Throwback Thursday: Echo Park Welcome Baby Boy Kangaroo Pocket Folio Tutorial
Hello, Friends! It’s Throwback Thursday, and I’m keeping my promise to share this Baby Boy Kangaroo Pocket Folio Tutorial. I came up with this fun baby card design back in April when I shared the Welcome Baby Girl Kangaroo Pocket project with you. Many of you asked me to do a tutorial at that time, and I said I would. So I ‘m switching things up this week and instead of sharing a new project with an old paper collection, I’m sharing an old design with a new paper collection. How about that?
Welcome Baby Boy !
I love everything about this folio design. From the fun fold card base, to the itty bitty accordion folio to the array of flaps and pockets inside…every element makes me happy.
Since it’s Throwback Thursday, I did some digging in my stash to see what older embellishments I could find there. I had completely forgotten about these adorable baby boy sock buttons and the little silver charms.
Don’t you just love the colors and images in this sweet collection from Echo Park?
And here’s a peek at the amazing itty bitty accordion fold album that lives in the Kangaroo Pocket. How fun is that?
A Peek Inside the Card Folio Base
There is loads of room for photos and journaling inside the folio base, too. You’ll see all the details in the YouTube tutorial below.
Between the itty bitty mini album and the folio base, you can document the Little Prince’s entire first year. And, you can easily use this same design to document a family vacation, wedding, or other special event. Just change up the papers to match the theme.
Baby Boy Kangaroo Pocket Folio Tutorial on YouTube
So if you’re ready to dig in and create this sweet project with me, just click play on the video below. You might want to grab a cuppa and a snack for sustenance, though. This is a big project to make with lots of steps so it takes some time to watch the whole thing.
You can find a linked supply list below the post.
So there’s a promise made and a promise kept. I hope you have as much fun making this little folio as I did designing it!
Authentique Beginnings Baby Book with Eileen Hull Travel Journal Die by Sizzix
Hello, Friends! I love Mondays! You wake up to a brand new week with brand new opportunities to learn and create. This Monday, I’m especially excited because I’m sharing a project made with a brand new release from Authentique Paper. This Beginnings Baby Book is so very sweet, I can’t wait to share it with you.
See? I told you it was sweet! When I first saw these darling papers, I nearly swooned. They are just perfect for use in a baby book! I often think about a project for days (or even weeks) before I dig in and create, but this idea came to me in a snap. Why not pair up these pretty pretty papers with my Eileen Hull Travel Journal die? So I did!
I framed this precious focal image with some Petaloo Flowers, luscious Buttercup Satin Ribbon, and some fussy cut elements from the 12×12 Collection kit. The baby book measures a generous 4.25″ wide x 8.75″ tall. That means there’s lots and lots of room for goodies inside!
A vintage style brad and elastic loop form the closure. Crochet lace adds a lovely vintage feel to the design. Don’t you love these patterns? Yum!
Beads. flowers and novelty buttons add fun details to the spine.
Beginnings Baby Book Tutorial on Snapguide
Travel Journal style minis are trending right now. They are really fun to make…one could almost say addictive! In case you’ve never put one of these together before, I prepared a SnapGuide Tutorial to walk you through the cover assembly. You’ll also learn how to put the signature pages together. I hope you enjoy!
Now that you’ve seen how the baby book is assembled, it’s time to look at some details. One of the things that makes these travel journals so addictive is the opportunity you have for adding all kinds of interactive elements. And you know how I feel about interactive elements in a project!
Pockets and tags go together like babies and cuddles! I created this large 4″ x 6″ tag with Authentique Spectrum paper in Bubblegum Pink and Antique Lace. It was my first opportunity to play with the Spectrum line, and I have to say, I’m hooked! It’s super sturdy, has a very slight sheen and makes really crisp folds.
To make this tag, first I rounded the bottom corners of a rectangular piece of paper. Then I used a corner chomper to shape the top edge. Add some ribbon, a posy and pretty designer papers, and you have a tag in no time flat!
The pocket is decorated with a Details Sticker and some little banner flags cut from scraps.
Here’s another sweet little pocket filled with journal cards from the cut apart page. I also turned a Detail Sticker into a file folder by matting it on designer paper and folding.
Side pockets can hold larger journal cards and photos.
Don’t you just love these images? Be still my heart!
Beginnings Baby Book: The Waterfall Feature
Waterfall features are such a great way to include a lot of photos in a small space. Here’s how I made this one.
