These thoughtful, inexpensive keepsakes are easy to make and personalize
for any friend or family member.
I decided to make mini cloth-covered photo albums for my mother
and mother-in-law. These instructions apply to any size photo album--you
just have to measure the album to get an idea how much fabric you're
going to need.
Materials:
- 3-ring binder/photo album (doesn't have to be new--you are going
to be covering it)
- Pages for photos (add when album is finished, or you might get
glue on them)
- 1 large sheet white poster board
- 1 can spray adhesive (3M works well)
- Craft glue or glue gun
- Scissors and/or rotary fabric cutter
- Fabric-1 piece long enough to cover the outside of the album,
and 2 pieces to cover each of inside covers. Allow extra inch to
fold over edges of album.
- Silk flowers, appliques, beads, ribbons, lace (optional)
You will need three pieces of fabric. You want the piece on the
outside of the album to be one piece that folds around the outside
of the album. Leave 1 inch of material around the edges.
Use spray adhesive (available at most craft stores) to glue the
fabric. Make sure to lay newspapers all around you and spray carefully
or you'll end up with a big sticky mess. Also try not to let your
fabric stick to the newspaper. Spray the glue directly on the outside
of the album- -one side first, then the spine, then the other side.
Smooth the fabric as you go, gently smoothing out any wrinkles quickly
beforeit dries (you have a few minutes). You should now have the
outside totally covered with fabric with 1 inch extra all around
the edges of the album. Glue the extra inch of material on the sides
down to the inside of the album.
Now fold the top and bottom edges down and glue in place. The inside
of the spine will still be visible after the inside covers are in
place, so fold the extra inch at the spine in half first, then again
and glue in place. The remaining exposed top and bottom edges will
be covered with the inside covers.
The next step is to make the inside covers. Cut 2 pieces of poster
board approximately 1/8-inch smaller (on all sides) than the inside
covers of the photo album. Make sure to lay them in the photo album
after you cut them to make sure they're the right size. You want
to make sure the album can still open and close easily when they're
in place. Cut 2 pieces of fabric to be 1/2-inch bigger (on allsides)
than the pieces of poster board. Using spray adhesive, glue each
piece of poster board to a square of fabric. Fold over the remaining
½ inch of fabric on the top, bottom, and sides, and glue
to the back of the poster board. You should now have completed inside
covers with no exposed fabric edges. Using spray adhesive, glue
the inside covers into the inside front and inside back of the photo
album,again making sure the album can open and close easily. You're
done! Now you can add the pages for the photos. Here are some
more options:
- If the album is big enough, you can cover a photo mat with fabric
and glue it in the center of the front of the album. You can purchase
the mat already cut, or you can make your own out of extra poster
board, making it any size you want.
- If you want to have lace around the edges, glue the lace around
the edges of the album after covering the front of the album with
fabric, and before gluing in the inside covers. The inside covers
will hide the bottom edge of the trimming. Glue in place with craft
glue or a glue gun.
- Embellish the cover with appliques, beads, and silk flowers. Glue
in place with craft glue or a glue gun.
After you practice on one of these albums, you'll see how easy it
is and you'll be able to see all the millions of possibilities.
These albums can as fancy or simple as you want, and can cost a
lot or next to nothing. I made one for my sister as awedding present
that cost about $50 after I bought the nice fabric, appliques, lace,
etc.
For Mother's Day, however, I found some mini photo albums on sale
2 for $3. They hold up to 4 x 6 photos. I'm going to find a photo
to cut down a bit to fit on the front cover, one for my family,
and one for my husband's. If I get in a bind for time I will try
to find some fabric on sale (should only require approximately ½
yard each for the small albums). If I have time I'll do a little
yard sale shopping and try to pick up some fabric that way. If you
sew or do many crafts, you may already have some fabric on hand.
It's also a good idea to stock up on different sized albums when
they're on sale. Keep on the lookout for extra trimmings on sale
and at yard sales. Don't forget the unconventional, like sequins
and buttons. These thoughtful albums make great gifts for all occasions.
