Although I’m not an avid scrapbooker I do love to look at photos of family and friends. It’s amazing how something so simple can trigger memories and feelings from events many years past. I’m old-fashioned in that I like my photos printed so I don’t have to worry whether the battery in my device is sufficiently charged. So every now and then I like to put together a little pocket photo album. The covers that come with the albums are often uninspiring, which means before filling them with photos I first need to create a new cover insert. Today’s version combines the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set with a piece from the gorgeous Blackberry Beauty Designer Series Paper (DSP).

SIMPLE LAYERS

Before getting to the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set I first needed to create the background layers for the front cover. I began by removing the original back and front cover inserts from a 4″ x 6″ pocket photo album purchased at the Dollar Store. Then I measured the cover pieces and found they were actually a bit larger at 4-5/8″ x 6-1/8″. So I cut two pieces of Very Vanilla Card the same size. One piece went straight into the back pocket of the album while I worked on the piece for the front.

Next I cut a piece of Early Espresso Card. At 4-3/8″ x 5-7/8″ it was exactly 1/4″ shorter and narrower than the Very Vanilla layer. This left a nice border when I mounted it onto the Very Vanilla piece using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow)

Finally I chose a pretty pattern from the Blackberry Beauty DSP featuring thistles and Queen Anne’s Lace flowers. After cutting a piece 4-1/4″ x 5-3/4″ I glued the DSP onto the Early Espresso layer leaving a nice narrow border.

NATURE’S HARVEST SENTIMENT

From the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set I chose quite a long sentiment but one that I thought was perfect for a photo album. “A reminder to never forget how much you mean to me and so many others”.

Using Early Espresso ink I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of Very Vanilla Card. Then I took it over to my Mini Cut & Emboss Machine to cut out.

I found the ideal die in the Tasteful Labels Dies set. This set is really versatile and has to be the most used of all the dies in my craft studio. Not only did the die I chose cut out the sentiment, but it also added a subtle embossed line around the edge of the shape.

Next I used a larger die from the same set to cut some Gold Shimmer Vellum. Instead of an embossed line, this die added a faux stitched detail around the edge of the vellum. Then using liquid glue I mounted the sentiment onto the vellum and then added that to the background layer on my album insert.

Finally I went back to the same DSP and used Paper Snips to cut out a small stem with a couple of thistle heads. Using liquid glue I added this piece to the sentiment, and with that my project was complete.

This decorated pocket photo album is quite a simple project idea, but once filled would make a lovely and very personal gift. What do you think?

Did you know that today is World Card Making Day? Since yesterday evening I’ve been working on my personal challenge to design and create from scratch 24 different cards in 24 hours. You can follow my progress over on my Papercraft With Me Facebook page. I’d also love it if you leave comments when you see a card you particularly like.

I’ll be back here on my blog tomorrow with a new card project, and maybe even a popular one from my challenge. I hope you’ll join me then.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set and coordinating Harvest Dies (not used today) using a single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore that option further.