MINIBOOK HOW-TO {part 1}

This week I began working on 2 minibooks and thought it to be a good opportunity to talk about the how-to's of a minibook making. While the process is creative and there are no precise instructions feel free to use these steps to help you with your project.

 
1. IDEA
Having an idea helps with the material selection, the colour scheme, and with deciding on the dimensions of the minibook.
My first mini is about my Europe trip and the second one is a 100-day countdown to my birthday. 

2. DIMENSIONS and BINDING

Ring minibooks are fun and simple. You can keep adding pages or choose to reorganise them at any time. Ring binding doesn't require any preliminary work, simply punch the pages and slip the rings. Or you can choose to bind your minibook. Decide on the type of binding (coptic or long-stitch work great) and the number of signatures. Bind it now or wait to stitch the book once it's finished.
As for dimensions choose whatever is comfortable for you. Make sure that chosen dimensions work well with your images and content.
I will be using ring binding for my 100-day mini while European minibook will get a nice long-stitch binding.

 3. PAPER

This is the most exciting part. If you are new to minibooks and scrapbooking start with a paper pack. You won't need to worry about matching colours and designs since papers in those packs go well together. Most paper packs come with matching embellishments that could be handy when decorating your minibook.
Or you can mix and match papers yourself. Try keeping the same theme and colours so your finished album feels "whole".
I am very excited about the Europe mini. I decided to use a mix of scrapbooking papers and random papers for my stash.  I will be also adding lots of ephemera and papers collected during the trip.

For the 100-day minibook I will be using scrapbooking paper from different paper packs: "Carefree" and "Fresh" by Authentique and Ambrosia by Basic Grey for a nice mix of brown, blue, grey, red, and orange. 

I will be sharing more "in progress" pictures and would love to see your creations.  Leave a comment with a link!

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Looking for more minibook inspiration?  Here are scrapbook albums and minibooks I've shared in the past: