Travel Mini-Album on a Frame

Today I am going to show you a quick and easy way to incorporate a mini photo album into home decor.  This is a great way to showcase that dream vacation, the latest images of a beloved pet, or favorite family photos.  And, you can personalize your project to fit any theme!

Are you ready to get started?

Supplies:

• Ready to Finish Memory Frame 8.5×11″ size
• Core’dinations My Mind’s Eye 12×12 paper pack, Lost and Found Collection
• K & Company Travel SMASH pad
• Jolee’s Boutique Stickers Paris
• Darice Chipboard Alphabet Letters 3 inch
• Darice Metal Charm Embellishments Road Trip
• Core’dinations Dark Core Tags
• Queen and Co. Bling Pearls Nightfall
• Snap Ring Silver 2 inch
• Darice Ribbon Accents Black and White 12 pc
• Martha Stewart Crafts Medium Punch Classic Butterfly
• Euro Metal Hole Punch Pliers
• Core’dinations Sand It Gadget with Sandpaper
• Mod Podge Matte
• Sponge Brush
• Hot Glue Gun & Glue

Directions:

The first thing you will want to do is disassemble your frame.

Set aside the easel portion of the frame for later use. You can discard the glass.

Next, paint the back, and  inner and outer edges of the frame with a matching craft paint.

 Select a piece of cardstock from the Core’dination My Mind’s Eye paper pack. Trim paper to fit frame. (8.5×11″) Do not worry about the photo hole at this time.

Using Mod Podge, coat front of frame with an even coat, and adhere cardstock. Make sure you adhere the cardstock embossed side up!

Smooth out cardstock, and allow the Mod Podge to dry.

Then flip the frame over onto a craft mat, and using a craft knife, cut out the photo hole.

Turn the frame back over to the front, and using your Sand it Gadget, sand the front of the frame. If you have never used Core’dinations cardstock, you are going to be in for a treat! Sanding the embossed cardstock brings out the core color underneath, and will give your frame an instant aged patina!

Select some pages from your travel SMASH book to be used as embellishments on your frame. I thought they gave it a fun old-school “luggage sticker” look. Adhere the pages with Mod-Podge. Let the pages wrap around the sides of your frame.

Before you trim those SMASH pages, I want to share with you a technique that I use whenever I adhere paper to altered projects, it is much easier than trimming with scissors.

Make sure your items are adhered well, and that the glue is dry.

Then, take your Sand it Gadget and sand on the outer edge in a downward motion. The paper will start to tear- keep sanding. Thicker papers take more sanding.

When the paper is torn, it will separate from the edge.

And you will be left with a perfect edge on your project!

The next step is selecting the letters you would like for your frame title. I left the chipboard letters as they came. I liked the raw chipboard color. You could certainly paint the letters or alter them in some way for your project. Align the letters on the frame to make sure your title will  fit the area.

Next, select the  Core’dinations tags you would like to use.

Sand them as desired, and lay them out on your project.

When you are satisfied with the arrangement, glue all your elements down on the frame.

I like to use good old-fashioned hot glue for projects like this, because I know it will stand up to my kids.

Now is the time that you can get creative, and customize your frame for your specific theme.

Decorate as desired. (Keep in mind that the top of the frame, above the photo hole will be covered up by your mini-album.)

For the next step, re-insert your photo easel backing into the frame.

Using a ruler, mark your backing 1″ in towards the middle of the photo hole from the left hand side of the frame, and 1″ towards the middle from the right hand side. Make both marks as close to the top of the frame as you can.

Now remove the backing, and using a heavy duty hole punch, make holes where you have marked through the backing.

Adhere a favorite photo to the backing, punch through the photo, and re-insert the photo/backing into the frame.

Organize the photos you would like to add to the album. Put them in the order you desire them to be.

Lay a photo over the top of the frame, lining it up where you would like the album to be. Using a pen, make a mark on the photo, going through the holes in the back. Use these marks as a guide, to punch the holes in all of your photos.

Attach the punched photos to the frame using craft rings.

When all photos are attached, cut sections of craft ribbon, and tie to the tops of the rings as embellishment.

If desired, you can personalize your album with journaling.

 I used pages of the travel SMASH book to add my thoughts and travel details. You can simply adhere the journaled pages to the back of the photos in the album.

Have fun personalizing your own album!

Mine has become a favorite conversation piece in my home.