3 to Inspire with Kira

Hey there!  It's Kira and I am here with a 3 to Inspire challenge!  It's been a bit since I've participated in one, so I was really excited to bring you guys some fun prompts!  Here's my prompts for the week:

1.  Make it mini!

2.  Fussy cut

3.  Use stitching

And here's a look at my project:

Obviously I went as mini as possible with my project, but I challenge you to interpret the prompt however you want.  Maybe you normally scrap 12x12 and want to try a TN layout?  Or you could use a small 2x2 photo instead of a 3x4 photo.  I can't wait to see how you change it up to suit you! 

I started my project with this little wood sleeve that is an upcycled seed container from Target.  I used the May Add-On kit to embellish the front with patterned paper and foam thickers.  Inside the container is an accordion folded mini album.  I trimmed a piece of patterned paper down to 10x3.5 and scored it every 2.5".

To add some texture and interest to the cover, I stitched around the edges.  In hind sight, I should've used my stitching to add my pockets! (I used adhesive for my pockets, so learn from my mistakes! Ha!)

I embellished the inside of the mini album with lots of fussy cut flowers, postcards and paper airplanes.  I also added some more foam thickers, puffy stickers and and enamel dots (all found in the Add-On kit!).

I can't wait to see your interpretation of the prompts!  Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Kira

Journal - Sea Life

Hi friends!  Emma here to share my first attempt at creating a mini-album using a journal (or think travelers notebook type book)!  This month's Grace Box kit came with the cutest journal and I thought it would be fun to try making a little journal/mini about a trip we made to Sea Life earlier this year.

I have to say that making this little book was so much fun!  I was actually a little intimidated to begin with but once I stopped getting hung up on "perfection" (and limiting the embellishing...which is hard for me) - I really enjoyed the process of putting this together.  It's far from perfect, but for my first attempt at using a journal book; I'm pretty happy with the end result.  And more importantly - I've got the photo's and stories recorded :)

The journal included in the Grace Box has 24 pages but that was far too many for me to fill so so I simply stitched a few pages together (I think I went with 2 or 3 pages, I wasn't exact every time, I just grabbed a few and ran the pages through my sewing machine to join them together).

I included things like the train timetable/ticket stubs and the map.

I kept my layouts fairly plain and had to continually remind myself not to go overboard with the embellishing.  Embellishments are my favourite part when putting layouts together so it was tricky!  I used a little from all the May kits in this book and I love how it all coordinates together so easily.  Those copper alpha's from the main kit are absolutely gorgeous (the photo's do not do them justice!) and I had to stop myself from using them on every page...but they do pop up on a few ;)

All my journaling was typed up on the computer and printed out on plain copy paper (I cheat and use a typewriter font).

To add a bit of colour through the album I used patterned paper on one side of the page.  Love the blue of this exclusive paper from the Main kit and the matching die-cuts (from the PL kit).

I even managed to work a sequin pocket page into it!  I'm forever using sequins/veneer pockets in my albums; I love the movement they create.  I used a piece of vellum in this journal though and just machine stitched around the outside.   It's hard to see in the photo's but I also cut a jelly fish shape from white cardstock and popped that inside with the green/blue sequins.

Originally I was not going to have anything on the outside of my journal but I have this annoying habit of adding "titles" to the spines/fronts of my mini-albums so I had to follow suit here.  I went with plain black alphas (from an older kit, Jan 2017 Add-on) and just stuck them onto a plastic divider I had sitting around (that I trimmed down to fit my journal).

And here's a quick little flip through the full journal!

I actually created this as the NSD challenges were being posted and I originally I thought I'd create a page per challenge, but as you can see, I failed miserably, haha.  I did get one sketch into it though!  The LHS page is based on the sketch shared by Michelle on Day 1 of the challenges ;)

So all up I got ONE challenge from NSD finished...which = a big fail for me haha.  I had the best intentions...  But on the plus side, I was so happy to see so many of you joined in on alot of challenges and that is AWESOME!  Did you have fun on NSD?  How many challenges did you manage to finish up doing?!  And for those of you that won; have you got your goodies yet?!  SO LUCKY!

