Baby Blocks (not so) Mini Album

Excuse me while I collapse in an exhausted heap!  Have you ever undertaken a project that was so big part way through you thought to yourself "what have I done?"  This baby blocks album is one of those projects.  It's huge.  Enormous.  Pain staking.  Totally worth it but I swear I will never EVER make another one in my life!

This album is an impressive decor piece that consists of a functional draw and three blocks, each block measures 5.5" square, and in total the piece when assembled sits at around 14" high.

The pattern is called "A Year In Review" and if you would like to see the album in live action you can watch this video by the patterns author, Kathy Orta.

Each block houses a draw that holds two hinged frames, and each hinged frame holds two albums, for a total of four albums per block.

 

There are three blocks, giving a total of 12 albums, hence the title "A Year In Review".   The entire project is intended to record the baby's first year.

 

Each mini album has three pocket pages inside, and there is a double photo mat slipped inside each pocket page. This album has a lot of real estate for holding those precious baby moments. 

I have used the beautiful Little Darlings paper range by Graphic 45 throughout the album, offset by Vanilla card stock by Kaisercraft. I am so glad this is done! 

This project has taken me a good two months to complete. Not every day, but every minute I have had spare to craft I have spent it on this and finally completed it two days ago in a mad pre-Christmas-I-bet-the-baby-is-going-to-come-early panic. 

My dearest friend and his lovely wife are expecting their first baby in a matter of days. Girl, you can pop that little Prince out now, his present is done! :o)

Sharing this with the lovely folks at:

Make It Monday - Always Anything Goes 

A Fairy Happy Easter

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day fourteen sketch, my goodness only one more to go!

The fairy postcards are Graphic 45, part of their Once Upon A Springtime Collection.  The designer paper is Kaisercraft, part of their Sweet Nothings collection.  I've inked all the edges with Antique Linen and Bundled Sage Distress Inks.

The leaf accent is cut from a Spellbinders die, the butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch, the roses are from Kaisercraft and last but not least the bow is a fabulous crochet yarn from my stash.

Vintage Sewing Card

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day eight sketch. 

The card base is Kraft once again, the patterned paper with the sewing patterns is called Dressform from the Timeless Collection by Kaisercraft, and the centre panel is from the Domestic Goddess series by Graphic 45.  A paper doily provides the lacey ruffle and the accent is a paper rose made from coffee filter paper and the Rose Creations die by Spellbinders.

Steampunk Debutante Bag

Technique:  Papercrafting

Pens & Inks:
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
bronze and copper inks or paints

Papers:
Steampunk Debutante by Graphic 45
grunge paper

Dies:
Spritely Sprockets by Spellbinders
Tattered Floral by Tim Holtz

Other:
double sided adhesive tape
emery board
paper mache shopping bag
buttons
Vintage Photo stickles
jewellery chain for handle

The bag is made from sturdy paper mache and is approx 6" square by 2" deep.  I left the paper mache raw, choosing only to sand it a little to give it some tooth, and then adhered the graphic 45 paper to all sides, including the bottom, with double sided tape.  

I went around all of the edges with an emery board to distress them (an emery board is an economical little disposable sander), and then liberally applied Vintage Photo distress ink.

The gears are cut from the reverse side of the paper.  I applied double sided tape to the side I didn't want to be showing and then ran it through the Big Shot.  Voila!  I now had gear stickers.  I was so pleased with myself for thinking of this, it saves fiddling with glue which I can never seem to get neat.

The flowers are cut from grungepaper using the Tattered Floral die, and sponged with copper and bronze acrylic paints, flowers and buttons are all glued into place with hot glue and the flowers are given a liberal dusting of Stickles.  A 50cm length of chain is used for each handle, secured inside with a split ring.

Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp and Show:  Steampunk