Tag Archives: Watermelon Summer

Laserowe Love Watermelon Friends Mini Album

Laserowe Love Watermelon Friends Mini Album: Crafting with Sophie on My Birthday

Hello, Friends!  Last week was a whirlwind!  But I managed to squeeze in time to spend a day with my sweet Sophie Grace making this Laserowe Love Watermelon Friends Mini Album.  Oh, what fun!  Sophie spent my birthday with me, helping me to design and and decorate this delightful little mini album.

Sophie is a veteran crafter.  She began playing in my studio shortly before she turned 3 years old.  Now that she’s 10, we can tackle meatier projects, like this mini album together.  Since I knew the focus of our time together would be filming us decorating the album, I took a little time the day before to prep the album base and pages.

Laserowe Love Watermelon Friends Mini Album: The Basics

The base for this album is an older version of the Graphic 45 Tag and Pocket Album.  There are 48 pages in that album, and I could never manage to make one and have the covers close!  Plus, it took forever to make and used a ton of material.  So I began by “gutting” the album.

  • First, insert a kraft knife carefully between the interior spine and the binding mechanism.  With a little effort, you can lift the entire thing out in one piece!
  • Next, use scissors to cut the 6 sections into individual bundles.  Each bundle has 4 pages.  I chose to work with just 2 sections, and set the other 4 aside for later use.
  • Now, score an 8 1/2″ x 5 3/4″ piece of kraft cardstock at 1 1/2″ on both ends . Then score at 1″ intervals between those 2 marks.  Follow THIS tutorial to create a tab style binding for the album.
  • Next, adhere the binding in the center of the album spine and burnish well.
  • When you are ready to add your 2 page units to the album, simply slip the open edge over the tabs and use adhesive to seal in place.

TIP:  I find it easier to decorate the pages before adding them to the album.

To create the shabby chic finish, paint the album inside and out with ivory chalk paint.  Then come back and lightly sand the edges to reveal the kraft base beneath.

Laserowe Love Watermelon Friends Mini Album: The Basics: Designing the pages

Each page in this cute album has an interactive element to it.  Here’s a little guide for making the pages.

  • Front Pocket: Cut a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ panel of green cardstock.  Then score on the long side at 5 3/4″.   Adhere the designer paper behind the pocket, then adhere the sides of the pocket for a quick and easy pocket page.
  • Tip in pages: Cut the cardstock base to measure 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″.  Score at  3″ for left  hand tip  in, or at 5 1/2: for right hand tip in.

To make the hidden pocket insert page on the left:

  • First, cut  base cardstock to measure 6″ x 6″.
  • Next, score 1/2″ on the sides and the bottom.
  • Now trim out the bottom corner pieces.
  • Fold the flaps to the back side of the panel and adhere to the album base.  This creates a “channel” for the insert to slide into, and allows a little more room for the insert.

To make the insert:

  • Cut cardstock to measure 4 3/4″ x 8 1/2″.  Score at 3 1/2″ on the long side.
  • Line the panels with designer paper.
  • Slide the longer side of the insert behind the page.
  • Decorate!

Pocket Pages are part of the album page unit.  Simply line the top and bottom with papers that play well together.  All set!

Sophie and I will show you how to make these cute little bookmarks in the video.

Laserowe Love Watermelon Friends Mini Album: The Video

If you’re ready to get your craft on, you can watch Sophie and I make the album together in this video.

This was such a fun way to spend my birthday!  And I think Sophie enjoyed it, too.

I hope Sophie and I shared some tips, tricks and techniques that you can use in your own crafty adventures.  If so, we’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheerio,

kathy (and Sophie!)

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Watermelon Friendship Pocket Card

Laserowe Love Watermelon Friendship Pocket Card with RRR Watermelon Plaid Ribbon

Hello, Friends!  Don’t you just love it when you find just the right ribbon to finish off a card?  This Watermelon Plaid Ribbon could not be a more perfect match for this Laserowe Love Watermelon Friendship Pocket Card.

This 5 1/2″ square top fold card is a real slice of summer fun.  Here’s how it came together:

  • First, cut a 5 1/2″ x 11 panel from Gumdrop Green cardstock.  Score in half on the long side and fold to make a top fold card base.
  • Next, cut a 5 1/4″ panel from Ripe Raspberry Cardstock.  Center and adhere over the Gumdrop Green.
  • Now, cut a 5″ panel from the Laserowe Love Watermelon Summer paper.  Center and adhere over the Ripe Raspberry.
  • Cut a 2″ belly band from the text pattern from Watermelon Friends.  Double mat on both Ripe Raspberry and Gumdrop Green.  Adhere in the center of the card.
  • Add a doily in the center of the belly band.
  • Now fussy cut the best friends from a small tag. Save the top half of the tag to tuck in  as a design feature.
  • Fussy Cut the large ice cream cone tag from the collection.  Double mat and adhere on the left hand side of the card. Tuck the fussy cut friends in on the right hand side of the tag and the tag top on the left.
Watermelon Friendship Pocket Card: Finishing Touches

