Throwback Thursday: Prima Country Christmas Itty Bitty Book Tutorial

Hello, Friends!  For this week’s Throwback Thursday episode, I have a darling Country Christmas Itty Bitty Book Tutorial to share with you.  Many of you expressed an interest in learning how I used the Amazing Paper Grace Scalloped Symphony Die to make the cute Baby Girl Brag Book last month.  Well, because I like y’all so much, I went ahead and put together a basic tutorial showing  you how to cut the pages, make the spine, and bind the album.

This time I puled some of my favorite Christmas papers and dressed them up with Reneabouquets Beautiful Board.  These little books are so much fun to stuff into a Christmas stocking, give as a Secret Santa gift, or send to friends and family who live far away.  Each book measures about 4″ square with a 1/2″ spine.

TIP: wrap the spine with folded black twine.  Leave the ends long so you can tie a knot at the top of the spine.  Then trim the ends to make a fancy tassel for your book.  Add some sweet Christmas charms and flowers to finish the spine in style.

Basic Measurements and Materials

To make each album you will need 5 die cut Scalloped Symphony Note Card Bases.  Fold 3 in half to use as the pages.  Then cut one in half to use as the front and back covers.  Now find the center of the final panel.  Measure out 1/4″ from the center on each side and score a vertical line. Then cut 1/2″ from the scored lines on each side.  Fold along the score lines to form the spine.  Set the off cuts aside to be used as flap pages.

The binding mechanism for the album is a set of 3 cardstock hinges.  First, cut three 1″ x 3 5/8″  strips of black cardstock. Then score each strip in half to make 1/2″ x 3 5/8″ hinges.

Make a contrasting spine with a 2″ x 3 3/8″ piece of black cardstock.  Score 3/4″ flaps on each side.

You will need an 8 5/8″ x 3 5/8″ panel of buffalo check for the book cover.

Cut sixteen 3 5/8″ squares of patterned paper to line the pages of the album.

A Peek Inside

The tutorial will show you how to build a slash pocket inside the front cover.  The little flap page on the right is one of the cut off sides from the 5th Scalloped Symphony base pieces.  Simply score a 1/2″ flap on the right hand side of the flap.  Then adhere the flap behind the 3 5/8″ panel of patterned paper before you adhere it to the page.

Hidden pocket pages are easy to make!

• First, cut 1″ x 3 5/8″ strips of black cardstock.  You will need 3 for each hidden pocket page.  Score in half as you did when we made the hinges for the pages.
• Adhere these gussets on the sides and bottom of the patterned paper.  (On the back side, of course.)
• Now you can cut 3 1/2″ x 7″ panels of buffalo check paper.  Score these in half, then crop the corners.
• Tuck the pull out pages inside the hidden pockets.

Score 1/2″ hinges on the tops of 3×4 Journal cards.  Then adhere these hinges behind the patterned paper to make flap pages.

Now create a quick and easy pop up page.  First, cut an 8″ x 1″ strip of buffalo plaid paper.  Then score in half.  Next, fold the right hand side back toward the center score line.  Repeat on the left hand side.  Add just a bit of adhesive on the outside edges of this mechanism and adhere to sides of the page.  Then decorate with stickers and ephemera.

You’ll learn how all these pages and mechanisms work in the video tutorial below.

Country Christmas Itty Bitty Book Tutorial on YouTube

If you’d like to see how to put this sweet little book together, please enjoy the video tutorial.

The wonderful thing about this project is that you can adapt the base for any theme or season.  Add more pockets if you want to tuck in a series of gift cards.  Or leave more room for journaling and use it as a sort of mini diary.

I hope you have as much fun making this itty bitty book as I did!  Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

**Please note:  Throwback Thursday projects are designed to inspire you to dig into your paper stash.  Many times the products used are no longer available for purchase.  Feel free to substitute another collection from your stash.  When products are available, I will provide links.  If a link is missing, it means I could not find the product in my usual online sources.  You can do a Google search to see if you can find it on your own.  Thanks for understanding!

• Prima Christmas in the Country
  • 8×8 pad
  • ephemera
  • puffy stickers
  • 3×4 Journal Cards
• Spellbinders Scalloped Symphony Notecard Die Set
• Reneabouquets
  • Small Shabby Christmas Tree Beautiful Board
  • Tiny Christmas Belle Printed Beautiful Board
• Stampendous Shabby White Embossing Powder
• Scarlet Shimmer Satin Ribbon
• Little Birdie Passion Forever Roses