Category: Mini Album and Brag Books

A Beginners 4 Tips To Enjoy Stamping

Post author By Carolyn
Post date April 29, 2021
No Comments on A Beginners 4 Tips To Enjoy Stamping

double slider card that slides text message up.

By BEGINNERS 101 I do mean me! Yep, this is my journey into the world of stamping and what not to do as well as tips and suggestions of what may help. For those of you who are like me, and collect projects on Pinterest, pin them to your board, and just never get back to actually doing anything with it. Well, read on. Maybe you are also just too intimidated by it all,? Me too! so today I will share a few tips on how I finally got started.

Tip 1

So many stamps out there where did I start? I admit that I went to the dollar store, who can resist the price, and stamps are stamps, right? So I got a few very cute-looking stamps, dropped them in my draw, and there they stayed for a few years. Why? Well here is why… I think! I was shaking in my boots at the prospect of inking the stamps, what ink to use, how to keep it all lined up? That, and more gave me a headache- literally. So tip 1 to myself and anyone reading this is: don’t be afraid to fail. Most of the dollar store stamps come with ink pads, grab some scrap paper and start inking and stamping. Our goal is to get comfortable with the process and learn from what CAN go wrong. To sum it all up: take out the supplies and stamps you have at hand and start stamping them on paper. It will not be a masterpiece but it will ease you into the process.

My Dollar store stamp: A little itsy bitsy flower that was a challenge to cut from the thick cardstock and my coloring is not pro but I like it!

Tip 1 use your stamps — Part of a dollar store stamp I purchased years ago

Tip 2

So you stamped a few images and you are not impressed? Yeah, that was me also. I was thinking

“What’s the hype all about?”
carolyn moshtagh

I think I felt this way because the stamps did not excite me, and also, I was still not sure where to use these stamps. Most people use stamps on greeting cards and scrapbooks. My favorite type of greeting card is interactive, dynamic cards. These flat stamps were not exciting to me. If you are ok with flat greeting cards and this is not a drawback then you still may have been wondering where to actually use these stamps. So GET excited, when you find a project that uses a stamp that excites you, try making it. I first saw a stamped card and it was not interactive, it was just a flat stamped card, but something caught my attention. It was a scene of some older girlfriends and a funny quote. I LOVED it, it spoke to me and I could see myself producing a card with this stamp on it.

So my Tip 2 is to check out Pinterest and pin all the ideas, then choose one idea and commit to making it.

Following my own tip, I made a double slider card , stamped a few cute images from My favorite Things stamps and dies and Voliá!

Double Slider with slide up letters — double slider card with stamped images and slide up text

slide up text double slider — double slider card with stamped images and slide up text

Tip 3

I initially failed my own Tip 2 for a few reasons, first I did not think the price of the stamp was worth it, remember, I choose the dollar store for my supply! I headed out to Michaels looking for a substitute to replicate the friendship scene of Art Impressions stamp. While there were many cute stamps, there were none that gave me the same feeling of creativity. Over the next few years, I purchased a few small stamps from Michaels, some were wood mounted, and some clear vinyl clings type. They all sat in my craft bin and here is why: I realized that once you stamp the image, you have to color it in or stamp the image with different colors. The image above is stamped then colored in. I suck at coloring! I tried to ink various parts of a stamp in different colors and stamp it but the ink dried out before I could stamp the image or I could not position the stamp accurately. I tried the mounting blocks for the vinyl clear stamps (totally gave up on the woodblock mounted stamps) NOT working for me.

Now, when I saw someone using a stamping tool I just knew this what I needed to get started. The greatest block in my stamping journey was about to be solved!

The misty pictured below is famous and used by many crafters/stampers, and there are many others like it so find the one you like, they are all pretty similar, get one with a magnet that holds your paper in place as that really helped me and yes that was Tip number 3 find a method that helps you stamp your image accurately, allows for you to reink if needed and get a nice clean stamped image!

