Something Old, Something New Mini-Album (Practical Scrappers)

Today at PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS, we are doing a feature on mini-albums (happy, happy, joy, joy)! For those of you who maybe don't know, mini-albums are one of my very mostest favoritest things to make e.v.e.r. And I will make a mini-album out of just about anything. So, it's no surprise that when I was cleaning out my craft closet, FULLY intending to purge and donate some items that I was never going to use, I held in my grubby lil paws old journaling cards made by Little Yellow Bicycle. I am almost postive I got them back in 2009 when I first started scrapping because - try not to laugh too hard - I had convinced myself that my husband, who enjoyed doing many of the same things that I did - was going to take up scrapbooking with me. In my little fantasy, he was going to love scrapbooking as much as I did and we were going to spend hours and hours scrapbooking together. Well, his name is NOT Tim Holtz. And, needless to say, he didn't and we didn't. And the journaling cards, which looked nice and manly to me, never got used. Until, that is, I was getting ready to put them in the give-away pile. Then, suddenly, the proverbial light bulb went off over my head. Thankfully, the idea I had was better than the one about the hubster wanting to do arts and crafts with me! Suddenly, the journaling cards became the base to a perfect-sized mini-album, and with a little cutting and re-arranging things, I managed to get a few embellishments off it. I paired my old journaling cards with papers from MY MIND'S EYE's Sweetest Thing Collection and lots and lots of random,different embellishments - everything from strips found at the bottom of my papers to pretty paper ephemera by PINK PAISLEE. And with that being said, it's time for me to stop talking. They say a picture says a thousand words, so I am going to let mine speak for themselves.

Check out the little pocket and tag I made! Sweet, huh?

Another little pocket and tag on the left and a smaller journaling "insert" on the right.

Another journaling page. This one is not covered with different papers at all - it's the original card that I just dressed-up a little.

Last page:

That's it for me today, but please check out PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS for more mini-album inspiration!

A Lori Whitlock Wheel Card and Favor Box

I love celebrating birthdays with family and friends!  And, to me, nothing says "I am thinking of you" more perfectly than a handmade card or gift - especially ones made using LORI WHITLOCK'S files.

I don't know about you, but when I was little I used to love cards and pop-up books with little wheels on them that you could turn.  So, when I saw that Lori was designing wheel cards, I knew I wanted to make one; and what better time than a friend's birthday?!  Paired with this sweet little favor box, I had the perfect way to tell my friend I was thinking of her on her special day.

I want to start by showing you this favor box because it's one of the newest items in Lori's SHOP. 

At 2x2 inches, this SCALLOPED BOX is the perfect way to dress up party favors or a wonderfully cute way to wrap a pair of earrings, which I have done!  It took literally less than a minute to assemble, and it's so cute!  I used Echo Park's Hello Summer papers (designed by Lori, of course).  I dressed up my scalloped edge with a little bling and added a butterfly in place of a bow (that I cut out twice and layered) from Lori's RELAX SUMMER IS HERE files.

My card was also super easy to make!

To make this card, I used a combination of papers from Echo Park's Hello Summer and Dots and Stripes collections.  Those super cute flip flops that I LOVE and have been using a lot on my cards and mini-albums lately are from Lori's DON'T BOTHER ME files.  I just added a little bling to the flip flop straps - much like the staps of my flip flops in real life! Aren't they cute?

And that fun wheel on my card?  This is what it says:

That's it for me today.  What about you?  Have you been crafting more or less now that summer's here?  Is there any project you are really excited about working on?