Fridays With Stephanie - FREE Digital Printables

Ciao ciao Bella fans! Boy, do I have something fun & inspiring for you today ... and guess what? I’ve done all the prep work for you! So, next week I host Thanksgiving, and each year I do some “crafty” something for everyone to participate in. Last weekend I thought to myself, "self, if you don’t get going on an idea it’s never going to happen-you’ll run out of time!". So I brainstormed up a digital mini album! Why digital? Because it takes less time (for you at least!) and this way I can have the ENTIRE album done and ready as soon as Thanksgiving is over.

Here it is! All set to go for Turkey Day next week! I’m giving you the digital printables for FREE today so you can make and prep your own Thanksgiving 2011 (5x7”) Mini Album! You’re going to love it!

I’m going to walk you through the tutorial. If you’d like, you can skip to the bottom and begin downloading the FREE PRINTABLES so that you can get started.

Material List:

Pen & paper for your list/planning, Computer & printer, Cardstock or photo paper to print digital printables, 12x12 thin chipboard, sheets cut to 5x7s, paper trimmer, adhesive, brown distressing ink, ribbons, cropadile, two 1” binding rings (mine are Kaiser Kraft mustard yellow)

First you’ll need to make a sketch of your book, for planning purposes. The sketch will show your album and it’s order (assign one page per person), including the front and back covers. Here’s mine. *Notice everyone along the left of the binding will have “Left-Page Printables” and everyone on the right side of the binding will have “Right-Page Printables”. It is very important that you understand this!!!!

Ready? Here we go…

Everyone at my gathering will have a page in the mini book. Start by making a list of all the people that will participate in the mini album. In my case it’s 21 people/guests + the front cover + the back cover = 23 total pages. Then divide this number by 2 because you’ll be adhering pages back to back on chipboard. 23 / 2 = 11.5. I’m going to round up and prepare 12 pages. By creating a quick sketch you will establish a plan/an order for the book. This will help later when adhering your printables and assembling your mini album.

Now, you’ll need to click and download (also save if you’d like) the free printables (scroll down) at the end of today’s post. There are a total of 5 pdfs sized for 8.5x11 paper. You’ll need to select some cardstock or photo printing paper and print out the pages you need. There are printables for the front & back cover, there are 4 styles of “left-page” options and 4 styles of “right page” options. Depending on how many people are participating in your mini album you may have to print some duplicates.

Using a trimmer trim all your printable pages. The final book size is exactly 5” x 7”.

You’ll notice here on my pages that I’ve customized them with each person’s name. (ie. “Angela” on the bottom of the blue page above). Your version of the printables have open areas along the bottoms of each page for you to customize in your own way. I would suggest sticker alphabets.

Once you have all your printable pages trimmed stack them up nice and pretty ;) Are you excited yet?!

Next you’ll need to purchase or locate several sheets of thin chipboard. These will be the base of your mini album to help make things nice and sturdy. Trim chipboard to 5x7” pieces, cutting enough according to your Album Sketch that you made in step no. 1 (ie. I needed 12 pieces of chipboard.)

Now you have all your printables and chipboard pages. It’s time to assemble your pages. Using chipboard as the base, and referring to your ALBUM SKETCH, adhere in order starting with the front cover. Flip over and adhere the next “left-side” page. Continue through all the participants, finishing with the back cover. Be sure to follow your sketch!

Now all your pages are mounted and look like this ;) I used brown cats-eye chalk ink to distress the edges of my pages.

Again, using your Album Sketch put all pages in order.

As shown in image above if your “left-side” pages & “right-pages” are put in order correctly, the brown leaf pattern will always be in the center of your album, as your binding.

Now you’re ready to bind the album using a Cropadile.

Create two binding holes and punch through all chipboard pages.

Assemble chipboard pages in order and add two 1” key rings to secure.

Cut several strips of coordinating ribbons to embellish ring binding, then knot ribbons around rings.

Using Finally Fall chipboard Icon embellishments create a Hybrid album cover.

If you wish, embellish the binding also by creating “dangles” with some jute and the chipboard pieces.

Here’s a closer look for you:

Now, remember I mentioned your printables have a blank space at the bottom instead of a person’s name? I suggest using sticker letters (Quattrofina shown in photo above) to add each participants name to each chipboard page. That way your guests can search for their specific page on Thanksgiving and know they need to fill out the mini questionnaire.

My plan is to take the book completely apart on Thanksgiving and place the chipboard pages in a cute basket with some nice fine point brown pens and remind everyone to fill out their page.

Then, after the party’s over I’ll assemble the book and it will literally be FINISHED! That day! Done. And next year I’ll display the album again for everyone to look back on the one year ago. Another idea….if I have time I’d love to put an instax or a digital camera on the table next to a cute Thanksgiving fabric backdrop and have each person take a portrait so that I can include the photos in-between each person’s coordinating chipboard page.

I really hope you’ll tackle this project this week. The tutorial includes a lot of detail and might seem overwhelming but it’s actually really easy! I’ve done all the work for you with the printables!

And here they are! Just click the links below each images, to begin downloading.

Printable One: Covers Front and Back.

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Printable Two: Various “Left-Side” Pages A.

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Printable Three: Various “Left-Side” Pages – more options.

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Printable Four: Various “Right-Side” Pages.

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Printable Five: Various “Right-Side” Pages-more options.

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Consider this your Thanksgiving/Bella Blvd Challenge! Be sure to email us photos of you with your album to sales@bellablvd.net and you might just win something pretty ;) I can’t wait to see your minis!

Ciao Ciao for now….and happy scrappin’!

Comments

[Anita]

Totally adorable. I put mine together in about an hour. Thanks for such a wonderful keepsake!

[The CoCo Martha aka Inieka]

Thank you!! This is beautiful!

[Cynthia B.]

You're AWEsome, Stephanie! I'm very thankful for YOU and for Bella Blvd. :D

[Sara Rossi]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! This is such a beautiful & DO-ABLE album! I've got mine all printed & ready to assemble! YOU ROCK!!

[Heather Leopard]

Thanks so much for your generosity!

[AnnaMarie]

You rock! Happy Thanksgiving!

[Sabrina]

This is incredible!!! I was planning on doing a mini blessings album, but you did all the work for me!!! THANK YOU!!! This is so gorgeous!!

[MelanieJ]

Wow--this is SO cool! Thank you for sharing this awesome project. I'm really excited to get it printed out and put the book together for Thanksgiving at my parents. Then I can give them the book with all of our family's pages filled-out. Love the idea of adding photos, too. Again, thank you!

[Silvia Diaz]

Wow! What an incredible gift to us! So thankful to you!!!!

[Lynn Darda]

Adorable album. TFS! Sheri sent me.

[Alis in Wnderlnd]

I really love this, thank you! What font did you use for the names? and for the script overlay?

[Charity]

Very cool....going to do this with the family!
Thanks!

[libby]

love these! thanks so much! was wondering what font that is where you wrote thankful thanksgiving. (the font for thankful)? i love it.

thanks!

[Discount Ink]

Those holiday cards are so gorgeous Stephanie!Nice work of art.Such lovely cards.Thanks for sharing this to us.Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[Cheri]

Thank you so very much. This is the most adorable little album. My entire family had fun completing the pages. What a special gift.

[Kimberlee]

This is an amazing project. Thank you so much!