Worth mentioning is that I also tried to print colored images and black and white images to color and use. I did not find most of these images helpful in my craft making, but I did have success with these two tiny birds, I think it was because they are so tiny, it was difficult to mess it up.

sending a paper hug — I attempt at making a card with stamped images

Tip 4

You purchased the stamp that got your creative juices stirring, you stamped your image and now you are ready to color it all in. Keep in mind that if you mess up, all you have to do is restamp and start coloring again. It is a bit frustrating trying to teach yourself, we are blessed with tutorials on Youtube and I found that all these amazing companies that sell stamps have great tutorials and ideas, so copy the techniques, and soon, you will feel confident, have your own style, and even if you keep using the techniques exactly as shown, the final product will always be unique to you. My stamping adventure all came together with I saw an interactive stamp from My Favorite Things Stamps. It was of a little girl swinging. (She is SOOOO cute!) The interactive portion caught my attention and the fact that the stamp had a matching die to cut it out and make it swing!

Yup, after a LONG period of not stamping and NOT creating anything with a stamp, my interest was piqued. Research research research. Back to old habits of trying to replicate this card with other images and creating the swing mechanism myself. FAILED! OK not quite a fail, I got a card with a swing that did swing but NOT cute! I scrapped it. I subscribed to the My Favorite Things website and soon started to get product information in my inbox. I did finally purchase this cute girl swinging, made my card, and continue to look at tutorials using a stamped image. So, use the resources and ideas online to get you started. It seems that watching people online crafting is something of a cult following, and I did watch lots of people coloring in cards using alcohol ink markers, watercolor, pencil colors, and the more I watched, the more I got mesmerized by it all. I was in a trance, just in the zone of taking it all in, enjoying seeing their finished product, and in the back of my mind, I thought I could never produce such cute stuff. I also did not know just which alcohol pens to invest in, they can be quite pricy. So here is my tip, grab what you have on hand or get used to stuff and start coloring. the techniques for coloring are the same no matter what medium you use.

What I May Not Have Mention

I admit that it took me years to produce any type of finished product. I did not think it was worth buying stamps from companies like My Favorite Things and Art Impressions. Now I know that these stamps are well worth investing your money in: the quality of the stamp gives great stamped images, the actual images are so beautifully designed you really cannot find substitutes and the sentiments are wonderful.

The Ink pads from reputable companies like Ranger Ink, Stamping Up, My Favorite Things Stamps, Tim Holtz are worth purchasing. I did not say much about inks in this blog post but I did use a no-name brand ink on one of my lovely stamps and the stamping quality suffered! I know that this is going to be part of my crafting life and I am looking forward to stamping and learning from all these amazing people and companies.

Some Of My Favorite Tutorials

Here are links to some of my favorite tutorials to color a stamped image

Watercolor

Alcohol Markers

Pencil Color

Digital Stamps

Want to try printing an image to use as a stamp first?

While many line images can be printed and used as a stamp, below is a link to where you can download free digital stamps

Simply Cards and Paper Crafts

Make Your Own Stamp

Yep! you can make your own stamp. I have a Silhouette Mint which I love BUT I cannot use embossing liquid with it, or I have not yet figured out how to do this.

You can also make your own stamps by carving certain materials and if you have a Cricut, you can also did this.

You can also use any base material and hand carve a stamp. I did a google search and tons of ideas came up.

Have fun and thanks for reading!

Tags beginners, cling stamps, mft stamps, My Favorite Things Stamps, pencil color, stamp, stamping up, Stamps and dies, tim holtz, watercolor stamps

Mini Album and Brag Books Paper scrapbook Template

Steps to make 1 awesome brag book cover,spine and binding

Post author By Carolyn
Post date March 31, 2020
No Comments on Steps to make 1 awesome brag book cover,spine and binding

You can easily buy a pre-made brag book, but why should ytou when it is not that hard to make your own.

The steps below are how I make my cover, spine and binding. I even threw in how to make my base page) These instructions are not the only method on how to construct a brag book and can be modified as you see fit so that different binding methods, types of base page and closures for covers can be used.

Some advantages of a pre-made brag book include:

There are advantages to purchasing a pre made brag book.

Come in many sizes and shapes
Make the process of making a brag book faster
The pages are sturdy
Finished book may look a little cleaner

Some disadvantages of a pre-made brag book include:

Does not offer the flexibility of sizes
Does not allow for custom pages
Does not allow for custom spine size
Does not look handmade just for you
If not readily available in your area, the shipping may turn out to be quite expensive

The brag book has 3 components:

The front and back cover
The spine
The binding.

