Take the Road Less Traveled Mini Album Tutorial

Heartfelt Creations Wednesday

Welcome, friends to the very first May edition of Heartfelt Creations Wednesday!  This week, I have a fun Take the Road Less Traveled Mini Album Tutorial to share with you.  There are lots of pictures and details to follow, so you might want to go grab a cuppa and snack before we get started.  I’ll wait for you.  OK?  Ready?  And we’re off on The Road Less Traveled!

As soon as I laid eyes on the exciting “Celebrate the Journey” collection from Heartfelt Creations I knew I wanted to make a mini album with those fabulous papers, stamps, tags and dies!  I had been saving a really unusual blank linen mini album from Maya Road, and decided its neutral colors, texture and fringed edges were just the right companion for this journey.  You will find a detailed tutorial for creating the mini album at the bottom of this post, and if you have any questions about the directions, I hope you’ll feel free to ask.  When you create a project of this magnitude, it is hard to include all the little details in the tutorial.  Hard as I try, I always seem to leave out some little tidbit.  So don’t be afraid to ask!

I love the dimensional hot air balloon that I created with the Balloon and Bicycle Stamp from the collection.  (Love these stamps….such fun images and useful on so many different projects!) Since I used teal, pink and kraft as the base colors for my album, I colored it with my Spectrum Noir markers (GT 1, 2 and PP 2, 3) to pick up on the gorgeous colors in the paper collection.  The faux leather suitcase is a really fun element on this page.  Instead of making it open like a box, I designed it to open like an old fashioned carpet bag and secured it shut with fun vintage copper brads.

Oh, and a copper ribbon slide serves as a clasp, tied off with a scrap of ribbon. Natural Jute Ribbon and natural jute string are used throughout the album to add an interesting textural element to the pages.

Here’s a peek at the open pages.  You can see the hidden tag pockets and frayed jute twine. There is so much texture in this album, and I just love it!

This first set of pages is the only set without hidden pockets.  The little tags are mounted on adhesive foam so you can slip two full sized photos of your trip in here. Oh, and the album measures 5″ x 7″ .  Did I remember to mention that?

The second set of pages has a double pocket on the left hand side with bicycle stamp and die cut pocket watch in the upper corner.  I love, love, love the Sentiment PreCut set in this collection!  I can see myself using these images all the time. I made the pockets by stitching the designer paper to a cardstock base, leaving one edge open for tags.  On the teal page, the opening is on the left.

Here are the kraft tags inside that pocket. I die cut them with the very useful Luggage and Tag die. It is a must have item!  I use this puppy almost every time I create!

The right hand page features one of the card fronts from the collection, and the tag pocket is at the top.

Room for lots of journaling on this fun copper topped tag!

These two pages conceal a fun fold out page that we’ll take a closer look at in a minute.  Two copper topped tags are in the pocket on the left.

And the right hand page has a hand written border that says: “people to see, places to go, things to do,” and “oh, the places you’ll go”.  But, the right hand page is actually a 4 1/4″ x 7 manila envelope that I sewed into the page to create a fun fold out page.

Plenty of room for photos, and tags for journaling.  But not only is there a tag pocket on the far right, there is a secret, hidden pocket under the journey page where you can hide your passport, tickets or emergency cash.  I made this by sewing turning the envelope upside down and sewing the envelope flap between the designer paper and the cardstock.  So the body of the envelope is the far right hand page.  Instead of stitching the “Journey of a Lifetime” page to cardstock, I just stitched around three of the edges, leaving the right hand edge open.  I used a punch to create the thumb hole, and glued the top, bottom and left hand sides of this panel to the envelope back, adding another pocket for tags.

Can you see the little bicycle button I found in my stash?  How fun!  And I used the tag die to cut these art pieces from the paper collection.  This collection is just loaded with handy artwork to make creating cards, albums or mixed media pieces a breeze!

Even the back cover has room for a photo and a hidden pocket on the top containing tags.

Al the artwork is either taken from the paper collection or the “Celebrate the Journey” sentiment stamps.

