Month: December 2019

Categories
Mini Album and Brag Books Paper scrapbook Template

Customize A Page Fast And Ease

Customize Template Page
This is the inside cover and side one of page one

The fun part has begun: this is where you get to customize your pages with pretty paper. I am using paper from Michaels and I am glad I got two 12 x 12 pads of Westeria paper! The silver is being replaced by gold as the paper pack has gold accents.

some possible materials
paper and Vinyl

Recap

A recap of my cover page and page 1 side one can be found here.

My last Brag book was a customized Halloween book.

Tips to Customize a page

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are ready to customize your brag book:

  • If you are using paper to customize the look for your brag book and your paper has a pattern, you will need more paper for laying out the page matting if there is a direction that needs to be consistent. So buy enough! For example, my inside cover page, it really is not noticable if the direction is switched around a bit….there is a difference but only if you are paying attention
  • Some paper can be as thin as copy paper but some may need to be cardstock thickness. The thinner paper can be used to cover pockets and inserts and even for some of the matting.
  • In the photo below , the adhesive may show if it is left as is. That may not matter once a photo is placed on top but to give the brag book as a gift and it look messy…not cool! Therefor, use the correct adhesive such as double sided tape and if using liquid glue, use sparingly.
  • A personal dislike is when using patterned paper, using too many patterns or colours. This is very personal and to me it clutters up the design. SO…Know who the end user is of the brag book is and decorate for them not yourself if possible…very hard for me to follow!
  • How will your flaps etc. be held closed? You can use belly bands, magnets ribbon to tie and many more options. Before you finalize your custom page, make sure you have taken into account your closure method.
  • There are many items other than paper you can use for a customized look, tags, pockets, embellishments, journalling , stickers etc. I used many designs from the Silhouette Design Store and then customized them for my project
Customized inside cover open
There is a pattern…..

Customize the inside cover

The preview above was the inside cover page opened to reveal the large space this can be used for a larger photo.

The two flaps can be used for journaling, smaller photos, or decorations.

Any of the pages can have additional inserts added to them such as pockets, pull outs , 3d pop up etc.

Do you remember the inside cover before we started to customize it?

My inside page is closed in this photo and I may include the closure tag with the quote. Once I am ready to glue all the paper down, I will position my magnets.

  • position on inside cover
Customize Template Page
This is the inside cover
Customize the inside cover
inside page open
Customize the inside cover open
customize the inside cover page open

Customize Page 1

Opposite the inside cover page is side one of page one. I am using a little plain gold cardstock to customize some of the elements like the gate below. May look like kraft paper but it has a little sparkle to it.

customize the pages: side by side view

The gate will also be held closed with magnets and when opened has a pocket and a tag.

  • Customized page one gate open
    Gate open
  • Customized page one tag
    tag pulled out

Close the gate up and the whole thing flips down

Customize gate page flips down
Page 1 gate page flips down

There is space when opened for 2 large photos or again, you can customize them with pockets etc.

The gold page flips up

Customize page flips up
customize the flaps

So again there is the opportunity to customize the page with just beautiful paper or add inserts like pockets, flaps, slots, journaling, quotes etc.

Subscribe below for my files

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Categories
Creating files Free Mini Album and Brag Books Paper scrapbook Template

Easy Brag Book Page

insert open

For the last page of the album, I wanted easy to cut pieces , simple layouts that had lots of space.

Easy Page layout

Easiest layout for 8x8 album about 40 inches long

This layout is about 40 inches long! it is actually the longest yet but super easy to cut. The pages that make up this layout are all very similar in size and could be simplified even more.

This easy of layouts is made up of:

One narrow flap

Two pages with fold lines on the right and left hand sides.

One insert that I am considering to add to one of these pages is a waterfall feature and maybe even a popup feature to give a “WOW” factor.

Two pages with score lines on one side. You can use both pages in just one size or like mine, have both sizes.

There are two pages that have no score lines for folding and can be used in just one size or in two sizes like the photo below.

Two small flaps

Easiest small flaps

Easy pockets for a page

For the next side of this page, I am using a simple set of pages that open like a folio or accordian. I will attach pockets to these pages so that they have a custom look and feel. With my pocket template files, it is easy for me to change the look and feel of any of my pages.

multiple envelopes
This is the envelope page flat on side two on page six

The page is folded up

open to left, pocket and blank page

Open to the left, there is a pocket on the left and a blank space to the right

The whole thing then opens to the right and there is a pocket attached to the base page.

  • use an insert
  • insert open

I may use the shutter page on one of the blank pages and not on the back of the album cover: will think more about it.

I am so excited to move on to the next stage of gluing this down and adding the decorative paper.

Hope this made sense, and if you would like any of my files, let me know.

