This month’s prize, a new challenge, classes and a tutorial!

This post is strictly scrapbook related! I will post an update post in a few days – about the fires here last week, another new ratty baby, zoo life and more stuff : )

First of all, September’s challenge is due by tomorrow (also if you just want to enter the draw for this months prize, please post your comment by tomorrow night at midnight (Oct 2). All challenge entries get 2 ballots.

Here is the mini I finished for this challenge – sorry for the awful quality of the photo – I’ll take some better ones – and also of the inside pages – when its light outside tomorrow and post them up later.

I did a tutorial on how to make this mini if you’re interested – it’s really quite quick to make (and easy and cheap – what could be better than that?) The tutorial is posted at the bottom of this post, so scroll on down : )

Here are a couple other entries for this challenge:

Hop on over to Leigh’s blog to see all the other pages in this adorable mini! Isn’t her pup just the cutest?

Here is Rose Stannell’s awesome mini about changes in the homes that she’s lived in. Great idea Rose!

Now for Octobers Challenge!!

Theme: A week in the life

Mini Book style: Accordion – there is a tutorial here for this particular type. (If you use this tutorial, just add a couple extra pieces on so you have 7 pages in total)

These are the most fun to look back on I think, as our lives tend to change so much, even in the span of a few weeks or months. Do it on a week in your own life, your kids life, or your pets life! Have fun with it!

Remember for this challenge, you can choose to do both the theme and mini book type, or just one or the other.

I will post a picture of October’s prize after September’s winner is announced on Oct 2.

Online Classes are coming back!!! I will be offering my series of FREE techinque classes again with Techinques 101 starting on October 12. If you’d like to sign up please send me an email or leave me a comment here. There will be 4 weekly lessons and you can do the class at your own pace. Techniques 102 will start at the end of November and will run for 6 weeks, then 103 will be offered in January and is also 6 weeks. I am thinking of adding a new class in the new year – Mini Book Techniques. : )

Now for the mini book tutorial:

You will need:

– Crafty board or chipboard sheets

– various papers

– binder rings

– crop-a-dile to punch holes through chipboard

– various embellishments

This is a great project to use up scraps! A very low cost and quick mini album to make.

1. Cut you chipboard sheets into squares measuring 4.5 x 4.5″

2. I like the look of rounded corners right now, so I rounded all 4 on each piece

3. For these pages, I kept some just as straight chipboard as I love that natural look. For the others, I covered them with patterned paper and trimmed the corners off.

4. Sand all the edges of each page with a sanding sponge until they are smooth.

5. Shaped paper is fun to cut up and use – remember that you don’t have to completely cover each page – use a shaped piece and you’ll get a fun look.