Here’s the step by step tutorial for this project:

Take the Road Less Traveled Mini Album Tutorial

Heartfelt Creations Products and Products Carried by HC:

HCDP1 242 Celebrate the Journey Collection

HCPC 3596 Celebrate the Journey Sentiments PreCut Set

HCD 744 Once Upon a Time Die

HCD 745 Luggage and Tags Die

HCPC 3599 Balloon and Bicycle PreCut Set

354806 Spellbinders Standard Circles Large

452255 Grand Calibur

Other Products: Maya Road 5” x 7” linen journal,; white, kraft, pink and teal cardstock, Distress Ink: Vintage Photo, Picked Raspberries, Evergreen Bough, Forest Moss; Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink, Copper brads, Natural Jute String, Foam Adhesive, sewing machine, Aleene’s Tacky Glue, 5” x 7” envelope, 1 1/2” circle punch, buttons, Diamond Stickles, hot glue gun, copper ribbon slide, ribbon scraps

Directions:

Note: Decorate all pages before gluing into album.

 

Cut 10 4 3/4” x 6 1/4” rectangles from teal and pink cardstock, five of each color.  Ink the edges with Evergreen Bough or Picked Raspberries DI.  Cut 8 4 1/4″ x 6” panels from the paper collection.  I used the balloons and the teal map paper.  Stitch the paper from the collection to the cardstock, leaving an open edge on the top, the right, or the left side, depending on where the paper will be placed in the album. Leave two pages without pockets and just sew all the way around the edges.  To create the fold out envelope page, do the following:

1)      Turn the envelope upside down with the envelope flap on the left.  Tape the envelope flap under the designer paper BEFORE stitching.  As you stitch around the page, the envelope will be secured.  This creates a hidden pocket for storing your passport, tickets or cash.   Cut designer paper to fit the front and back of the envelope, mat with teal and pink cardstock and stitch around the perimeter leaving the outside edge open, to form a pocket.  Use a circle punch to create a partial circle opening in the center of one of the panels. Trim exposed edges of envelope flap.

 

 Cut 12 tags from kraft cardstock.  Decorate them and top with either copper brads or jute twine that you have frayed on the ends.  These will go in the pockets.

 

Decorate the pages as shown.  Stamp, die cut and color “Celebrate the Journey” sentiments and use to decorate album pages. Use the luggage and tags die to cut tickets, tabs and tags from the paper collection. Mat with either teal or pink cardstock and add twine, brads or buttons, as shown.

 

Album Cover:

 

To make the 3-D balloon on the front of the album, stamp and color the balloon 6 times.  Fussy cut one whole balloon from the paper. Use the Spellbinders circle die to cut the remaining 5 balloons from the stamped images.  Score down the center from top to bottom and crease so that the colored side faces in. Glue the left hand side of one balloon to the base of the fussy cut balloon. Glue the right hand side of that balloon to the left hand side of the next balloon and so forth, finishing by gluing the final right hand side of the balloon to the right hand side of the base balloon.  Fussy cut the wicker basket and use a foam dot to the base wicker basket.  Add Diamond Stickles to the edges and wires.

 

Use double sided tape to secure a strip of natural jute ribbon to the base of the album cover panel. 

Die cut the suitcase from faux leather cardstock and secure with brads.  Add to the cover of the journal.  Braid and twist the natural jute twine.  Fold it over on itself and tie with scrap pieces of twine.  Use hot glue to adhere to album cover.  Top with threaded buttons.  Cut the border sentiment, add fishtail, mat with kraft cardstock, ink edges with Vintage Photo DI.  Use foam tape to secure to album cover, as shown.  Add a threaded button on the left.  Die cut a tag from the map paper.  Ink edges, mat with kraft paper.  Add decorative tabs and twine to the top.  Cut fishtail banners from paper scraps.  Mat with kraft paper and layer in top left of album cover, as shown.

 

Once all pages are decorated, use Aleene’s Tacky Glue to adhere to linen album pages.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I know this was a long, detailed post, so I thank you for hanging in there with me.  As I said before, if any of my directions  for this Take the Road Less Traveled mini album tutorial leave you with a question, please feel free to ask.  This album was so much fun to create, and I hope you will give it a try.  Be sure to stop by the Heartfelt Creations Blog where you’ll find dozens of inspirational projects to get your creative juices flowing.  Heartfelt Creations Wednesdays make me happy right down to the tips of my crafty little fingers!

Cheerio,

kathy