The front and back cover:

The front and back covers are made up of three separate pieces

A sturdy inner piece,
the finishing outer cover
and the finishing inner cover.

So, it’s like a sandwich, the sturdy inner piece is sandwiched between two finishing pieces of paper.

Sturdy inner piece

For the sturdy inner pieces, you can use chipboard, cardboard or photo mats just to name a few possible materials.

My photo below is of photo mats that I have on hand and they work super well. The middle piece is the spine section: more about the spine later.

The outer and inner finishing covers are made from posterboard or heavy cardstock. Other possible material can be fabric, kraft wrapping paper or any other sturdy material.

Inner cover for brag book — Photo Mats cut to 9 inches long by 8 inches wide

Step one for front and back cover

Once you know what size you need for your brag book cut it out of your choice of sturdy material,

Step 2 for front and back cover

You now need to cut your material for finishing the front and inside of the cover.

The piece for the outer finished cover should be cut about 2 inches bigger all around than the cover , so if your cover is 8 in x 9 in your finished outer cover is cut 10 in x 11 in.

Step 3 for front and back cover

Apply adhesive to the sturdy cover and center it on the finished cover piece. Do this for both front and back covers.

outer cover for bragbook — Step 3: Front and back sturdy cover glued down

Step 4 for front and back cover

The edges that will not be connected to the spine can be mitered , folded and stuck down. That is to say, the top, bottom and outer edge of the cover.

Before we move on, let me quickly discuss the spine.

The spine size is determined by how many pages you will make and the amount of inserts each page will have.

What works for me, is to make all the pages first. Its seems like working backwards but it really does save you some frustration if you do it this way.

Base page

My base page is made up of two pieces of paper, one piece has 1/4 inch flaps to allow the two pieces to be attached together. It also allows for a space in between the two pages so that the page can be slip on to the binding ridge on open open end and can have a photo mat insert in the other open end if desired.

The photo below shows the 2 sections of a base page. You can also stick the two pages downto form a sturdier page and not have a photo mat insert. I use heavy cardstock of about 110 lb for these base pages.

See an example of an insert here

View some of my other finished pages

Subscribe and send me a message of which page you want or request a special project.

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Once my pages and inserts are complete, I will then know how big my spine should be.

For example, I made a wedding brag book and I thought I could use the readymade book I bought from Michael. As you can see in the photo below, there are way too many inserts for this book to even begin to close. I ended up making my own cover and spine and the spine that was 7 inches vs the 2 inch one in the photo below.

Too Big? All PAges — Way too Big for the brag book!

With the spine piece, it is important that the following steps be followed

Step 1 for spine

Cut out the finishing cover piece 2 inch bigger than the spine sturdy cover.

Step 2 for spine

Glue the sturdy spine piece on to the finishing spine paper making sure it is centered.

Step 3 for spine

Place the front cover up against the spine so that it is sitting on top of the the extra 2 inches of paper of the spine. Do the same with the back cover.

Step 4 for spine

Turn the brag book over and glue down the extra paper onto the front and back of the book.

Step 5 for spine

Turn the brag book over so the inside is face up and fold the top and the bottom extra paper of the spine piece and glue in place

The inside finishing cover

The inside finishing cover is cut so that it is about /4 of an inch smaller that the finished brag book.

Glue the inner finishing cover down before attaching the binding and pages.

Binding and pages

The binding method I am using consists of a 5 x 8 paper scored at 2 inches and 3 inches. this means that I have 2 inch on either side of a 1 inch section. This one inch is the space that will be between each page.

binding for brag book — Binding for brag book

These binding pieces are glued together for the pages to be slipped on and be held in place.

What the binding looks like joined together

The parts that are sticking up like ridges can be made smaller: 1 inch is the smallest I recommend as you want the pages to be well attached to the binding.

What the binding and pages look like with pages

A closer look

closer look at how the binding is inserted in page

Top View

Attach binding and pages to spine

To attach the binding to the spine and cover, use lots of adhesive. I also use vinyl before putting the adhesive tape to give some more strength to the binding as the pages will be under stress with continued opening and closing.

Once the adhesive is applied, line up for pages so that they are on the spine and the extra flaps are on the front and back page.

I find that holding the pages together allow me to have the best view of aligning the pages to the edge of the spine.

