Mini albums are super gift for a wedding, birthday or a newborn baby. There are so many people who are in to mini albums, and create lots and lots of fantastic albums. Lately, I have seen a lot of new crafters asking about Mini albums, and how to start making them. This article will hopefully give you some inspiration to start or to make new albums.
There are of course several ways of creating a mini album. I often like to make mini albums with a hinge system for the pages. The pages often have flaps and fold out in different ways. I also use tags, and often a pop up element n the albums. I use 1cm between the pages, to allow space for all the flaps and tags, and 3D elements.
Tutorials
Hinge system for pages.
This system is something worked on about 15 years ago to develop, and gave classes in at the time. I am still using the same system. I often have 5 pages in my albums, just because I think it makes a nice size. You can find the full tutorial (in English) in my blog (and yes, I did get on to the designteam). These albums are not quick to make. I have made many of them, and may use about 40h on an album, when all the pages and flaps are decorated.
I may use different ways of locking my albums. In this album, I use a knob and a rubber band from Tim Holtz.
In this album, I used the Boho collection from Kaisercraft.
You can get a full overview of the album and the camera box in this video.
Here, you can see the hinge system, I use for fixing the pages to the back of the album.
Simple albums
If you wish to make a very simple album binding, you may just want to knot the pages together. This album is made with PL cards, and they are simply knotted together at the left side.
Zutter binder system
You may want to use the Zutter binder system. This is an easy version of making small books and albums.
You can also make albums like this a part of a different item, like this folder with a little notebook.
Book rings
Simple albums can also be made just by using book rings. This Korona album was a challenge for me to make. I often like to use lots ans lots of patterned paper in my work, but here, the challenge was to use lots of strong coloured card stock as background. You can see full inspiration from all the pages in this blogpost.
Another album with book rings can be shown in this video. This is a baby album, created for Kaisercraft.
Other ideas for mini album
What you choose to fill your pages with is up to you, but the possibilities are endless. In this album, I used a lot of mixed media techniques as I created the pages. This album is also based on the hinge system.
Sometimes, I also make an advanced box for the album. This compass box with a minialbum is an example.
This album, is a cute little album, based on the hinge system. I used envelopes as a base for the pages. This is album for a little girl, who can write small notes for here self when she is all grown up, put them in the envelopes, and open them later.
This album was an album made to order. I hardly make albums to order, as they are so much work. This was made for a photographer, so I added a hand made pop up camera at the end of the album.
This mini album, is also based on the hinge system. It is created with the Golden Grove collection for Kaisercraft.
This minialbum, is one of my wedding mini albums, that I create as presents. In this album, I used papers from different brands, just to get the effects I wanted.
This is an other album with papers from Reprint – I do collection.
This is another version of a wedding album, with Prima papers. This is also based on the hinge system.
And this is another example. Here with some photos added.
I hope this gave you some inspiration. Hav a good crafting week.
Kirsten Grue Ulset is from Norway. Kirsten has been writing for TPC since 2016. Kirsten started paper crafting in 2005 and she makes cards, layouts, Mixed Media, Altered and 3D projects. Her paper projects are made in many different styles with a lot of details.