First, cut eight 4.25″ x 4.75″ rectangles from Spectrum Bubblegum 1&2 papers.
Next, punch a scalloped edge along the bottom of each rectangle.
Then, score each rectangle at 1/2″ on the long side.
Now, burnish the score line to form a flap.
Add adhesive to the back side of the flap. JUST the flap!
Next, line the flap up with the top of your paper and press in place.
Line the top edge of the next rectangle up with the bottom edge of the flap above it. Press in place.
Repeat until you’ve used all the rectangles.
Finally, add an image from the Details Sticker Sheet or the 6×6 bundle cut apart page to the top rectangle.
Beginnings Baby Book: The Belly Band
This image from the cut apart page is perfect for use as a belly band! Because it is 12″ long, it will span the page nicely. My thought here was that it would be the perfect tuck spot for a copy of baby’s birth certificate, birth announcement or baptism certificate. Of course, photos will fit here , too.
Beginnings Baby Book: Flips, Flaps and Fold Outs
To create these two cutie pie flaps, just score a 7″ long piece of paper in half, add a punched border and tuck beneath the elastic binding. Decorate one of the labels that you cut while making the journal covers. Add a little sticker from the Details Sticker sheet. Easy peasy! Using a variety of paper sizes and shapes makes the book much more fun!
Here’s a peek at another decorated signature page. Each signature has 4 sheets of acid free text paper in it. These blank pages can be used for more photos, journaling or as a place for baby’s first visitors to add a special word of greeting.
These little flip books are so easy to make! Cut 6×6 papers in half, score in half, then add decorative corners. Glue onto the page, add a sticker, and BAM! Instant flip book!
Here’s another fun way to add a flap: Score a journal card to fit the size of the inner page. Glue just the edge down and fold. Isn’t it sweet?
If you glue just the edge of an image to a fold out page, a photo can still be inserted behind it.
This fold out page opens up to a little side pocket and tuck spot.
Another example of a flap and some flip pages.
Beginnings Baby Book YouTube Video Tour
Because this Beginnings Baby Book is so interactive, I decided to make a YouTube video tour of it. I also share a lot of tips, tricks and ideas that you can use in your own crafty adventures.
I know it’s true that everybody loves a baby…and I sure am in love with Authentique Beginnings! Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to break out your scissors, glue and pretty papers and get your craft on. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Graphic 45 Mother Goose Mini Album Tutorial with Step Out Photos for RRR
Hello, Ribbon Lovers! I’m fulfilling a promise in today’s post. A few weeks ago, I share this Wander Mini Album here on the blog, and many of you asked me to do a step out tutorial for the mini album base. Well, today I’m sharing this sweet little Mother Goose Mini Album Tutorial with step out photos and some tips I learned along the way while designing the album base. Although I used a different paper collection, the steps for building the base are the same, and you can use them to create loads of these tiny but mighty albums in any theme you choose. You can add more pages, or fewer pages; it’s really up to you. To refresh your memory, here’s a photo of the Wander mini album cover. You can find this post HEREon my blog.
For this Mother Goose Mini Album Tutorial, I chose to work with the cheerful and bright papers in the Graphic 45 Mother Goose Collection, pairing them up with gorgeous ribbons from Really Reasonable Ribbon. Here’s a look at the finished album cover:
The finished album measures 4.25″ x 5.75″ . The covers are made with corrugated cardboard (waste packaging!) and the interior pages are made with 4″ x 5.5″ white card bases that I found in my stash. You can build this album with any size card base, of course. Just cut your covers so that they are 1/4″ larger than your base pages.
Here’s a view of both covers. Now, before we get started, I’m warning you: this is a looong and photo heavy post. So go grab yourself a cuppa and a snack so that you have some sustenance to keep you going!
Supply List for Mother Goose Mini Album Tutorial
several 4″ x 5.5″ white card bases. I used 10 in this album. And if you don’t have card bases, just cut your white cardstock to the correct size, score and fold. I just happened to find a huge stack of card bases in the Closet of Shame when I was purging it.
Mother Goose 8×8 papers and 12×12 papers, chipboard and stickers from Graphic 45
Building the Base of your Mother Goose Mini Album Tutorial
From your stack of cards, select two bases. On the first card, cut the right hand side to measure 2.75″. For the second, trim the left hand side to measure 2.75″
Line up the cards as seen in this photo with the cut sides facing one another. Add a bead of glue to the top, bottom and inside edge of the cut sides. Leave the outer edge unglued, as this will form a pocket for photo mounts.