In the photo below you can see the binding attached to the spine and the overlap piece glued to the front and back inside cover. This sturdy method of joining the binding to the spine and cover will give your brag book a greater “shelf life” when you consider the wear and tear that will occur when the pages are opened and closed.

Tags spine and binding, Steps to make 1 brag book cover

Creating files Free Mini Album and Brag Books

Guilt free Crafting Day 1

Post author By Carolyn
Post date March 22, 2020
No Comments on Guilt free Crafting Day 1

I have to admit that before the craziness of the Pandemic, I was not actively getting my blog post out AND was I not actively crafting! It happens, we get busy and we are now in the position of staying at home and practicing social distancing; now there is a lot of time for guilt free crafting!

Today I will share the last two pages of the wedding brag book and the next post will be the spine and cover redone. This post will be all about the images of the pages and the matting: no technical stuff , only want to give you the idea of how the folio pages I have can be used for any type of brag book.

To see these crafting pages used as a Halloween bragbook: check them out here:

Quick note on upcoming posts

The posts that follow will be about different crafts, I am thinking activities for parents and children to help pass the time.

I also now have access to posting courses on my online school and will link content to my blog posts so YEAH!!!! Will have online tutorials for Cricut and Silhouette available soon for my readers, free of charge so we can all be using our machines, crafting guilt free to the max!

My Cricut machine I just got: was using my neighbours all the time!

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Remember that if you see a file that gets your crafting juices flowing, send me a request and I will try to get it to you as soon as I can. If I don’t have a file or craft that you would like to see, let me know and I will try my very best to get it done for you.

Ok, page 5

Page five was very much how I posted in the earlier posts for the page layout:

See page 5 layout here

Page 5 has a large amount of space for larger photos and journaling. I limited the pockets as it will create more bulk when items are inserted later on.

Page 6 Side 1

Note that page 6 side one of the page has a accordian style page and the matting is very similar for both sides. I may or maynot include some pockets: still trying not not feel guilty over the bulk I am creating!

Page six did get scaled down even though I had already decided that I was going to redo the cover and spine and make the book thicker. The problem with crafting somethims is that you just want to keep adding to what you are doing and it does have to have an ending, as sad as that is.

Photos of page 6 side 2

Before I End

Before I go, a reminder of the wonderful free commercial use of fonts, images and crafts at Creative Fabrica. My affiliate link provided: this means that if you use my link a purchase any of the images that are not free, I will get a small compensation. So far there is nothing as I think like me , people find so many images and fonts free that there is no need to buy lots!

Another great site is Cricut Design Space with free images daily.

Silhouette Free image of the week at Silhouette Design Store

For materials I head out to Michaels where they have curbside pickup during this social distancing period

One of my favorite places to pick up Vinyl in Mississauga is Sign Supply Canada

Kijiji and Letgo are also a fun places to shop.

Next up

I hope that my Day 2 guilt free crafting will be tomorrow and I will have the new cover, and spine to show. Wish me luck!

Carolyn

Tags brag book, brag book 101, brag book page, easy to assemble, page 5, page 6, scrapbook, scrapbook layout

Free Mini Album and Brag Books scrapbook

Extra Large and Long Page 4

Post author By Carolyn
Post date February 3, 2020
2 Comments on Extra Large and Long Page 4

Hey! not only is this page 4 as long as the other folios: about 34 inches long when expanded, but it also took me a long time to get back to cutting the matting for this page. Again, I think I need to make a new cover and spine as this book will not close! The folio below shows all the pages with large photo mats. you can add more pockets if you did not want so many spots for large photos.

To find all my Extra long pages start here: Page 2

To request any of the pages in SVG format send me a message.

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Long Page 4

Again, this page 4 is a folio page that when fully opened is about 34 inches long. I did not open the flaps for this post as I am still rethinking the arrangement and bulk that these large folio pages add to my brag book.

Once I know where I am placing the magnets , I will take photos from start to finish: how satisfying that will be for me!

The photo below is the page fully closed up. The closure is from the paper pad I am using and will have a backing and magnet when finished so that the folio is held closed in the book.

Long Page Starting To Be Visible

I really love paper and how it just folds, expands and become a 3d object. For this long page 4 , the narrow panel will open to the right.

narrow flap open to right — Extra Large and Long Page 4 starts to open

Folio Expands

The larger space could be used for a photo.

