Inspiration from the Blogosphere!

I just wanted to share this tutorial with you that I found over at the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog.

Accordian fold Mini Album

By Emily Pitts

I had intended to do a basic tutorial on making an accordion fold mini album, but I thought I'd incorporate the idea of doing a monthly "Currently" into the project as well. I've made this album twelve pockets large, perfect for on "Currently" sheet and photo each month. At the end of 2012, I'll have a snapshot of me throughout the year.

First off, you'll want to score a 12x12 piece of cardstock into thirds (at 4 inches and 8 inches), then you'll cut that 12x12 in half, so you have two 6 inch pieces. Fold them accordion style and glue together by overlapping two of the flaps. A 12-pocket album will use six–6 inch strips glued together.

Once your accordion is glued together, cut twelve 3 " x 4" rectangles and punch a half hole on one of the 4 inch sides. Then glue a rectangle to the right side of each two page spread. To get all twelve, you'll also be using the back of the accordion to house your pockets and photos.

I then printed off the questions and cut them into 3" x 4" rectangles. I also cut up a sheet of calender bingo cards from the Year•o•logy collection from Simple Stories (all patterned papers and stickers are from this line). I slipped the questions and the calendar in the pocket. When I answer my questions, I'll circle the date on the calendar, clever, no?

The final step is adding the cover. I cut a 6" x 12" piece of paper, scored it at 4.5" and 8.5" then glued the back page of the album to that scored part. Then I scored at 3.5" and 9.5" so the cover would fold up and around the accordion.

Decorate as desired, you can add a ribbon to hold it all together if you'd like. And there you have it, an accordion mini album, waiting to be filled.