I crafted a kind of summer mini album using these products. It's a box containing blank cards and two folders inside. I'm taking it with me on a little summer trip we're going in a week or so. I've been making this kind of box for quite a while now because it's such an easy and fun format. The idea is to collect some postcards from the trip to provide the photos, and then add journaling to create a travel diary.
What I especially enjoyed about this process was using inks like watercolors - particularly how I used them to edge the journaling cards. I'll show you more in the step-by-step process!
Here above are the products I chose for my mini album box. Well, be sure to add some paper to those pictured here, too! As I mentioned earlier, I used two of the new Alison Bomber stamp sets: EAB48 and EAB50. In addition, I also included one of the new stencils in the make: PS473.
In addition to those PaperArtsy products, I used two kinds of stamping inks - a permanent black ink, and a selection of water-reactive inks in brown, yellow, and blue. While red is the typical color that comes to mind when thinking poppies, they actually come in a variety of colors. I picked my color palette based on the old coat of arms of our summer destination!
But let's dive into the process, starting with the step I found especially satisfying!
I began the project by cutting eight postcard sized pieces out of cream colored cardstock. By "postcard", I mean the Finnish standard size, 10,5cm by 15 cm, or A6. I also laid out two A4s on my craft table, along with two brown water-reactive inks and the new Alison Bomber EAB50 stamp set.
I covered the two A4 sheets from edge to edge with stamped ad blocks to create full patterned backgrounds. For the postcards, however, I only stamped along edges, leaving the centers black to serve as an easy surface to write on. I applied the two brown inks randomly, ensuring each card had a mix of both shades for a varied, vintage look.
Next, I grabbed a mop-styled watercolor brush and gently added water over the stamped design. Since I had used water-reactive inks, the images began to bleed, tinting the edges in lovely brown tones. The stamped designs remained visible, but now with a beautiful vintage, timeworn feel. I absolutely loved the result, it turned out even better than I expected!
Using the same large brush, I painted over the two A4 sheets with water as well. The brown tones appeared a bit stronger on these, for two reasons: first, there was simply more ink on the pages due to the full-coverage stamping; and second, with each pass of the brush, more ink accumulated, gradually turning my water into a tea-colored wash. While the water had stayed clear enough during the smaller cards, it took on more color while working the larger sheets. So, if you plan to recreate this technique and prefer a softer, more delicate hue, I’d recommend changing your painting water more frequently.
After letting the sheets dry, it was time for some cutting and folding. I had cut the cards earlier, since I only wanted to treat their edges, but the two A4 sheets needed to be cut to size. I also cut the box base from a kraft-colored 12"x12" cardstock sheet.
Below are the measurements from the box and the folders, in case you'd like to recreate this project. Of course, feel free to adjust them to suit your card size - or even switch the cards out for tags, if that's more your style!
I used a paper cutter to both cut and score the pieces. Although... now that I look at the image below, I realize I probably should have marked the score lines differently. Right now they look just like the cut lines! Most of the lines inside the shapes are score lines.
Once I had my folders and box cut and folded (but not yet assembled!), it was time to turn my attention to the embellishments. For these, I used the beautiful poppies from the new Alison Bomber stamp set EAB48. I stamped the blooms multiple times onto a sheet of cream cardstock using a permanent ink. Since I needed at least eight flowers to decorate the journaling cards, plus a few more for the box itself, I decided to fill the entire sheet, just to be safe. That turned out to be a good call, as I did have a mishap when the stamp slipped and landed right on top of already-stamped blooms!
The coloring actually took me less time than deciding which medium to use! My first thought was to go with colored pencils, but since I had already used the inks in a watercolor-like way, I felt the textures might not blend well. I then considered layering watercolor beneath the pencil work, but as you can see, I ended up going a different route. Instead, I reached for more water-reactive inks and used them like watercolors to bring the poppies to life.
Honestly, I originally planned to add some pencil details on top, but once I finished coloring, the blooms looked so lovely that I decided they didn’t need anything extra. And even though you might spot hints of green in the flowers, I only used the three colors shown in the photo below - blue, yellow, and brown.
After finishing coloring the flowers, I let the blooms dry for a while before carefully cutting them out from the sheet.
