Graphic 45 Little Darlings Altered Box and Mini Album

By Gloria Stengel (Scraps of Life)

Supplies Needed: Graphic 45 Papers (12x12): Little Darlings: Peek-A-Boo (2 sheets), Bundle of Joy (1 sheet), Heaven Sent (2 sheets), Rock-A-Bye (1 sheet), New Arrival (1 sheet), Little Treasures (2 sheets) Graphic 45 Stamps: Little Darlings Cling Stamps 1 (optional) Graphic 45 Cardstock Stickers: Little Darlings Graphic 45 Chipboard Tags: Little Darlings Tags 1 and 2 Graphic 45 Staples: Metal Tags (1 large), Metal Butterflies (1 large, 1 small), Metal Brads (2-5), 5x5 Kraftboard Altered Art Box (1), Kraft Envelope Album (1 page), tag packaging (2) Adhesive: tape runner or strong double-sided tape, foam tape; strong wet adhesive Other Embellishments: Flowers (10-12 small mulberry paper flowers); ribbon (1 yard salmon sparkle satin, 6 pieces coordinating ribbon and trim, approx. 6 inches each), baker's twine (12 inches pastel); 3 pearl brads (or use Graphic 45 Metal Staple Brads); white art wire (optional) Tools: Core'dinations: Sand it Gadget; paper trimmer, craft knife, ruler, pencil, hole punch, pliers, rubber mallet (optional) Inks, paint, spray: Clearsnap: Colorbox Graphic 45 Decades Antiquing Ink Dark Cashmere; Fluid Chalk Rose Coral, Popcorn; Copic Markers: Various markers; Tsukineko: Goosebumps Clear Texture Spray (optional); Deco Art: White Acrylic Paint (option: pale blue paint is also required if not using the texture spray) Cardstock: 1 sheet white

The Graphic 45 Kraftboard Altered Art Box is 5.25 x 5.25 x 2 inches (when closed) and comes with a 4.75 x 4.75 inch mini album.

Before beginning your project, you must first prepare your metal embellishments to allow them time to dry! Paint the metal tag, butterflies, and brads with white acrylic paint. Once the paint is dry, spray the metal with Tsukineko Goosebumps Clear Texture Spray. The combination of the white paint and the clear spray turns the metal a pale, baby blue! You must wait for the paint to dry before spraying. It may take some time for the metal to dry once sprayed with the texture spray. Set the items aside and move on to another section of the project. (You may use pale blue paint or keep the metal items white if you do not have access to the texture spray.) Cover each section of the box with paper. Sand the edges and then ink them with white ink or paint to hide any imperfections, and to give the project an antiqued look. Make sure to trim out the opening in the front, center panel of the box. To cover the box: Outside Front and Back, inside of album Box: Little Treasures (3 pieces, approx. 5.25 x 5.25 inches) Outside Spines, Album box: Peek-A-Boo (10 pieces, approx. 5.25 x 2 inches) Inside Lid, Spines, Flaps: Heaven Sent (2 pieces, approx. 5.25 x 5.25 inches; 2 pieces approx. 5.25 x 2 inches)

Decorate the outside "spine" with a chipboard tag and two brads. Use pearl brads or the Graphic 45 Metal Brad Staples. Attach the brads to the tag, and then glue the tag to the box spine.

Decorate the top of the box with one of the chipboard tickets and several mulberry flowers. Add some wire spirals, if desired. (Use Copic Markers to color the paper flowers to match the paper, if necessary) Use a strong, wet glue to attach the mulberry paper flowers. Do NOT use adhesive dots, as they do not adhere well to the mulberry paper, causing the flowers to fall off after a few weeks!

To decorate the front of the album, create a collage of flowers and wire in the upper left corner. To create the latch and butterflies: After you have painted your metal items, they are ready to use in decorating your box. To create the butterfly embellishment, use pliers to bend the wings into shape, then glue the butterflies together. You may use a small brad to hold them together, if you wish. Glue a white paper flower to the center of the butterflies, and attach the butterflies to the box as shown. Using the edge of the table, pliers, and a rubber mallet, bend the Metal Tag at a 90-degree angle. (You can bend the metal with your hands, but it is easier to use a mallet and pliers.) Glue the tag to the box cover, creating a latch. Decorate the latch with a chipboard tag and a brad, as shown.

Add some ticket images from New Arrival to the inside cover of the box. (This is a great way to hide any imperfections that may have occurred when trimming the opening!)

Here is the box, all opened up, with the mini album tucked inside.

To create a gift card pocket for the inside of the box, use a page from a Graphic 45 Kraft Envelope Album. Cut the bottom off the envelope so that the envelope is about 3 inches long. Re-glue the bottom to make a pocket the perfect size for a standard gift card. Decorate the envelope and the flap with scraps of Peek-A-Boo and Heaven Sent paper. Use two of the Graphic 45 Metal Brad Staples, wrapped with twine, act as a closure for the pocket. Attach the pocket to the box with strong, double-sided tape.

Set the finished box aside. It is now time to work on the mini album.

Here is the little mini, all wrapped in Light Coral Shimmer Satin ribbon.

Make sure that you pay attention to the depth of your box when adding treasures to your mini album. If your album gets too thick, the box will NOT close.

Now, let's work on the mini album! The mini is a 4.75 x 19 inch accordion-fold mini album. We will decorate each panel as a separate "canvas." Lay your album on your workspace and use a pencil to LABEL EACH PANEL! This will help you when decorating.

Panel 1

Panel 2

Panel 3

Panel 4

Flip the album. Label the BACK of Panel 1 as Panel 8 - Cover. The back of Panel 2 as Panel 7, the back of Panel 3 as Panel 6, and the back of Panel 4 as Panel 5 - Ribbon.

