A Paper Crafting Finish to Share (Photo Heavy)

I've been enjoying a few days off from work and had a chance to catch up on a paper crafting project I started after watching a Ustream video.

There's a woman whose blog I read and enjoy very much, Laura Denison of Following the Paper Trail and she is truly a talented lady when it comes to paper crafting. Actually, she first started out about 15 years ago designing quilt patterns and making quilt kits. It was only 2 years ago that Laura discovered paper crafting and she has now shifted her focus to mainly creating and writing patterns for scrapbook mini albums. There are video tutorials on both YouTube and Ustream that feature many of Laura's projects.

One such project, the Picnic Basket Mini Album, really appealed to me and so I purchased the pattern from her and followed her video tutorial. I am pleased to say that I have finally finished my basket and I can't wait to share it with you.

It is all made with chipboard, scrapbooking papers and cardstock, with the exception of the gingham fabric covers. Here's a peek!


The basket is made with chipboard and covered in kraft paper colored cardstock. The lid is removable and is actually the covers on the mini album.

This is the album. Can you see the lid of the basket now? lol


This is the first page. The small flower on the right side is the tab on a pull-out photo mat. Each page has one on either the right or left side. The grass is a "pocket" to hold a card in the form of a "picnic item". In this case, we have a grill. Open the card to reveal the hot dogs. These actually slide up and out to reveal another smaller photo mat.




Here are the condiment cards: mustard, ketchup and relish. Each opens and has room for a small photo and/or journaling.



A glass of lemonade is in the next pocket page. The lemon slice at the top is the tab of a photo mat that slides up and out for more pics or journal spots.

Can't have a picnic without watermelon. This card opens up for yet more pics or journaling.



Yummy! I love ice cream. Yes, the cones are in the grass but it's a pretty common occurrence when small children are around! Each cone flips up and provides still more space for pics.


Can't have a picnic without homemade cherry pie, either! Check out the crust. Almost good enough to eat...lol. The pie flips up to reveal pic or journaling real estate.

The back of my mini album.

This was so much fun to make. I'm not sure what I'll do with it since I don't have any pics of picnic outings. Summer isn't over yet, though. Maybe there's time for one last-days-of-summer picnic. In the meantime, it will sit in my sewing room/craft room to be admired every day.

Hope you enjoyed the peek!