With all my elements now ready: cut, colored, and prepped, it was finally time to bring everything together and assemble the project!
I have to admit, the next step was probably the most tedious, even though it makes such a big impact on the elements. I'm referring to inking the edges!
I used a corner punch to round the bottom corners of the journaling cards and gave the same treatment to the flaps of the folders. Then I inked all the edges: of the cards, the flowers, the folders, and even a torn strip from the A4 sheets I had set aside for decorating the box.
While edge inking can sometimes feel meditative, this time I was itching to get to the fun part of decorating with the flowers! Still, I absolutely recommend doing this step, as it beautifully defines the edges and gives everything that polished, finished look.
With all the edges inked, I could finally move on to adding the finishing touches to the folders before assembling them. I used the new Alison Bomber stencil PS473 to add a few leafy patterns to the folder fronts, applying the same brown ink I'd used earlier for the edges and background stamping.
To create a simple closure for the folder, I sewed two buttons onto each folder and wrapped a piece of twine between them. It’s an easy mechanism, but it adds both functionality and a little detail to the folder.
Finally, it was time to add the flowers! I had considered adding a stenciled detail to the journaling cards as well, but hesitated. I worried it might take up too much of the writing space, so I decided to leave them clean. However, I did add several leafy accents to the top of the box using the PS473 stencil again.
To attach the flowers to the journaling cards, I used a mix of two tapes, and a stapler. I thought carefully about the composition and how it would look when the cards are placed inside the box. That’s why the placement and height of the flowers vary: on the front cards, the blooms are set lower, while on the cards toward the back, they rise up more prominently from the edge. I'm crossing my fingers the flowers stay put during our trip! If you'd like to create the same graduated design but worry about durability, try backing the flowers with a piece of clear plastic. That way the weight is distributed on a larger area, and avoids putting pressure on just the narrow stem.
As for the box, I used the same attachment method, but instead of just settling for tape and a staple, I glued the flowers in place and tucked a piece of vintage lace underneath to add a bit of soft texture and vintage charm.
Once I had the box constructed and the cards neatly tucked inside, I took a step back for a final look. Something still felt missing! So, I grabbed a leftover piece of the folder material, added letter stickers, and inked the edges to match the rest of the design. I wanted the year to echo the black accents from the decorative tape used on both the cards and the box, so I created a label with my embossing label maker. Oh, and I couldn’t resist adding a button for that final touch to match with the folders inside!
After adhering that final button in place, my little memory-keeping box for our upcoming summer trip was officially complete! I can’t wait to put it to use!
Here it is, my finished album box! Or… postcard box? Journaling cards in a box? Whatever you want to call it, I can't wait to take it with me when we head out to Mikkeli in a couple of weeks!
As I mentioned at the beginning, I’ve been using this kind of box setup for a while now to document summer trips. It all started back when I was scrapbooking more actively and ordered my photos from a photo service. By the time I got home, sorted through everything, picked my favorite snaps, placed the order, and finally received the prints… well, weeks, or even months, could pass. By then, some of the details had already started to slip from my memory.
To avoid that, I began writing the stories down while still on the trip. But then I felt a bit silly re-writing those journaled bits once the photos finally arrived. That’s when the idea of this box came to me: a place to collect the journaling, little pieces of ephemera, and later, tuck in the photos when they were printed. It makes everything come together in one lovely, cohesive keepsake.
I'm extremely happy how the flowers turned out and how they are attached to the cards. I love the splodgy look of the watercolors, and the contrast between the soft, delicate blooms and the bold black tape and sturdy staples. That unexpected mix emphasizes the contrasting features.
At first, I was worried whether the cards would stay securely inside the box, especially since I usually I have a flap or a lid in the box to keep things in place. But this time, I wanted the flowers to "grow" freely from the box, so a lid wasn't an option. To solve that, I added some bulk inside to make sure the box was full enough to hold everything snugly. The two folders do just that, provide the bulk, but they also provide a perfect place to tuck in smaller ephemera like tickets or receipts I want to save from the trip.
I hope this project inspires you to try something similar! I would love to hear how you store your summer memories. And if you've shared a project on Instagram, please tag me to help me find you!
Thank you for stopping by today!
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