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Categories
Free Greeting Cards Mini Album and Brag Books Paper

Best Template Folio #5

template Folio 5 with all flaps open

This template folio is for the first side of page five. It is the same length as the other folios: about 30 inches when opened all the way, but has more flaps AND the flaps are also larger in size. Each folio in the wedding album, although they look very similar are unique when folded up and decorated. As I mentioned in my previous post, the pages can be customized even further by adding or removing flaps, pockets and inserts.

To get this free custom page folio for 8inch x 8 inch brag book, subscribe and let me know you want folio 5 side one.

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Other folio pages

  • Folio wedding album page 3
  • Folio wedding album page 4

Template For Folio 5

Folio 5 flaps closed
template is 30 inches long, flaps closed

If you are following my brag book from the beginning, you know that all of these custom designed pages are taken from my Halloween brag book (6.5 inch x 8.5 inch ) and will be used in an 8 inch x 8 inch wedding album. (see links below to Halloween pages.)

Are all the Brag Book pages looking alike to you?

Without the decorative paper, they all do look the same. As each page gets more personalized with inserts and tags they take on a personality of their own. I try to keep images themed to each page but in the case of the wedding album, I may not make the pages very different, The pocket of this template is made with a flourish from snapdragon snippets

Although I am using my images from Silhouette Design Store for these pages, there are many other places to get free designs. One that I use a lot for both fonts and designs is Creative Fabrica. my affiliate link if you decide to use, is here.

To see how I did this cutout pocket and do it yourself check out my post.

template folio 5 the pocket cut

Below are some links for you to browse , you will see that finished, each page has a different look and feel.

Template Folio 5 open all Flaps!

I truly think it is a beautiful thing to see a folio expand like this: from an 8 inch x 8 ince page to 30 inches long!

template Folio 5 with all flaps open

WOW! I love brag books!

Template accordion Page Side 2

For side 2, the template I am using has less bulk but delivers on space. Previously in my brag book, I used an accordion page but it was shorter , The accordion layout for page 5 side 2 is full sized.

Template accordion in position

template accordion page on page 5 side 2

All folded up, This layout still takes up less space as you can see in comparison to other pages underneath.

Template page top view

If you view from the top, this template unfolds like a fan and is made up of different sided pages.

template accordion page standing up
Template top view

When stretched out full length, this page is still almost 30 inches long, and both sides can hold photos if left as is or can hold other inserts like slotted page with tags, pockets, waterfall inserts etc. Note that if you add inserts to the pages, the bulk does increase.

template accordion page laid out flat
now that is long!

There are 4 pages (8 if you count both sides) that are ideal for photos, The 2 shorter strips can be sure for a sentiment or journaling. I am thinking that photobooth strip may fit very nicely here.

As I move on to page 6, I am maynot follow my Halloween page 6 so keep following my blog to get your hands on my extra special interactive custom pages!

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Categories
10 minute craft Creating files Free Paper Silhouette Tutorial Template

7 Steps for Custom Pocket

custom items using merge

For my brag books I use templated pockets, tags, pages etc. and customized them for each brag book that I make. The customization can be from welding images to adding embellishments or even just decorative paper.

In this post I will show you step by step how to customize a flap or pocket that involves cropping and welding to give a lovely cut out effect. This technique can be used with any item and design element.

Step 1 Item to customize

Once you know what you want to customize, make sure you have resized it to fit your project. There are so many uses for this technique that it is difficult to list them all. I am going to use a narrow pocket and a flower image that can be inserted in a brag book. Your project could be part of a greeting card, scrapbook layout, wall hanging, sign, stencil and more.

Step 2 Design or font to be used

I use designs I create myself as well as designs and fonts from places like Silhouette Design Store, Creative Fabrica (my affiliate link), designs from Google search, Pixabay and more. As mentioned, I am using a flower image.

Some important thing to consider are:

  • Make sure that your font/design is not too delicate as it may rip easily
  • If you font or design is thin, use an offset of about .005 to make it easier to cut.
  • If the design or font is too intricate or small as it may rip while cutting, try to use simpler larger designs
  • Look for smooth curves vs sharp angles

Step 3 Arrange your file

Arrange your items in Silhouette Studio so that you are happy with the finished size of the project. If there are multiple layers like score line, ungroup all layers first.

  • Narrow Pocket
    narrow pocket

Step 4 Cut out a space

Next you need to cut into the narrow pocket. To do so you need a size cut out of the pocket that allows your design of the flower to fit in to the space but have a little over lap. I am using a circle to cut out the space I need and it is a tiny bit smaller than the flower design.

Step 5 Subtract

Next, position the circle so that it is in the middle of the pocket. I am using only half of the circle to cut into my pocket as seen in the photo below. Once you are happy with the look of the cutout section, use the subtract feature.

the circle position in middle of pocket

Step 6 Weld

Position the image (flower) in the space created and once you are happy with the result, choose WELD feature.

Step 7 Finish up

Notice that the image of the pocket has no score lines (dashed line) that is because once you use the weld feature, it brings the result to the front. To correct this, send the image (pocket) to the back so that score lines are visible