Reneabouquets Gingerbread Christmas Mini Album Tutorial

Hello, Friends!  For this final Throwback Thursday of 2022,  I have this adorable Reneabouquets Gingerbread Christmas Mini Album Tutorial to share with you.  The tutorial will show you how to create a quick and easy 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ Stacked Spine Mini Album base and some special interactive mechanisms that go with it.  It’s my Christmas present to each one of you that has followed my blog and left so many lovely comments this year.  Truly, you are the best of the best, and I am thankful for each one of you! Now let’s get this Throwback Thursday rolling!

Sweet Shop Gingerbread Christmas Mini Album

I wish you could see this album in real life.  It is just so stinkin’ cute!  The camera does not do a good job of picking up the sparkle in the shaker box or on the embossed snowflake frame.  So you will have to use your imagination there.  If you happen to have Echo Park Gingerbread Christmas in your stash, it is the perfect playmate for Reneabouquets new Sweet Shop Christmas collection.  I’ll share a peek at the goodies in the video tutorial below.

These beautiful flowers are part of the collection.  I’ve paired them up with Copper and Cream Gingham Ribbon to really amp up the gingerbread vibe of this sweet little mini.

These Sweetshop Gingerbread embellishments are just so darling.  I’ve used them throughout the album.  Because they come in multiple sizes, you can easily add them to card fronts or inside a mini.  The detail is amazing!

The Christmas Dangle Spine

We do so love a good dangle charm element, don’t we?  Here’s a close up look at the one I created for this album.  Not only do I collect charms, my husband gives them to me on special occasions, our daughter is always on the lookout for them, and even my sweet friends and followers send them to me.  That’s why it’s sometimes hard for me to list where I found a particular charm.

A Peek Inside

This petite mini album will hold 3×5 cards for recipes, 4×4 or 4×5 photos or small bits of ephemera. The base is made with 110# Michael’s Recollections  8 1/2″ x 11″ Kraft cardstock.  It’s my favorite kraft cardstock for paper engineering as it is super thick and strong…just a step below chipboard, really.

Interactive elements and mechanisms are what make a mini album so much fun.  So I’ll show you how to create this fun flip/flap folio page in the video tutorial.

Every mini album needs a waterfall mechanism.  This one is made with 4×4 elements.  I’ve weighted it down with another Sweet Shop Gingerbread man.  And, there’s a surprise element that you’ll see in the video tour!

You need room for journaling as well as room for photos in a good mini album, and these cute pull out pages do the trick.

How about hidden pockets?  Yep….gotta have them!  And tip in pages with a cute tab element are loads of fun, too.  Especially when they are adorned with a Sweet Shop Candy Cane!

TIP: Create more “real estate” for photos with the help of flip up pages and flap pages!

Look at all the room behind this flap page!

Reneabouquets Gingerbread Christmas Mini Album Tour and Tutorial on YouTube

You will notice in this video tutorial that I welcome you to Make & Take Tuesday.  Well, that’s because I forgot about the RRR Blog Hop that took place on Tuesday.  So I just moved this over into the Thursday slot.  Really, it works perfectly, because Gingerbread Christmas is an older collection from Echo Park.

So grab a cuppa and a gingerbread cookie and join me as we make this fun mini album base.

As I stated earlier, this is my last video for 2022.  I have a new grandson to cuddle, cookies to bake with The Littles, the house to decorate, our daughter’s February wedding to plan, and  some Button Farm Club Kits to finish up before the end of the year.  So I’m not really taking a break…I’m just taking care of business!

I have a few posts pre-scheduled, and if I have time, I might do a “favorites of 2022” post for you to enjoy while I’m taking care of stuff.  I’m also planning a fun 10 year Blog Anniversary celebration in January (there will be giveaways!) so look for that.

In the meantime, I wish each and every one of you a peaceful, joyous, meaningful Christmas.  May the Light of the World, Jesus, fill your hearts and homes with love, harmony and celebration.  I send every one of you a hug!

Stay warm and cozy!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

• Reneabouquets
  • Sweet Shop
    • Roses and Leaves Mulberry Paper Flowers
    • Itty Bitty Gingerbread Houses
    • Gingerbread Cuties/Itty Bitty
    • Small Gingerbread Cuties
    • Small Candy Cane
    • Ginger Spice German Glitter Glass
  • Snowflake Frame
• Echo Park Gingerbread Christmas Collection Kit
• Recollections 110# Kraft Cardstock
• Distress Embossing Dabber
• Shabby White Embossing Enamel
• RRR Copper and Cream Gingham
• Copper Taffeta Ribbon