I think I will put some decorative cutting or a quote on this large space as a photo may get scratched on the front page .

This page and every other page in this folio will open to the left. What you are seeing below are two flaps (gold paper) that will open upwards and below are two large pages for photos.

I did not open the flaps for this post but will have finished photos on my last post for the finished product.

left page flips open left — Longer and longer

Large Photo Mats Continue

The page to the left, opens again to the left.

page on left open to the left again — Almost open all the way

The large gold page is a full sized flap that opens up and has space below the flap and on the page below for large photos.We are almost to the end of the opening of this folio.

What Do You think?

Well, what do you think? It is an Extra Large and Long Page 4? The last page showing to the left has a pocket. Don’t forget that the back of these pages where seen before each page opened and will hold quote, journaling and photos also.

Yeah! on to the last two pages and then i will put all the magnets in, stick everything down and decide if to redo the cover and spine.

Join me in making the brag book! Subscribe, grab a file for free and make your own

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Tags brag book, brag book page, flaps and folds, folio, interactive, scrapbook

Evaluating projects Evaluation of files/projects Mini Album and Brag Books Paper scrapbook

Too Big? Guilty Me!

Is my Brag Book page 3 and 4 now too big?

This will always a concern and issue for me as I love to have interactive pages that pop , twist and fold and that adds bulk to the brag book.

The paper clips are taking up some space but really and truly if I am being honest with myself, I am at page 4 side 1 and we are starting to look like a stuffed turkey.

And by “we” I mean my brag book.

Two Fixes For The Page Too Big Dilemma

One solution is to make my own cover with larger spacing between pages: The one I am using is one that is premade from Michaels.
Second solution is to remove some of the flaps, folds and slots and tags. (crying face here)

Recap of all the “Too Big” Pages

A quick recap will show that all the previous pages are almost the same size but the bulk is adding up and the book is becoming too big. (I admit it)

Below are a few of the pages in this wedding brag book if you need to review.

Remember you can request any page and I will send you the cut files. So Subscribe below.

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Page 3 Side 2 is Too BIG

This page is a double tri fold shutter page that closes up and flips to the side to reveal more flaps that open and reveal a large area for a photo.

Let us look at it this page one stage of opening at a time.

The Big Double Tri Fold Shutter Page

This double tri fold shutter is 8 inches long when closed up and opens up to be 31.5 inches long. (That Is BIG) My template is based on a great Youtube video

The spaces are great for embellishments, small photo booth sided photos and the center is perfect for a 4×8 photo.

This is the big page sitting in the brag book

Too Big? Pages for Page 3b and 4a — My Brag book is looking too thick and I may need to make a custom cover!

This is a closer view of the page

Too Big? double fold pull out — closer look at page

Remember that the paper clips are there as I need to place my magnets.

This page had so many paper clips that it interfered with the opening and closing when I wanted to take the photos!

I stuck some of the matting down and I am pretty sure I made a mistake!!!

Will have to wait and see what happens when I attach the magnets.

One side Of This Page Opened Up.

Too Big? Double fold opening — one side of double fold page opened.

The Double Tri Fold Shutter Page Closed

When the double tri fold shutter page is closed up again, it all flips to the left and there is a space for a photo on the back and to the right are 2 flaps.

It was supposed to be 4 flaps: One flap opening left , one flap opening to the right, one opening up and one opening down…… but I have to admit that the bulk was way too much.

These two flaps open and there is space on the page for another large photo.

Now this page does not seem to be large but the double tri fold shutter makes it a little bulky.

Too Big? double fold page opens — Big Double tri fold shutter closed up and the entire page flips open to left

Too Big? Flaps open for a photo mat — Big page has room for a big photo

Page 4 Side 1

This page 4 is a folio and I did not use lots of pockets or slots for tag but left the pages with large photo mats.

To start with the photo below is the folio page all closed up

Next Photo shows the folio opened one time to show the one and only pocket which I will re-cut a little smaller.

Big page opened a second time

This Page is long like all the other folios in this brag book: around 30 inches.

Too Big? Pages 4 open twicw — Note the matting can be changed around

The matting can still be be changed around. I have not yet decided on what I like. ( Feel free to comment here)

Too Big? Pages 4 open third time — Big Folio opened onephotos

Back of pages

The back of the folio will hold 2 large photos. ( the flower paper)

In a wedding brag book you really do want space for all the large photos.

