Mini Vintage Scrapbook Album

Today's project is a blast from the past as we initially hosted a workshop on making these Vintage Scrapbook albums back in 2011, which you can read about here. The albums we made at the workshop were bigger than this miniature album, enabling you to add 6" x 4" photos to it.

I made this album after we returned from a Cornwall trip back in 2012 and I just love how easy these albums are to make.

Now unfortunately the material that the cover is made out of; which is Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grungepaper; is in very low supply these days after it was discontinued. There are a few Ebay sellers who might still have this product so it's worth looking around. 

This Grungepaper is perfect for making an album look like it was made out of a leather like material.

To create the cover:- 

1. Cut some Grungepaper to the size you want. 

2. Use an embossing folder to create an embossed texture across the cover. 

3. Choose a colour of Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stains (my album was made with the original Distress Stains that you could rub onto a surface). Use a large paintbrush to brush the stain onto the cover. Leave to dry.

4. Use a Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad, either in the same colour as the stain or maybe choose a vintage colour, such as Vintage Photo or Walnut Stain. Lightly add some more intense colour across the album cover using a blending tool.

Inside the cover I attached a concertina album. I used plain cardstock to make the album and used Tim Holtz Distress ink pads and a variety of stamps around the edge of each album page to create a nice background for my photos.

I chose to add a black and white tint to my photos before I printed them and then added touches of Tim Holtz distress ink to areas of the photos.

Before I stuck my photos down I used pieces of old lace to place around the corners and along the edges of my photos.

I also used bits of washi tape behind some of my photos to add a bit of extra design to the background.

I added a pocket to the back of my album using a small piece of Grungepaper that I had decorated in the same way as the cover. I then created a tag and added a vintage stamp design to the front of it. This pocket is also ideal for putting bits of ephemera in.

I added photos to both the front and back of the concertina album and secured the album inside the cover using a mini stapler to hold in place on the inside of the front cover.

On the front cover I added a piece of washi tape and used a Dymo to create a title for my album and then secured in place using a mini stapler.

All in all this album is a lovely way to present your photos and you can make adjustments depending on the size you want. If you can't find any Grungepaper you may be able to use a very lightweight chipboard such as Silhouette America Chipboard to create your album.