To finish this card front off in style follow these steps:

  • First, top the ice cream tag with ribbon, burlap string and a little ice cream cone charm.  I’m not sure where this charm came from.  I’ve had it in my stash forever.
  • Fussy cut the banner, back with foam adhesive and adhere along the top edge of the card.
  • The tie 1″ burlap string bows for the corners of the banner.  Top with bitty black buttons.
  • Tie a 2 1/2″ double loop bow with the Watermelon Plaid ribbon.  Hot glue in the lower right hand corner of the tag.  Top with pink flowers.
  • Finally, run ribbon scraps through the legs of a paperclip and top with a small flower.  Add buttons.
Watermelon Friendship Pocket Card: A Peek Inside

Mat the inside of the card with more Ripe Raspberry cardstock.  Then top with panels of designer paper.

TIP: Create a quick and easy tag pocket by cutting a 5″ x 7 1/2″ panel for the bottom of the card.  Score this on the long side at 5.  Use an oval die to cut a pocket opening.  Fold the 2 1/2″ flap up and adhere the sides to form a pocket.

This is such a quick and easy card to make.  You could easily adapt this “recipe” to work with any collection you have in your stash.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Watermelon Summer Fun Folio

Watermelon Summer Fun Folio with Really Reasonable Ribbon & Laserowe Love

Hello, Friends!  Well, summer is in full heat here in North Carolina.  And nothing is more refreshing on these sultry days than a big bowl of icy cold, sweet watermelon.  Lucky for me, I had Laserowe Love Watermelon Summer and Watermelon Friends paper collections in my stash.  I paired them up with Apple Green Organza/Satin Center and Acid Green Random Dots Grosgrain Ribbons from the RRR July Ribbon Club Assortment to make this darling Watermelon Summer Fun Folio.

The folio base is made with one sheet of 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper.  You can find a video tutorial for it HERE.   The front is a shaker frame layered up with pretty chipboard cuts from Laserowe Love. I don’t know about you, but I would love to have an icy cold umbrella drinkie inside a mini watermelon cup right about now.   Little Birdie Flowers, Ivory Burlap String, and a button from my stash are all invited to this  pool party.  Let’s take a peek inside, shall we?

Watermelon Summer Fun Folio: Party on the Inside

The fun gets started right away with a little ribbon topped tag tucked behind a chipboard umbrella drink.

The pocket page on the right holds some cute little Polaroid style photo mounts.  I’ve used more of the Acid Green Dots ribbon as a border on the pocket.

Here’s a look when everything is fully opened.  Isn’t it fun?  From left to right we have a waterfall cascade, a pocket with inserts, a dimensional tag/treat pocket, and a magnetic flap page.

Watermelon Summer Fun Folio: The Waterfall Element

 

 

Create tuck spots on the waterfall pages by adhering just the bottom edge of a tag.

 

Decorate a pocket with a little fussy cut banner.  Create the pocket page on the album base beneath the waterfall for an extra fun surprise.  The pocket holds 4″ x 4″ photo mounts.

Watermelon Summer Fun Folio: The Magnetic Flap Page

Use the tropical chipboard elements to create a little vignette on the front of the flap page.

TIP:  Create a cute turn tab when cutting the center pocket opening.  Place a Spellbinder’s Oval die about half way in the center of your pocket panel.  When you die cut, save the little half oval that the die cuts out.  Adhere the straight edge behind the designer paper panel.  Instant turn tab!  It’s a two-fer!

 

You’ll find room inside for a small photo and a tag filled pocket.  Cut fish tail ends on the Acid Green Ribbon to make a festive pocket border.

You can journal on the tags and add small photos on the back.

Watermelon Summer Fun Folio: The Dimensional Treat Pocket

Use cardstock scraps and a corner punch to create little pocket tags to tuck inside the dimensional pocket.  Decorate the pocket flap with smaller tags topped with ribbon and buttons.  And these green and pink chocolates are a perfect color match for the paper collection.   How fun is that?

You could also tuck a gift card, small photo or memento inside the pocket of each tag.  And there is ample room on the back for a photo.

This little folio comes together very quickly and makes a great summer birthday or hostess gift.  You can’t help but smile when working with the happy patterns and cute images in these two collections.

I hope you’ve been refreshed and inspired by this Watermelon Summer Fun Folio project.  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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