This project doesn’t actually have any stamping in it, but I have been having a lot of fun making these little explosion albums. This one was for the Little Guy’s honorary aunt for her birthday. She is a collector of all things M&M’s – thus the paper design.
To make the cover, you need 2 – 6″ x 6″ pieces of scrapbook paper and 2 – 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ pieces of foam board or corrugated cardboard. Simply wrap the paper around the foam board and tape it down with your favorite tape for stamping or scrapbooking. You may have to experiment with the folding to see how you like the corners best; just be careful not to tear the paper.
For the inside, you will need 5 pieces of card stock cut to 8″ x 8″. Each piece should be scored down the middle both horizontally and vertically. Then flip the paper over and score it on one of the diagonals.
Crease each piece along the score lines and then start putting them together. For the first piece, attach it to the top of the album so that one of the solid sections (i.e. not the part that is scored diagonally) is taped down. The diagonally-scored sections should fold up towards you.
To attach the second piece, flip it over so the diagonally-scored sections fold down and tape the upper left solid section to the bottom right solid section of the first piece. (I promise, this is easier that it sounds when you are actually holding the pieces in front of you!!)
Keep going with the rest of the pieces, flipping each one so the diagonally-scored alternating folding up and down. The bottom right section of the last piece should be taped to the bottom cover of the album. You can use 3 pieces of paper instead of 5, but it has to be an odd number to work properly. I also prefer to use a stronger adhesive for attaching the pages and find that folding up the book and leaving it tied tightly for a couple of days helps it not come apart later.
You are now ready to insert your pictures. You can do this however you would like – straight onto the card stock, matted on another color card stock or scrapbook paper, whatever you prefer. I taped my pictures directly to the background, using a 3 3/4″ square for the size.
For the photos on the diagonally-scored sections, think ahead to which direction you want them facing and where that will mean you are cutting the picture in half. You can also make a triangle template for one-half of the diagonal areas and cut your picture into that shape. The other half of that section could be decorated with scrapbook paper or with a piece of card stock with a greeting to the recipient or journaling about the photos.
Once you are done, tape your ribbon to the back cover and tie in the front (close and open it before attaching the ribbon to be sure it will open in the right direction). I know your chosen recipients will love them as much as mine have!
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Autism/Special Needs, Daily Life, My Little Guy
Tags: 5MFSN, birthdays, hobbies, memes, presents, scrapbooking, Stamping, Tackle It Tuesday, Try This Tuesday
