Mini Albums To Go
July 2007

Greetings

Finally.....my first issue of Mini Albums To Go. I first started taking subscriptions back in January with every intention of getting my first newsletter out in February but it seems that life just got in the way as it so often does. So for those of you who may not even remember signing up for this newsletter, I promise you did actually subscribe and I'm not just some random person sending you junk mail.

I hope you enjoy this months offering of mini album 'stuff' It has been heaps of fun for me creating it.  Please let me know if you have any questions regarding any of the content in this newsletter.

Have Fun,
Peata
www.scrapbook-crazy.com

In this Issue

• The Gallery
• The Clear Trend - acrylic albums
• Interview with an album maker
• A Contest!! - sponsored by 1CreativeBug
• You oughta know

The Gallery is up

Inspiration Gallery

note. Any submissions to the gallery must be your own original work.

The Clear Trend

Acrylic mini albums. What are they? where can we buy one? and more importantly, how can we make our own?

Clear transparent mini albums have been around for a little while and have in the past been made primarily from transparency sheets like the ones you use with an overhead projector. Recently however they have become super popular and are made from products such as acrylic (aka plexiglass or perspex).  They are popping up in galleries all over the place as well as some online scrapbook stores. Already you can pick up a pre-made 'just add photos' album from sites which sell handcrafted goods such as Etsy and Ebay.

You can purchase an acrylic album from a number of different online stores. Some are tabbed like those available from pageframes, others like D.Reeves Designs come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. This is a clear Steps Acrylic Mini album from www.1CreativeBug.com. Christie and her team have come up with a 8 page clear mini album which incorporates another popular trend used a lot lately in mini albums. Each page of this album vary in size to create a steps type effect. I have done a bit of hunting around for different albums and this one is the cheapest that I have found for its size so far.

Steps Acrylic Mini Album

This fabulous album comes with 3 rings (not pictured) and  8 clear pages that vary in size from 4 X 5 inches to 7.5 X 5 inches. Pages lay on top of one another forming "steps".

So make sure you pop over to www.1CreativeBug.com and check out their range of products.

Interview with an album maker

What inspired you to make an album from plexiglass

I was checking out the discussions on 2Peas; they seemed so fun and creative.  I don't scrapbook, I really just make cards and alter some projects. The acrylic album was my first project with photos and my first venture into any type of scrapbooking

Where did you purchase the plexiglass

Bought a 8"x10" sheet from Hobby Lobby for 99c each

How thick was the plexiglass

The thickness of a cd case

How did you cut it

Fiskars Euro Trimmer

Where did you get the book rings:

 used Karen Foster loose leaf rings but WalMart in the office supply area sell 5 for 97c

What adhesives did you use?   

 Elmer's Craft Bond Spray Glue along with glue dots and tape adhesive

You don't have to use a spray-on adhesive (though I did); you could just use adhesive that you have, like glue dots, and if it shows through on the other side, just cover that up w/an embellishment!

What products do you think work best with acrylic albums?

 I used some staz-on ink, but I like they acrylic paint best; oh and rubons too

Note. other great products to use include: foam or rubber stamps, heat embossing,  adhesive bling - like the stuff you buy for mobile phone, Stickers, Heidi swapp masks

Where is the best place in your opinion to buy these supplies?

--try a variety of stores and see what you can come across; that's the beauty of crafting - giving projects your own personal touch.  I like the idea of recycling, so if I come across anything that I can reuse, I will.
 
--If you have to go to a traditional store, just mill around and see what they have to offer that is similar to the acrylic (keeping in mind that you may want to punch holes through it)
 
--if you go to a hardware/home improvement store, I recommend printing out a photo/picture to carry along to give the store/people who are assisting you an idea of what you want to do
 
--the embellishments should come from your stash or you can purchase supplies to fit your theme, just as you would other projects
 

OTHER COMMENTS:

--I really like my finished project, especially for my first album. It was a challenge to coordinate the book. I was very conscious of what was on both sides of the pages. I did not just want to use paper to cover up nearly the entire page
 

 Where else can we find your work

 At the 2peas gallery (note 2peas site was down at the time this newsletter was sent so you may need to try again later)

Thanks so much for sharing your fabulous album with us Kim.

Check out our gallery to see the rest of Kim's clear mini album.

Click here for full instructions on how you can make your own Acrylic mini album + more hints and tips.

Free Mini Album Give Away

We have up for grabs 3 Acrylic Steps mini albums sponsored by 1CreativeBug

To enter, email me at up to 6 photos of your best unique mini album in a .gif or .jpg file format. Include any information and tips on how you made the album - What products did you use, techniques, original ideas.

Send your submissions to info@scrapbook-crazy.com

Any submissions received may be posted to the mini album gallery.

Entries close:  Wednesday 15th August, with the winner to be announced 18th August on my BLOG and in next months newsletter.

This competition is open to current subscribers to 'Mini albums to Go' If you have received this email from a friend and would like to subscribe please click on the link at the end of this newsletter.

Stuff you oughta know

Feel free to forward this newsletter to a friend or egroup.
They will be glad you did!

If this newsletter was referred to you by a friend then make sure you subscribe to mini albums to go to ensure you receive all future installments.

If you have any comments or questions you can send me a message via the contact me page or you can simply leave a quick comment on my BLOG

© 2007 www.Scrapbook.Crazy.com. All rights reserved.