Find Birds Minibook tutorial

Hi everyone! Today I have a little tutorial for a minibook to share. It’s also an example of how you can use many dies for other things than they were intended to. The minibook is for Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge to use a favorite stamp (this awesome new Tim Holtz woodgrain stamp) and for a National Scrapbooking Day challenge to do layering with a negative die cut shape.

I looked at the Caddy Bag Scoreboards die and thought that a part of it would work really well as the base for a minibook. It’s a nice shape and it has a hole where you can tie a ribbon to close the book.

I cut ten 8 by 8 cm pieces of manila cardstock and coloured all of them, back and front, with Distress Stains in three different combos (Pumice Stone and Antique Linen, Weathered Wood and Antique Linen, Scattered Straw and Antique linen). I also coloured enough paper for the covers (four pieces). After they were dry, I stamped all the papers with different background stamps using Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood and Scattered Straw. The outside covers were stamped with the woodgrain stamp. I left the papers for the inside covers unstamped for now. Ink all the edges with Frayed Burlap (I did that step after taking the photo).

Glue the woodgrain papers to two pieces matboard (I used multi-medium). Glue the inside to the one matboard only and attach the other inside paper temporarily to the matboard (I’ll explain why in a bit). Die-cut.

Using the base tray, die cut a mini heart from the cover – planning the placement carefully so that it works well with the photo you place behind it. Keep the heart for another project.

For the window I used a piece of mica. The birds were heat embossed on the mica to add another layer.

Sandwich the mica between the inside paper and the cover – that’s why we only adhered the inside paper temporarily to the cover earlier. I used multi-medium to attach both the mica and the paper.

Punch holes in the covers and in all the inside paper, I used my crop-a-dile. The cover was embellished with a negative strip and two metallic embellishments. I rubbed cream paint onto both first . The ribbon was dyed with Weathered Wood Distress Stain.

After rubbing paint on the bird, it was inked with Frayed Burlap and embossed with clear powder. Be careful, it gets hot.

The letters were cut from kraft core cardstock, sanded and then coated with Glossy Accents (I forgot to glue the dot on the ‘i’ in place before taking the photos).

I printed the journaling on strips, it’s about our visit to a bird garden. Quotes were stamped on the insides of both covers and then the covers were stamped with a background stamp.

The inside of the minibook was decorated quite simply, using branches and hearts die cut from kraft core paper and coated with Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Vintage Lace die cuts, and some hearts and birds die cut from mica. I am only posting some of the inside pages, otherwise this post becomes very long.

The last page and the inside back cover (love that sentiment).

Tie a lace ribbon to close the album and use rings to bind it.

Thank you for looking!!

Anna-Karin


Supplies: Stamper’s Anonymous Tim Holtz stamps: Ultimate Grunge, Words for Thought, Mini Ornates, Wallpaper and Wood, Life Adventure, Odds and Ends, Mixed Media, Attic Treasures, Psychedelic Grunge; Sizzix: Caddy Bag Scoreboards die, Alphabetical Sizzlits, Mini Hearts Movers & Shapers; Hearts Set Movers & Shapers, Mini Bird and Birdcage Movers & Shapers; Vintage Lace Sizzlits,  Mini Arrow, matboard; Distress Stain: Antique Linen, Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood, Scattered Straw; Distress Ink: Antique Linen, Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood, Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap; Distress Stickles Rock Candy; Ranger manila cardstock and Studio multi-medium; Versafine Onyx Black; Core’dinations Ranger kraft core cardstock; US ArtQuest mica; Hero Arts string; Ranger Seafoam White embossing powder; Tim Holtz metallic embellishments and negative strip; mini stapler.