Thanks for joining me on the blog today!  I hope you'll be inspired to try these journal books for yourself; they're not as intimidating as I thought they would be and I'm planning my next one already :)

Take care, Em xo

Tuesday Tutorial: Making a Mini Album with Tara

Hello lovelies! Today I'm sharing a simple tutorial to make a mini album. After my first attempt at making one, I have fallen head over heels for these little guys!! They are so cute and I'm on a mission to make more. This mini album is going out to my parents this time.

*Warning - this post is picture heavy - I wanted to share the entire mini album with you!

I used September's "Maggie" PL kit with the Embellishment kit. Here is the cover of my mini album:

I loved the exclusive patterned paper in the "Maggie" Main kit and used that to cover my album. 

Here are the materials I used to make the mini album:

I cut down my 8.5x11 inch paper to 6x8 inches. I then scored the paper down the middle at 4 inches. This makes my mini album roughly 4x6 inches. I then assembled the three sheets together and the outer patterned paper and lined them up at the score line. I took a small punch and made 5 holes down the center. I used some thread, a needle, and used a saddle stitch to bind the book together. If you don't have these materials, you can always use washi tape or glue. This is a simple way to sew an album if you don't have a sewing machine, like me. Don't forget to glue down the cover paper to the kraft/cardstock paper.

Here is the assembled mini album:

You can see here the middle of the book where I hand-stitched it:

Then comes the fun part! Getting out your photos, pretty papers, and embellishments and filling it up! Here is my completed mini album:

I just love the gold Maggie Holmes stickers so much.

I kept the left side simple since I had a lot of layered patterns on the opposite side. This is one of my favorite photos - I used it in my previous album!

Here is a close up:

I can't get enough of the cut out words included on a 4x6 card in the PL kit. I cut them out and used them a ton this month!

A close up of the next page:

This time I really wanted to capture my boys' writing so I asked them to each share a little note. This mini album is for my parents and I knew they would love to see their handwriting.

I re-used a glassine envelope from a previous kit and cut down the 4x6 card. I love how my son drew a moon and a star to go with "I love you to the moon and back" phrase. The Crate Paper Cool Kid yellow star paper clip is my favorite!!! I used it to keep the two 3x4 cards together and secured in the glassine pocket.


We have a funny little story about the "Grandpa/Grandma Taco" thing and it's something we continue to laugh about. I love how the boys still call my parents that and I'm pretty sure it's special to them too.

Here is the next page:

I loved the ephemera pack from The Reset Girl that was included in the PL kit! I couldn't stop finding more ways to use the cute little pieces. I added in some stamped phrases from this month's stamp too.

And the last page:

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you give making min albums a go! I had so much fun creating this one.

Have a wonderful day!

Xxo, Tara

Snapshots Mini Album

Hello everyone, it's Tara here sharing my DIY Snapshots mini album. I have been feeling the itch to create a few mini albums to give away and I finally decided to try one out. Since I will be mailing it out, I had a few criteria to meet: light weight, small enough to display or take/move around, and interactive. I found a great accordion mini album tutorial that Stephanie Bryan made here. It required no stitching and seemed easy enough, so I decided to give it a go!

I made this one to give to my mother in law:

I used the cute heart patterned paper from the July Driftwood Main Kit. The heart cork piece was from a past Citrus Twist Kit and worked so well with this month's Pocket Life Driftwood Kit Cocoa Vanilla snip its.


I ended used two strips of 4x12 pieces instead of three, mostly because I mis-cut the last piece, but I loved how it turned out!

Here are a few close ups:

I wanted to add some interactive parts and also hide the journaling. I did this with a tag cut down from my stash. I also re-used a glassine bag from the kit to create a pocket for my tag. I can't get enough of that black and gold dot paper!! It's such a nice compliment to all the bold and bright colors.

I used both stamp sets from July's Main and PL kits. I have a slight addiction to stamps and always find a place to add them. I added more hidden journaling with the "notes" snip it tucked behind the photo.

On the tag, the "Hello, I Love You" phrase is from the Maggie Holmes Shine roller stamp. It's one of my favorite roller stamps!

Here is an idea of how small it is! I love how my mini album fits in my hand so easily. It's a great size and I plan to make a few more to give to friends and family.


Thank you for joining us today! I hope you try making some of your own mini albums too.

Have a lovely day!

Xxo, Tara