing. the sanding of the paper/chipboard/glue interface helps them to bond/mesh/fuse together. after years of using this method, i have NEVER had the paper lift off of a cover...it just doesn't happen, lol. see why you didn't have to fret about perfect trimming?? after i sand off all of the edges, i go back around and sand a bit more until i get the desired distressed effect i'm looking for.

after you do the front cover, flip it over and do the back! i wait until i have both sides covered before i start decorating...it's just easier to hold in my hand that way. then, grab your spare piece of chipboard and trace around the original front cover. this will be your back cover...do the same steps to cover it, only you don't have to sand the surface as it will already be matte and should accept the glue stick with open arms. again, IF IT ISN'T PERFECTLY MATCHED WITH THE FRONT, NO BIGGIE!!

here's my finished project from the Soda Fountain gallery...

i made the inside pages by tracing around the original front cover (again, lol)...only this time, i cut INSIDE the tracing lines, so the pages would be a bit smaller than the covers.

now the fun part...decorating it and putting it all together!

i just used my Crop-a-Dile to punch two holes on the sides and added 2 binder rings you can find at Target, WalMart etc. i like using these rings, as they allow you to add pages if you like, as well as letting the book lie flat while it's open. my process for making a mini is almost always what you might call 'repetitive;...i think of an element or 2 that i want to repeat on each page and then simply modify that element by turning it a different way, changing up the color a bit...you name it. but i like to have things 'tied together' somehow...just a personal preference, but one that makes it WAY easier to complete in my opinion. i see ladies make beautiful mini albums with tons of detailing...with each page being unique. they are gorgeous! but it's just hard for me to work that way i guess, lol...i like that in a few hours i can have a project completed that sums up my feelings for whatever i've chosen to write about.

what's MOST important is that these mini collections of thoughts, pictures and words represent YOU.

in other words...you can't go wrong if you do what feels right.

now get out there and make a mini...

i'd love to see whatever you come up with in the SC gallery!