Mini Brag Book

I thought I'd share an easy peas-y mini book that I created for Baby Time's Memory Box that we've been doing at the Family Centre.  I created this so that people could put a photo or two per page for every month of the child's first year, but you can always change it to wedding, pets, birthdays, you name it!  Here's the directions to make the album...

Supplies

1 12x12 piece of cardstock

1 12x12 piece of patterned paper (or you can use your scraps instead)

2 4x4 pieces of chipboard or cardboard from a cereal box (or anything hanging around)

Glue/adhesive (I recommend Pioneer Embellishment Glue...it's AWESOME!)

Distresser (you can use a nail file or an edge distresser)

Paper cutter (with a scoring blade preferably)

1) Score a 12x12 paper at 4 inches to make 2 lines running the same way.  If you don't have a scoring blade I would use a pencil and mark where you should fold you paper in step 3 (it will also help with gluing your ends together as well.  You can use a white eraser to get rid of the pencil marks after.

2) Cut your 12x12 paper at 4 inches perpendicular (cut vertically with your scored lines facing horizontally)

3) Glue the ends together then fold to make an accordian.  When you do this make sure you fold your first page so it will open up like a book and the rest will make a zig zag pattern.  While your book is all folded up I recommend marking the front and back with a pen or pencil and put an X on it so you know not to put a patterned paper on it (don't worry we'll be covering it up so your mark won't be seen).

4) Cut your 12x12 patterned paper into 3in. x 12in strips.  Take 3 of those strips and cut them into 3x3 squares.  The other paper leave as a 3x12 piece (this will be used to cover your front and back page).

5) Open up your book and start adding the patterned papers to the inside pages.  For my book I put some crooked and some straight, but this is your book so it's up to you.

6) Flip over your book (making sure you will be facing the papers the same way...you don't want an upside down book) and repeat step 5 making sure you don't add a photo onto your marked page.

7) This is where it gets tricky...you remember that 3x12 inch patterned paper?  Well you have to use that paper to cover your 4x4 chipboard / cardboard pieces.  When I created this one I wanted to make sure I used every bit of paper I had without needing another piece so I cut out my papers that overlapped and pieced it here and there on the covers (see below).  TIP:  This is the perfect type of project to go to your personal stash and use some of your scraps too!

9) Glue down your front and back covers to your album and then Voila!  You have a mini brag book.

10) Before I added my photos I distressed the edges of my papers with a distresser/nail file.  Just rub it over your paper and see what peels off.  My front page of my book is a perfect example of how this works.

11) Now for the fun part!  Add your photos, journal, embellish, have fun!  To finish this album up you can also add a ribbon around it so it stays together.

Enjoy!

~Alicia