Home of the Free Because of the Brave- An Easy Waterfall Mini Album

Hi Stampers!   

This week’s Stampin’ Royalty Challenge SR281 is “Anything ButA Card” and I decided to create a mini photo album using the CMCC75 Colour Me "Colour Me Striking" Challenge.

In the past few weeks Graphic 45 has been highlighting their retiring 2014 Design Team members with "Fond Farewell" posts and I fell in love with all of the designer projects but especially Ginger Ropp's Easy Instagram Mini Waterfall Album (I have created at least ten of these this week- they are so addictive!!) :-)  

Here is a link to the Graphic45 post for Ginger Ropp's favorite projects  and I have linked the YouTube video for this project below :-)

If you have not visited either challenge site yet, I encourage you to do so- marvelous inspiration from all!

Using the instructions from the video, score a 12x12 piece of Night of Navy cardstock (I used a retired textured piece from my stash)- score at 3”, 6” and 9”, turn and score at 4” and 8”.

Using the Stampin’ Up! Paper Trimmer, trim on the 3” and 6” score  lines to the 4” score line.

Turn the paper and trim along the uncut side of the paper along the 4” score line to the 9” score (again, using Ginger Ropp’s video instruction).

Fold the 3” and 6” trimmed score panels as directed on the video and complete the photo folio per the video instructions – I found that it was a bit easier to also add an additional score line of approx. 1/8” or so, to the left of the first 3” score line to allow for the bulk.

Decorate the panels as you desire…  fyi- I did a few strips of designer paper on some of the panels and adhered on the two sides only to allow a photo or other panel to be inserted under the strip...  this is what I love about this mini book- it can be decorated in any way you choose :-)

To decorate the panels:

Cover: Add the piece of lace onto the front cover and mount the red grosgrain ribbon (I used ribbon from my stash and wrapped the ribbon around the album adhering with Scor Tape®). 

Adhere the 2 ¾” x 3 ¾” piece of striped paper from the Authentique® Pride Collection over the ribbon and lace.

Add the scrap piece of textured Night of Navy cardstock  (approx. ¼” x 3 ¾”) over the edge of the lace.

Add the two scrap pieces of red starred patterned paper to the sides.

Stamp the flag image from the Our Daily Bread Designs (ODBD) Old Flag Background using Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink and color with an AquaPainter™ using Night of Navy and retired Poppy Parade Classic Ink (I used Poppy Parade versus Real Red to match the paper).

Trim a portion of the background (save the rest for another project) and stamp the Gorgeous Grunge large splatter stamp using Ranger® Tim Holtz® Tea Dye Distress Ink.

Sponge Ranger® Tim Holtz® Old Paper Distress Ink over the entire image to antique the paper.

Mount onto a piece of Night of Navy cardstock, trim again and mount onto a piece of Poppy Parade cardstock. 

Stamp the sentiment from Land of the Free (ODBD) using Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink and color with Stampin’ Write  Markers- Night of Navy and retired Poppy Parade (I used Poppy Parade versus Real Red to match the paper).

Trim the sentiment, distress with the same inks as the Old Flag background panel, mount onto a piece of Night of Navy cardstock, trim again and mount onto a piece of Poppy Parade cardstock. 

Add the scrap pieces of the star pattern paper and insert the pewter brads.

Mount the sentiment to the focal image panel and adhere the entire panel to the front cover.

Behind the front cover:  Mount the 2 ¾” x 3 ¾” red music panel from the Authentique® Pride Collection to the back of the front cover.

Stamp the image from Not Forgotten (ODBD) using using Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock and color with the AquaPainter™ with Night of Navy and Poppy Parade Classic Ink adding shadows using the Sahara Sand Stampin’ Write Marker.

Trim and mount onto Night of Navy cardstock, trim and mount onto Poppy Parade cardstock and distress the panel by sponging Ranger® Tim Holtz® Old Paper Distress Ink over the edges and image.

Mount the focal image to the panel.

Balance of pages:  Mount the 2 ¾” x 3 ¾” pieces of the Authentique® Pride Collection to the “pages” or panels.

Using scrap strips of the papers, adhere to the edges only to create the straps to hold photos or business size cards (I plan to use some of these albums for Bible Verse memorization by printing the verses on business size cardstock).

I did add one sentiment on the opposite “page” from the Not Forgotten image using the verse from the same stamp set (colored with Stampin’ Write markers and “antiqued” with Ranger® Tim Holtz® Old Paper Distress Ink, cut out with the Big Shot™ and the Chalk Talk Collection Framelits™ and mounted onto an additional Chalk Talk frame from Night of Navy and Poppy Parade cardstock).

The entire album takes a few hours to create, but again, fair warning, they are very addictive!

Stamp Sets: Old Flag Background, Land of the Free, Not Forgotten (all Our Daily Bread Designs), Gorgeous Grunge (Stampin’ Up!)

Ink:  Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink, Night of Navy and retired Poppy Parade Classic Ink, Stampin’ Write Markers- Night of Navy, Sahara Sand and retired Poppy Parade; Ranger© Tim Holtz® Tea Dye and Old Paper Distress Ink

Paper/Cardstock:  Whisper White, Night of Navy Textured (12x12), Night of Navy Smooth, retired Poppy Parade, Authentique® Pride Collection

Accessories:  Big Shot™, Chalk Talk Framelits™, Sponge Dauber, Pewter Brads, lace and grosgrain ribbon from my stash

Thanks again for stopping by- I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!