I recently completed a baby gift album for my nephew, James. Each two-page layout in the album features one month of his first year. The album came together pretty quickly once I figured out the layout and pattern.
Materials needed to create inside pages of album:
Bazzill Basics 6 X 6 Coverall Album page inserts (White)
Basic Grey Patterned Paper and Fibers from the Sweet Pea Jack Line
Brown Stamping Ink
Coordinating Ribbon
Making Memories Magnetic Stamps
1. The first step was to cut the beautiful Basic Grey paper into 6 X 6 squares from the patterned paper. I rubbed the brown inkpad around all of the edges of the paper.
2. Then I used the Basic Grey Sweet Pea Jack Solid paper to cut photo mats (4 1/2 by 3 1/2.) I inked the edges of the paper with the brown ink.
3. Next I gathered the white insert pages that came with the album and grouped them into three piles – one pile with 4 inserts, two piles with 3 inserts. I folded each pile in half and then stacked then on top of each other. Then I numbered and titled (one month, two months) the pages with pencil.
4. Now I was ready for assembling. I covered each page of the white inserts with a piece of the 6 X 6 Basic Grey paper and attached with Hermafix.
5. Then I went back though the book at added one photo mat to each layout. I tied some of the fibers around the edge of most of the photo mats. I only attached the fibers to the back of the mat so that a photo can easily slip onto the mat.
6. Now it was time for some stamping. I used my Making Memories magnetic stamps and spelled out “one month” through “twelve months” and stamped the words just below the photo mat.
7. On the page opposite the photo mat I stamped three journaling prompts per page where my sister can record things that happened in that month such as favorite foods, sleeping habits, outings, visitors, milestones, places I went, favorite toys, etc. I tried to make each Journaling prompt appropriate for the month. For example, I would not put “favorite foods” on first month because the baby is only drinking milk that month.
8. One the last layout I did a “look at how I’ve grown” page.
9. For a finishing touch, I cut ribbon into 2-3 inch pieces that were folded into a “V” and then stapled to most of the pages. I made sure that they hung off of the edge so that they could be seen when the album is closed.
