29 March 2014

My very first Mini Album... Finally! :-)

Hi Everyone,

Hope you're all keeping well. A big welcome to my new followers - hope you enjoy your stay here, and you become frequent visitors! :-)

Today I would like to share with you my very first Mini Album. It's going to be a very loooong post but I promised on my YouTube video that I would share certain information about the album here, and so I need to keep my promise! There will also be plenty of photos of the album in this post - I am so happy with my creation that I just couldn't help it, sorry!

Have you ever wanted to make a mini but had no courage to start one, or no idea where to start? 

Trust me, I was there, too! And this is precisely why I decided to make this post so detailed - so that if any of you were hesitating until now, hopefully this post will give you some guidance and encouragement. Believe me, once you see what a few pieces of paper can be turned into, you'll get as excited and happy as I have! 

What did I use?

1) as explained on YouTube, I followed (rather closely) a tutorial by papercrafter45 (thank you for sharing it!). Fab tutorial, with lots of details and very clear instructions. And I really like the hinged method. You can find the first of the 9 tutorial videos here and you will be guided to the next ones from there
2) 10 sheets of 12x12 cardstock (I used black)
3) design papers - I used a 6x6 pad of Prima papers Rondelle
4) TONS of adhesive! I went through a whole roll of double sided 10mm tape (this one), a bit of the 5mm version, one or two glue rollers/snail adhesives (this one), some glue dots and I also used the hot glue gun to adhere the flowers to the cover
5) tyvek - used less than one sheet (purchased on eBay)
6) for the covers, I used - are you sitting? :o) - 2 pieces of chipboard I saved ages ago from shop-bought cakes. You know the gold/silver thick chipboard that is underneath the cakes? Yup, that's what I used! You can also use normal chipboard, of course!
7) embellishments (from my stash): flowers, pearls, printer printed sentiments, distress ink in Vintage Photo, lace, etc... And a die-cut frame here and there (Spellbinders)

How much time did I spend on making it?

If I say a week and a half, will that sound scary?! ;-) It shouldn't - I didn't work on the album every day (I skipped 2 or 3 days), and I only worked 1,5h - 2h a day, since I didn't have much more time in the evenings after work. Also, I am a precision freak, so if there was a line that was not straight - stuff had to be redone! Oh, and you could save time if you weren't inking/distressing each and every single edge of the paper sheets, or if you used roller/tape adhesive rather than double sided tape. 

Do you still have any questions?

Don't be shy - leave a comment under my video/post, or message me directly - I will be happy to help, if I can! 

Would you like me to make an album for you?

Same as above - get in touch! :-)

And now relax, sit comfortably, and have a look at the final result... (I was serious when I said that there would be lots of photos!)





























Oh, and I almost forgot! The video:




I am entering my mini into the following challenges:
Paper crafting journey - anything goes
Cute card Thursday - Floral delights
Inky Impressions - Humor (see photo above the video, with the "every successful woman" sentiment :) )
Love to create - Bingo (Pink/Lace/Flowers)
Inky Chicks - Lace up!


Have a good weekend!

M.

12 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your first mini!!! It's ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! So beautiful!! Hard to believe it's the first one you've created … everything is lovely!! What a special keepsake gift for your friend (whose name happens to be the same as mine … LOL!!). Thanks so much for sharing your album … and thanks, also, for the shout-out! :)

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    1. Oh my, the very first comment on this post from you, what an honor! :) Good to finally know your name! Let's say, then, that it was dedicated to you, for sharing such an awesome tutorial! ;-)

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  2. What a beautiful mini album. Love your colors.
    Thanks for joining our Bingo challenge at Love to Create.

    Kitty
    LTC DT

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  3. Oh Mirella!! What an amazing piece of work! Such love and patience you have put into this creation it is stunning! Thank you for joining our Bingo challenge this week at Love to Create! Mo dt xxx

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  4. Hi Mirella, lovely mini. I love the colours and the construction of your mini such an attention to detail I will say it , hard to believe it is your first mini. I didn't comment on your last creation but want to add that the exploding box was gorgeous! Hugs, Justyna xx

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    1. Thanks so much Justyna! Appreciate you stopping by and commenting :-)

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  5. Beautiful mini album!! For a first time job you did a fantastic job!! Thank you for sharing with us at Love to Create Challenge.
    Zenita (aka Scrappinwith'Z)
    DT member Love to Create Challenge
    http://www.scrappinwithz.blogspot.com

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  6. Wow this is so beautiful Mirella,thanks for joining CCT this week!!
    Hugs Heidy

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  7. Such a pretty album! I am a new follower. Hope you will stop by when you get a chance.

    Stay Creative,
    Georgiana
    • Carson's Creations •

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    1. Thanks for becoming a follower Georgiana! On my way to visit you :)

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