Panel 5 Ribbon

Panel 6

Panel 7

Panel 8 Cover

It is important that you label your pages! It is easy to get confused and end up with your album in the wrong order. Glue satin ribbon the Panel 5 - Ribbon. Make sure you have approx. 12 inches on each side to for tying the mini closed.

Panel 5 Ribbon

Panels 6, 7, 8 (Cover)

12" ribbon

Glue Ribbon Here ONLY

15" ribbon - DO NOT GLUE RIBBON HERE

Make sure you only glue the ribbon onto Panel 5 - Ribbon and that the tails of the ribbon hang free.

Panel 8 - Cover: You will be working on the panels on this side of the album from right to left. The cover is your rightmost panel, panel 5 (with the ribbon attached) is your leftmost panel. It seems confusing, but once the album is finished you will see how it comes together.

Attach Little Treasures paper to the cover. Adhere an image from the Bundle of Joy paper to the back of a chipboard frame. (You can put a photo of your baby into the frame instead of the image used.) Decorate the upper left corner of the frame with flowers and wire. Attach the frame to the panel.

Panel 7:

Attach Heaven Sent Butterfly paper to Panel 7. Trim down a Graphic 45 packaging tag (or similar shape, traced onto heavy cardstock) and cover the tag with Rock-A-Bye paper. Decorate the tag with a chipboard tag and button. Tie ribbon through the holes in the button. Make sure you can slide a photo or journaling beneath the tag chipboard - only glue the outside edge. Panel 6:

Attach Heaven Sent Stripe paper to Panel 6. Trim photo mat from white cardstock. Edge the photo mat with pink ink. Add two postage stickers, pop one with foam tape. Make sure that you are able to slide your photo under the stickers. Panel 5 - Ribbon: You attached your ribbon onto this panel. Make sure that the tails of the ribbon hang free.

Attach Little Treasures paper to Panel 5 - Ribbon. You will cover the 4.75 inches of the ribbon where it is adhered to the panel! Attach a 1 x 4.75 inch strip of Peek-A-Boo paper to the center of the panel. Next, create a pocket by trimming a 2.5 x 4.75 piece of Little Treasures paper and attaching it to the bottom of the panel. Apply adhesive to three sides of the pocket and attach it to the panel. Decorate the pocket with a sticker. (You may attach the sticker to some thin chipboard, and tie a bit of twine to the sticker for more dimension). To create the tags for this pocket:

Tag 1: Attach the baby sticker to some chipboard and trim around it. Edge the tag with pink ink. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the corner of the tag, then tie a bit of ribbon to the tag. Tag 2: Trim white cardstock to 4 x 2.25 inches. Stamp the baby buggy image from the Graphic 45 stamp set in brown ink onto the paper. Edge the paper with pink ink. Add a chipboard tab (New Arrival) to the top of the cardstock. Tag 3: Tie ribbon to a chipboard tag. Tuck the three tags into the pocket you created. Sand all of the edges of the album, and then add a bit of white ink to give the album a soft, distressed look.

You are now ready to decorate the other side of the album. With your album flat on your desk, matching the photo above, turn the album over, to the left, as if you were turning the page of a book. Your cover should be face down on the back of the leftmost panel. When you are finished, this side of the album will look like the photo below.

Panel 1:

Attach Peek-A-Boo paper to Panel 1. Trim down a Graphic 45 packaging tag (or similar shape, traced onto heavy cardstock) and cover the tag with Heaven Sent paper. To decorate the tag, create a ticket from chipboard and a Graphic 45 sticker. Make sure you can slide a photo or journaling beneath the chipboard ticket - only glue the outside edge. Tie some ribbon or lace through the hole in the top of the tag. Glue the large tag to the panel.

Panel 2:

Attach Little Treasures (pink side) paper to Panel 2. Trim photo mat from white cardstock. Edge the photo mat with pink ink. Add two postage images cut from New Arrival paper to the upper left corner of the photo mat. Pop one with foam tape. Make sure that you are able to slide your photo under the images. Attach the Little Darlings sticker to the bottom center of the panel Panel 3:

Attach Little Treasures paper to Panel 3. Trim photo mat from white cardstock. Edge the photo mat with pink ink. Add two postage images cut from New Arrival paper to the lower left corner of the photo mat, and then attach one of the ticket chipboard shapes. Make sure that you are able to slide your photo under the images.

Panel 4:

Attach Heaven Sent paper to Panel 4. Next, create a pocket by trimming a 2 x 4.75 piece of Peek-A-Boo paper and attaching it to the bottom of the panel. Apply adhesive to three sides of the pocket and attach it to the panel. Attach a Graphic 45 scallop and lace sticker to the top edge of the pocket. Lightly sand the edges. Decorate the pocket with a chipboard tag. (You may add a mulberry paper rose for more dimension). To create the tags for this pocket:

Tag 1: Attach the journaling ticket sticker to some cardstock and trim around it.

Tag 2: Tie ribbon to a chipboard tag. Tag 3: Attach the rock-a-bye baby sticker to some chipboard and trim around it. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the center of the tag, then tie a bit of ribbon to the tag. Tuck the three tags into the pocket you created. When you are finished, this side of the album will look like the photo below.

Fold your album; tie it closed with the bow. Tuck a gift card into the pocket on the box.

Place your mini album into the box.

Close the box and you are ready to give this project to someone special!

I hope you enjoyed making this project. If you have any questions, let me know! Gloria Stengel email: stengelgloria@gmail.com blog: www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com