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Find a “colors” board book to use (dig through your kids’ book shelf or go to your local thrift store). Once you’ve found your colors board book you are ready to begin on your mini album. The first thing you need to do is cut/tear your board book apart page by page. The sample book has 10 pages. The count of 10 includes the front and back covers. Different board books are obviously going to have different numbers of pages so you’ll have to do some adjusting as you go. But you can definitely take advantage of these general directions.

Cover the pages with paper. For the red page we used Graphic 45′s Happy Homemaker Paper from the Domestic Goddess Collection and Fashionista from the Fashionista Collection along with red rickrack, a paper flower created from Pink Paislee’s Captivating paper, and a pearlescent, self adhesive, red flower by Jenni Bowlin. Cover the pages so that you work in the “colors” theme from the board book, but re-create most of the background using your paper designs. The sample book uses the papers to create a page size pocket on the right hand side that holds a photo, a Guest Ticket for journaling, and a program from a night out with the girls.

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We journaled the following on the left side of the page, “Roses are Red….Violets are blue…Girls’ Night just wouldn’t be the same without YOU!” This incorporated our “red” from the board book and provided the basis for the photo and memorabilia we wanted to feature on the page. We also used some basic necessities to accent the page. We inked the edges with gold and lime green giving it a vintage feel. You can use one of many tools for this. We used out favorite Dabbers from Ranger. We also used a basic distressing stamp to add some texture to some empty space on the page. And we shot the red spots on the Fashionista paper with Glossy Accents by Ranger. It adds an amazing look and really brings the color to life.

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The yellow layout uses the Fashionista paper as well. It covers the right side of the layout fully. Back your photo with Pink Paislee Joyeux Noel. Use your Pink Paislee blue Captivating paper to make a journaling strip on the right side of the page layout. Ink all your edges again and incorporate a distress stamp to give it some interesting layering and texture. Now grab your corrugated cardboard, another staple.

Cut your corrugated cardboard into a divider/page that will fit in your album. We cut our’s to only cover half of the following page. Make sure that it fits into the book with two of the key ring holes actually functioning to hold the corrugated cardboard page in the mini album. Your divider tab will stick out of the book. It looks great! We inked our’s up with yellow paint (but you don’t have to…it can stay in the book plain). The blue Captivating paper from Pink Paislee is used to make a small “tag” for journaling next to the pic on the corrugated cardboard. We used a few trims to tie in the hole of the blue tag just for fun. The corrugated cardboard insert is a fabulous layered look that you’ll love.

Your blue pages feature the blue Captivating paper from Pink Paislee. It also features the backside of Graphic 45′s Fashionista paper. It’s blue with cream polka dots…great colors! Back your photo for the blue layout with the Joyeux Noel paper (also from Pink Paislee). The Pink Paislee Joyeux Noel paper is also used on your purple pages. Use the backside of the same paper to accent the purple pages. We made a journaling strip and huge photo corners. Glitz papers can be used to create paper flowers to accent the page. Don’t forget to ink your edges and do plenty of journaling on the layout.

For the remaining color layouts…you’ll have to visit the original instructions on the LBD blog. A Colorful Life Mini Album is featured in one of the early blog posts. But don’t miss the other layouts, altered art pieces and projects. If you like A Colorful Life Mini Album you’ll love some of the other pieces as well.

Contributed by Alyson Lansen, scrapbook addict and layout lover. She considers Little Black Dress Kit Club a hot spot of gargantuan proportions and frequents it often. She’s always looking for new ideas and project suggestions at the LBD Ideas Page.

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What’s that you say? You don’t know why I would say that? Well…here’s the trick! Use something you’ve got around the house to make your mini album. You’re going to cover it up anyway. Why does it need to be newly purchased chipboard?

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For example do you have kids? Do you have any board books laying around that they loved when they were little? Are they now far too old to reach for the board books that they used to love? Don’t let them go to waste. Use it as the basis for your next mini album. If you don’t have kids or board books head to your nearest thrift store. Board books are all over the place. You should be able to get one for less than a dollar. If you’ve got a good thrift store you should be able to get one for a dime or a quarter. It doesn’t matter if it’s damaged. You’re covering it up anyway.