Too Big? Pages 4 back pages — You have 3 full sized pages with mats for photos on the back of this folio

Too Big? Pages 4 folding up — closing it up again

Well that is it for these two pages: Page 3 side 2 and Page 4 side 1. That leaves us with Page 4 side 2, Page 5 and 6 side 1 and 2 and the back cover.

I am almost 100% sure I will need to make my brag book cover and base pages to fit what I have made so far as I love all the pages and DON’T WANT TO DOWNSIZE MY BOOK!!!!

Got that out of my system!

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Tags base page for brag book, brag book, brag book 101, brag book tutorial, brag books, bragbook, bragbook 101, build a brag book, interactive brag book, scrapbook, scrapbook layout, scrapbook'frame, Wedding Album Brag Book

Free Mini Album and Brag Books Paper scrapbook Template

Yes! 123-Easy Layout Change

Post author By Carolyn
Post date January 3, 2020
No Comments on Yes! 123-Easy Layout Change

I cut the mats for page TWO side ONE and while I was doing so changed the layout back to what I originally had in the Halloween Brag book as I liked the look and feel of that page. The second side now needs a revamped look. Changing the layout is as easy as 123!

Before I get to what I did for each side, lets recap.

Original Layout

The Halloween brag book page TWO side ONE : read what this page was like in the post or look at the photos below and you will get an idea of how the flaps open.

Waterfall page with bellyband — belly band opened

Step 1: Finalized Page TWO Side ONE Layout

Page TWO Side ONE had the following elements:

Belly band
Waterfall pages
Entire waterfall pages flipped to the left and there is a slotted page to hold tags.

The first step was to get all the pieces back together, everything I needed was already cut, only assigned to different pages.

I put them all back together so we have the same layout as the Halloween brag book for the wedding themed brag book.

Note: I flattened the slotted insert: the original insert was 0.250 of an inch thick and I was concerned that this brag book could not accommodate the bulk.

The tag I made may change and I used the method here to attach one of my files purchased from Silhouette Design Store. There are many other places to get images, I get from Creative Fabrica when they are free. Like this wedding set that was free and is now $15!

Layout with belly band and all pages closed — page 2 in brag book

Page Two Side One is back on track all mattings cut and looks like the original.

Step 2: Remember Page TWO side TWO?

For a quick recap of what Page TWO side TWO was going to look like read the post here.

These are the photos below of what I was going to do: The two envelope pages are paired with the slotted page. This will change and I will show you what it changed to.

Two envelopes flip open to left in Wedding Album Brag Book — Envelopes to hold tags on page 2 of Wedding Album Brag Book

slotted page to inset tag Wedding Album Brag Book — Envelopes to hold tags on page 2 of Wedding Album Brag Book

Finalized Page Two Side Two Layout

Already cut were:

The two envelopes.
The base page cut

Added:

3 extra pieces of paper, a cut here , a fold there and Voila! 3 flaps to position as I choose!

Layout: Matting 2 for small flap — Layout: small flap

Layout: Matting 1 for Medium flap — Layout: small flap

Step 3: Layout the pieces:

The envelopes will flip open to the left,
There is a similarity to the Halloween Bragbook in that we have the pages that flip open but not quite in the same manner.
I also used a small flap that will go on top of the envelope. This was done to reduce the number of magnets. With this flap keeping the page closed, I need less magnets YEAH!!!

Layout: small flap holding envelopes closed — small flap holds envelopes closed

Layout: accordion opened — small flap holds envelopes closed

BTW, why are the matting not stuck down?

MAGNETS! or lack of magnets at this point. I am using magnets to hold my pages closed, but you can use ribbon or any other method.

My photo show the matting of the pages not yet stuckdown, as I need to make sure where to place the magnets before I finalize the pages.

Don’t worry, once I am finished showing all the pages with the matting, I will post the finalized pages…hope to keep the pages as they are and not have any last minute change of heart!

Extra

The basic steps 123 above are all you need to change any page in this 8×8 brag book: all inserts, flaps, pockets and envelopes can go on any page, in any order.

Photo below is the small flap positioned differently:

Layout: small flap and envelope 2 — Small Flap layout 2

These are all the elements separate with matting for both sides.

