Christmas Mini :)

I know - I'm sitting in my summer clothes typing this post on a very warm....summerish day and posting about a Christmas Mini. Hannah has put together a beautiful Christmas mini kit (there are only a couple left) over in her shop Handmade Hannah packed with MME papers and Crate Paper chipboard pieces and other goodies.  This is the first of my creations with it (I still have more than half the kit left).  I hadn't scrapped any pictures from last years Christmas (don't know why) so I cropped and printed them out in 3 by 2 and black and white.  The basis for this album is a card kit my MIL gave me - the card was square but I fancied making it in a circular shape, so same principle but different shape.  The basis of the album is to cut out 4 circles, then fold them into quarters, cut along one of the quarter lines into the centre, and then on the quarters on either side of that cut you need to fold them in half again (this helps the album fold up - you'll see in the photos).  Having done this to all 4 circles you are ready to go.

I cut the circles in the kraft paper - you can use a plate, a circle cutter, a compass...and I made all the folds but didn't stick it together 'til I had decorated the pages.  I then cut out 1/4 circles from the MME papers and stitched and ruffled the edges.  I put all my journalling on the bottom 1/4 circle (the one with the fold in the middle) and added photos and chipboard elements to the top 2 sides.  I added a little of my own bling to this section to make it look like a string of fairy lights.

 You have to stick together your 4 folded circles together once you've made them 3d (basically you overlap the 2 folded quarters and stick them together) so the gap inbetween them is perfect for some more journalling and one of the echo park journal cards you get.

 I added a line of stockings to this page, you can lift them out the way to get a better view of the pictures. I wanted my album to be decorative as well as containing all the memories.

 This one has some flag bunting and a chipboard frame and you can see the tag too.

 And finally a row of buttons, and a few glittered house embellishments

 The back I kept fairly straightforward after all the decoration inside - and when the album is open it doesn't get seen, so just the chipboard Merry Christmas.

I added some bakers twine to use as a tie to hold it all together or all open.  This could work as a special card, or Christmas decoration - I'm going to leave mine out as part of the decorations this year for family to take a look at.  Hopefully the thought of winter and Christmas has cooled you on this beautiful day :) and you can see Hannah's album here.