So now you’ve got your board book and it’s ready to be made into your next fabulous mini album. Don’t worry about any type of damage. Even water damage can be “covered up” effectively. So…you got your free album. And if not free…then so cheap it’s hardly worth mentioning!

Now that you’ve got your board book for your mini album you can go one of two directions. You can tear the book apart, punch holes in the edge and bind it with key rings. Or you can complete the mini album without damaging the spine of the book. We like to tear the book apart. It gives us more room to get feisty and fabulous with all our scrapbooking supplies.

For examples of mini albums check out the Little Black Dress Kit Club site! The photo gallery has oodles of ideas and completed projects that we add to each month. And we love getting snap shots of Little Black Dress Kit Club subscriber projects. Send them our way and you might just find them in the photo gallery on your next visit!

Contributed by Alyson Lansen, scrapbook addict and layout lover. She considers Little Black Dress Kit Club a hot spot of gargantuan proportions and frequents it often. She’s always looking for new ideas and project suggestions at the LBD Ideas Page.

Starting out, you might not have a huge collection of paper just yet. In this case, you may be interested in a system that allows for expansion later on. Display Dynamics has a 12×12 paper storage system that interlocks and stacks each clear unit on top of each other. The great thing about this is that you can always buy more of these as you need them. Also, since they are clear, you will be able to see what is inside. This is super helpful with getting inspired by your paper and creating more layouts.

Some of you do a lot of traveling for scrapbooking events. If this is you, check into using the Croppin’ Companion. Basically it is a plastic container that will hold enough supplies and embellishments for 2 scrapbook layouts. Now, I know that some of us can get 2 layouts finished pretty quick – in this case, you may want to pick up a couple of these. They will keep your paper from getting bent and torn.

Aside from the above, there are wooden units made specifically for your storage needs. These product creators really do pay attention to what we want and use. These units are obviously a good choice for your scrapbook room or space. I find that when I am organized I am a lot more creative. When I see a messy room, I just can’t focus. Give it a try, and you’ll see what I mean.

As you choose the storage items that you want in your home, you may want to have matching units. So, when you purchase, check to see if the item can be re-ordered so that if you need another one, you can keep with the same theme. If you have a small collection now, just wait, it will inevitably grow as you continue in your hobby.

Looking to find the best deal on scrapbook storage solutions, then visit scrapbookatlas.com for more about scrapbook paper storage.

If you?re already using the Provo Craft Cricut cutting machine and you want to enhance the way you use it then the newest addition to the range is just what you need.

The Cricut Design Studio is a new software package that adds extra versatility to your Cricut or Cricut Expression machine. By connecting your machine to your computer and installing the software you will be able to change the way you use your cutting machine. The software is simple and user friendly. You don?t have to be a genius with computers to use it and you?ll easily be able to utilize a multitude of creative effects.

How the Design Studio Works

With the Cricut Design Studio you can select images from any cartridge you own and use them all in one design. Images can be flipped and rotated or resized to fit your new design. The design can then also be saved for later use or before it is even finished. Once you?re certain that the design is just right, just press one button and insert the first of the appropriate cartridge. If the machine needs to use a more than one cartridge, it will tell you to when to switch them around. It?s as straightforward as that.

Another benefit of Design Studio is that you can examine every available design in the entire Cricut library, whether you own the cartridge or not. Simply type in keywords to search for a particular image or phrase and you can see exactly how it would look in your projects. This will help you decide if you want to purchase a particular cartridge or not. You can even preplan your design and save it until you get the necessary cartridge or borrow it from a friend.

Are There Disadvantages to the Cricut Design Studio?

Presently this software is compatible with the Windows XP and Windows Vista platforms. Unfortunately for some Cricut fans, the software is not yet Mac compatible and so cannot currently be used with Macintosh computers. Besides that, the only restriction you are held to is having to sit at your computer desk while you work. Crafters with laptops will enjoy much more freedom and can design as they watch TV.

Overall, the Cricut Design Studio is a wonderful addition to your Cricut collection. The software is reasonably priced, considering it started out retailing for $89.95, but is now available for as low as $59.95. The benefits you receive are well worth the cost. Take your crafting to a whole new dimension with the Provo Craft Cricut Design Studio. You are only limited by your imagination.