Small Flap side one and two
Medium Flap side one and two
Large Flap side one and two
Envelopes side one and two

Layout: Matting 1 for small flap — Layout 1: Matting Small Flap

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I hope you enjoy making these pages.

Regards Carolyn

Tags base page for brag book, brag book, brag book 101, brag book tutorial, brag books, bragbook, bragbook 101, build a brag book, halloween scrapbook, interactive brag book, scrapbook, scrapbook layout, scrapbook'frame, Wedding Album Brag Book

Mini Album and Brag Books Paper scrapbook Template

Customize A Page Fast And Ease

Post author By Carolyn
Post date December 17, 2019
No Comments on 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.

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.

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

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.

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Tags brag book, brag book 101, brag book tutorial, brag books, bragbook, bragbook 101, build a brag book, customize, halloween scrapbook, scrapbook, scrapbook layout, scrapbook'frame, Wedding Album Brag Book

Creating files Free Mini Album and Brag Books Paper scrapbook Template

Easy Brag Book Page

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

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 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.

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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Tags brag book, brag book 101, brag book tutorial, interactive brag book, template, wedding, Wedding Album Brag Book

Free Greeting Cards Mini Album and Brag Books Paper

Best Template Folio #5

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.

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!

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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Tags brag book, brag book 101, brag book tutorial, brag books, bragbook, bragbook 101, build a brag book, interactive brag book, page 5, templates, wedding, Wedding Album Brag Book

Celebrations Creating files Free Greeting Cards Mini Album and Brag Books Paper scrapbook silhouette design store Template

Grab the Free Folio Now

free Folio page 4 side 2 all flaps open — open all flaps

Folios are multi use pages that I love! and free files are dear to my heart so put them together: Free Folio can’t be beat! See my Halloween Folio. These folio pages can be used as mini albums, an interactive greeting card with photos, or as I am using them here in the wedding brag book.

To grab your free folio, subscribe below and tell me you want free folio page 4 side 1 or side 2. These will be generic and you can customized them yourself.

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For page four I am using two different folio pages one for each side.

Although these folios are the same as my Halloween layout, they will look different as I customize the flaps and envelopes and also may rearrange the order the pages and flap attach to each other.

Free Folio Page 1

Both free Folios files available for page four have lots of flaps and pages and close like a book. When opened all the way the folio is an impressive 30 inches long!

Folio page 1 position in Brag Book — Folio position

Folio Page is opposite the double trifold page — Folio position

Since nothing is stuck down, I may still rearrange the flaps and pages to be slightly different from the Halloween Folio. I will only know for sure when I start gluing it all down.

Customize Your Folio

I may add more pockets and tags but in the mean time, the customization done so far is :

With the flap, I use a file from silhouette design store: snapdragon snippets is one of my favourite designers and I used one of her flourishes for the flap.
On the pocket, I use a wedding cake I found on Google for free.The weld technique can be seen here

Free Folio side 2

Like Folio 1, Side two is about 30 inched opened up. Due to the bulk, I may move this page anywhere and swap the layouts with one of the first 3 pages to prevent the brag book becoming too bulky and hence unable to close.

Although this page for side 2 is the same size when opened up, there is slightly more space for photos due to the longer flap. If you wanted even more space,,you could make all the flaps long

Photos of Folio side 2

Folio page 2 position in Brag Book — position in brag book

Folio page 4 side 2 all flaps open — position in brag book

Again, this folio opened all the way out is huge and has a lot of space for photos and journaling.

More Customization for free folio possible

Seems hard to belief that you can add more to this layout but you will be surprised! In the Halloween layout, I used a slotted inset for tags and in this one I may use a file I have been working on that is super interactive! Pulling tabs that make stuff move gets my blood moving!

Keep following me and subscribe for your chance to get any of my files I make and post.

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I am also going to sell the entire package soon if that is what you are looking for. Note that you can make your entire brag book with just one layout! does not have to be so many different pages like mine.

Keep crafting and I look forward to finishing pages 5 and 6 so that we can get to the really fun stuff of decorating it all.

Here is a quick look at some of my past pages that you can request the file for free when you subscribe.

Regards

Carolyn

Tags folio, Free Folio, mini album, mini album pages, scrapbook, scrapbook layout, silhouette design store, tutorial for mini album