Snowman Mini Album

Hi everyone!  Welcome back to my first blog post of the New Year.  I was thinking about all the Christmas and New Year's celebrations and get togethers, and the opportunity for photos to capture those special moments.  Now, you are going to need a place to display them, and what better place than a specially made Snowman mini album.(coming soon to the store)  This is a new one from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts, and I am tickled to share my ideas with you.

Front Cover

Back Cover

There are six chipboard pages, and I traced each side onto print paper and cut them out.  Remember, the front and back of each paper will need to be mirrored to fit each side of the chipboard  properly.

Apply adhesive to the back side of each paper piece.  I like to use my Xyron Creative Station for speed and efficiency, but you can use any adhesive you have on hand.

Adhere papers to each chipboard page, front and back.  Trim off any excess paper, if necessary.

Punch holes in binding edge of each chipboard page.  I used a Cinch tool, but if you don't have one of these, you can punch two or three holes in each page and using binder rings to hold the book together.

Edge each page with white acrylic paint.  I used Adirondack Snow Cap in a dabber bottle for quick application.

Use the chipboard pieces from the Winter Snowman Banner to trace each shape onto various pieces of the paper.  I decided to glue a snowman to each page inside my album, so I cut 12 pieces of each shape, remembering to mirror them so they would fit properly.

With the exception of 10 of the snowman body, I ran all these paper pieces through my Xyron Creative Station.  I edged the chipboard pieces with the white acrylic paint.

These pieces are not symmetrical, so I figured out which way to lay them on top of each other.  I  marked them with a directional arrow to indicate which way to place the chipboard snowman on top of the album page.  The top hat has a direction, too, as does the scarf.  You will know right away that it is not quite right if you place it down wrong.  Then I adhered the paper pieces to the chipboard pieces.

I used gem stickers in various sizes for the eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons.  I used German Dresden scrap pieces from my stash, one for his hat band and another to center over the scarf.  Lastly, I used a waterbrush and Blue Ice watercolor to add shading and delineate his arms down to the mittens.

I also painted the tiny German scrap pieces with the Blue Ice watercolor to tone down the shiny gold color before adhering them.

I decided to turn each of my snowmen into a pocket on the remaining interior pages.  Just run a line of white glue along  the outer edge to attach him to the page.  I worked in assembly line fashion, where I continued to do the same step for each page.  This allows the glue to dry while I'm working ahead.  By the time I get back to the first page, the glue is usually dry.

Now you will have room for tags, more photos, ephemera, or any items you want to slip into the pocket, and still have room for photos on each page background.  Then come back and decorate each snowman with his clothes and facial features, just the same as for the cover snowman.

Paint snowflakes and word ribbons with white paint, let dry.  Brush a coat of gloss varnish over the word ribbons only.

Add a coat of white crackle paste over the larger, more solid snowflake and let dry.

Paint the snowflakes with a wash of Cerulean Blue acrylic paint.  If you want a darker color, just add another coat after the first coat dries.

Paint a darker wash of the Cerulean Blue paint over the word ribbons, as shown.

For added shimmer, add Vintage Silk Opal Magic wax to the word ribbons and snowflakes.  You can see how it add highlights to the word ribbons.

Make three rosettes following the directions with the rosettes dies.  Adhere them to the front cover of the mini album, as shown in the finished photo at the top of the post.  Adhere the word ribbons above the rosettes, and glue a couple of the snowflakes over the rosettes.  Additional bling was added to the snowflake centers, too.

I cut tags from coordinating solid color card stock and added matching stickers from the paper collection.  These were slipped into the snowman pocket.  More photos or journaling can be added to the back of each tag.

Below are pictures of each page of the album.

Back Cover                                   Front Cover

Supplies Used:
GSL Snowman Mini Album (coming soon)
GSL Winter Snowman Banner
GSL Snowflake Shape Set Minis
GSL Snowflake Shape Set

GSL Word Ribbons 2 (Moments)
GSL Word Ribbons 3 (Magical)
BoBunny Snowy Serenade paper collection
BoBunny Snowy Serenade sticker sheet
Lily White Sugar Dust glitter paper (Doodlebug Designs)(Hobby Lobby)
Sizzix dies (Snowflake Rosette)(Mini Snowflake Rosettes)(Tag, Crescent Combo)
   (Tag, Super Crescent)
Adirondack Snow Cap acrylic paint dabber
ColourArte Twinkling H20s Blue Ice
DecoArt Media Crackle Paste, Gloss Varnish
DecoArt Acrylic Paint (Cerulean Blue)
Prima Opal Magic Wax (Vintage Silk)
Water brush
Xyron Creative Station
Xyron Permanent Adhesive
German Dresden Scrap (online)
Black and clear gem stickers
White glue

I hope you enjoyed my project today, and if you are in need of a pretty little album to keep your holiday mementos and photos in, this adorable mini will do the trick.  Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful New Year!

Barbara