Family “To Go”, Please!

I might have mentioned lately that my son, Robert (of the tie-dyed T-shirts) is heading out to London with a study-abroad program this fall. One of the things I wanted to send along with him was a small scrapbook of family pictures, not only for himself, but also to show his host family without having to boot up the computer.

I created the accordion-fold album from scratch, using an assortment of solid cardstocks and some prints for accents.

For the hinges between each panel I used a particularly fiber-y Kraft style cardstock that’s pretty hard to tear. Getting the hinge pieces glued on straight was tricky, but I figured it out and it worked out really well!

I had fun putting together the design of the front cover, although engineering the rest of it got a little intense there for a while :) I used the same tough cardstock for the cover as I did for the hinges.

I love to accent printed paper with the clear Sakura Glaze pen! It brings out dim things, adds dimension, and is just all around fun to play with! I used it on the green paper to bring out the tone-on-tone airplane and postal symbols.

I asked my daughters, who are particularly fond of sibling photos (!) for some help choosing which pictures to put in. I had instant response from them – they love their little brother!

I knew that my husband and I were going to have to show up in this book :P Neither of us like photos of ourselves though! But we went ahead and did it. I also put a few pics from important activities from Robert’s past years – soccer, band, and a couple of locales he likes.

Adding the extra layer of mat for each photo made for nice strong panels once everything was assembled! I know it’s not a surprise to “real” scrapbookers, but that sure takes a lot of time and paper!

I wanted him to be able to stand the album up on display like a bi-fold frame if he has an area for that, so I didn’t fasten any of the 18 accordion-hinged pages to the cover except the first and last. He could theoretically show 9 at a time, as all the panels fold either direction.

I also placed the insides very close to the bottom of the cover’s edge — far enough in to protect the panels, but not so much that they’ll sag and twist (very much) when it is standing.

I finished the album and wrapped it in some tissue just as he came downstairs and pronounced himself completely packed. After doing my best to think of things he might have missed, I agreed he was all set. I offered to let him open his gift right then even though no one else was awake. We both couldn’t wait – his curiosity about my secret project was pretty strong, and I was anxious for him to see it!

He loved it! And now he’s on his way with his “family to go” handmade photo album!

Gail