Glue the two pages together, forming a pocket.
Use a punch to create a thumb hole for your pocket as shown in this photo.
Select another card base, glue the edges as shown in this photo. Glue the pages together.
Open the newly create page. Select another card base and lay it inside the page, fold down as shown in this photo. Make a pencil mark about 1/4″ in from the left hand side. Trim the folded card on this line.
With the card fold on the bottom, measure down 1.75″ from the top and trim away only the TOP layer of the card at this mark.
This will form a pocket page when glued into the album base.
Use your circle punch to create thumb holes on both the top and bottom layer.
Don’t glue this page in yet; just hold it in place with a clip, otherwise it will be a pain to line panel in the back. Now you will have a full page on the left and a double pocket page on the right, as seen in this photo. Use this same procedure for creating additional pocket pages.
Select another card base, and add glue to only the top, right and bottom edges, leaving an opening along the cut edge. Seal the edges together. Use your circle punch to create a thumb hole on the right hand page.
Select another card base, and open it. Join the cut edge to the preceding page using flip flop fasteners. I sealed the top and bottom first, then spaced them out evenly, using 5 on each page.
Repeat this process with another card to create a fold out page. You will want to trim about 1/4″ off the panel that is on the far right, so that the pages will fold in neatly. I used an accordion fold here.
Select another card base and score the right hand side at 1.75″. Crease. Do not glue this page together until AFTER you have lined it.
Punch a thumb hole. This will form a side pocket on the finished book. Glue the left hand page to back of the preceding fold out page. Glue another card base behind , leaving an opening for a pocket.
The next page is a double pocket page, and you will need 3 card bases to complete it. Create the pockets as you did before. ONCE YOU HAVE LINED THE BACK PANEL, you will glue the taller pocket on the bottom and sides, but leave the shorter pocket unglued so that it can flip down.
The final page is a fold down page and will use 2 card bases. Cut a folded card base to measure 37/8 inches wide. Open the card so that the fold is in the middle and secure to the bottom of the right hand page, using flip-flop fasteners as shown in this photo. This will be a fold down page in the finished album. Fold the page up, and glue the left hand page to the back of the preceding page, leaving an opening for a photo mount page.
Fold your album up so that it looks like a little book. Mark the front cover as the front cover. You will NOT decorate this page; it will be glued to the corrugate cover. Mark the back page as the back page. This page will not be decorated, but will be glued to the back of the corrugate cover.
This completes the base for the album. Now on to the cover.
Create a Cover: Mother Goose Mini Album Tutorial
Cut two pieces of corrugated cardboard (waste packaging) to measure 4.25″ x 5.75″. Paint the edges, front and back, with Picket Fence Distress Paint and sponge with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.
I created the cover by cutting a 4.25″ x 5.75″ piece of yellow canvas ticking. I topped this with a 4″ x 5.5″ piece of paper from the Mother Goose Collection and stitched them together on my sewing machine. You could also use Scor-Tape, but I love the finished look of machine stitching. The flip side of the cover is lined with more paper from the 8×8 pad. Even though you are gluing your mini album base to the inside cover, you will want your edges to be finished with paper. Go ahead and line the back cover as well.
I glued down a small white doily to the cover, then attached my ribbon closure with Scor-Tape. Then you can layer on your design. But you have to get that ribbon down first, or you will not be able to close the book.
A Really Important Detail in this Mother Goose Mini Album Tutorial
I find it is easiest to decorate all the inside pages before attaching the base to the covers. So do this. Once you’ve lined your base pages, you can glue in your pockets and add tags and such.
To create my finished binding, I used the blue stars paper and cut a strip that was about 4″ wide x 5.5″ tall. I glued this to the mini album base front cover, wrapping around to the back cover. You don’t have to do this step, but it does create a nice, finished look.
Once the interior is done, center the front and back covers with the mini album base and glue them down. I use binder clips to help hold everything in place.
Photos of the Completed Mother Goose Mini Album
Now, I’m just going to show you the photos of the completed album, as this post is soooo long.
I hope you’ll follow this tutorial and make something totally fabby with it. If you do, I sure would love for you to share it with me on my Kathy by Design Facebook page! I love seeing what you make!
Thanks for hanging in there with me for this long tutorial!
