How To Make A Mini Album Handmade For Summer Vacation
A mini album handmade scrapbook is the perfect keepsake for any big family vacation or life milestone.
Making your own mini album handmade is easier than you may think. After completing my first handmade scrapbook, I am sharing with you all the tips I have learned. Along with all the best resources and tutorials on how to construct a scrapbook from start to finish. Start with this Mini Album Tutorial to make sturdy album covers.
There is something so special about making your own pop up mini album. Not only do you get to fully customize it to your liking, you also get to pour all your creativity into a little keepsake book that you will have for a lifetime of memories.
What Is A Mini Album Handmade?
A handmade mini album is a photo book that you put together and is completely customizable. Unlike a regular photo album, a mini album can be personalized from the front covers to the inside page layouts.
You can choose the design, color, size, page count, and inside layouts to your liking. Many crafters love creating their own scrapbooks because it allows them to be creative and not be confined to a standard album.
1. Creating Personalized Mini Album Covers
Supplies:
The first thing you’ll want to decide when starting your mini album is what scrapbook paper will you use to create the cover?
Customizing the cover is one of my favorite parts and you’re able to achieve the exact look you are aiming for by picking out the exact type of pattern paper that matches your theme.
Florida makes me think of bright colors, beautiful blooms, and of course oranges! I picked this fantastic Summer fruit scrapbook paper for the outside cover.
Next, I wanted to add a personalized element that captured this special trip. I made this 3-D shaker frame with seashells that I picked up on the beach. I recommend that you add specific elements that are unique to you and will help tell your story.
To Make this yourself, first you have to pick a photo for the inside. Next, you will want to cut a frame out of thick cardstock. This one is approximately 3×4 inches. After cutting enough frames to get your desired thickness, stack and glue them on top of one another. My frame ended up being around one inch thick.
Finally, place your seashells or whatever tiny items you want in the shaker, and glue a sheet of clear acetate over the top. Decorate the front of the frame with scrapbook paper to finish the look!
2. Mini Polaroid Photo Album Ideas
When you’re trying to fit LOTS of photographs into a mini album you have to be creative. This mini polaroid photo album idea from Your Book Of Memories is one of my favorites. Taking my Instax mini polaroid’s and turning them into a waterfall. Each polaroid flips up to reveal another mini polaroid underneath it.
On the front inside cover I also included a pocket that is used to hold loose photos and other memorabilia. Both of these are great ways to add additional storage.
Here, I was able to include photographs that didn’t fit on my main page layouts. These photos consisted of some scenery around the island and many, many photographs of the ocean.
3. Scrapbook Ephemera and Postcards
Mini album handmade ephemera pieces are not only memorable keepsakes but can also add a personalized experience to your album.
Anytime I go on a trip I always bring back postcards. I love keeping postcards from all the places I visit because not only are the photos gorgeous, but there is plenty of room to write myself a letter on the back.
I created this half page layout in my vacation mini album that holds two 4×4 inch photos on each side. In addition, I turned it into a pocket page that holds my postcards and journaling pieces in the middle. Postcards are great because you are paying fifty cents for a professional photograph that you didn’t have to take, and holds a lot of information about the place you are visiting.
4. Sequin Shaker Mini Album Tutorial
One of my favorite mini album layouts! This DIY sequin shaker tag opens up to reveal a tri-fold page filled with pictures and journaling. It is held together by this paper band that slides on and off to open. Also, how adorable is this flamingo?!
When you open the tri-fold scrapbook layout it reveals and 5×7 inch photo as the focal point. On the left hand side I made another polaroid waterfall with some pictures from our time in Naples. Additionally, I made a pocket that fits all my journaling for that night. If you are ever in Naples, Florida dinner at the Turtle Club is a must!
5. Pop Up Mini Album Ideas
Check out this Waterfall Pop-up card Tutorial for waterfall pop up mini album layout.
If you are looking to make your album more fun and interactive, this mini album handmade waterfall is the perfect idea! I love adding pop up elements to my scrapbook layouts because they look a lot more difficult to create than they actually are.
As you pull the bottom strip of paper the photographs will flip up to reveal a new photograph, one after another. Hence, why it’s called a waterfall. I documented much of the beautiful land and animals of Marco Island. My favorite of course were the burrowing owls which are extremely prominent on the island.
6. Interactive Scrapbook Pages
When we traveled to the Everglades National Park there were so many unique animals and native plants. Another must see next time you travel down south! It was truly amazing getting to see alligators up close in their natural habitat. Plus, the experience was quite informative.
I wanted a way to convey the beautiful scenery using interactive scrapbook layouts. This page folds outs like a brochure and displays three different photographs from our adventure. It easily opens and closes, and I also added a mini magnet underneath that holds the layout in place.
{Recommended Post You May Like: “UNIQUE INSTAX MINI ALBUM IDEAS“}
More interactive scrapbook layouts! Some of my favorite parts of visiting Key West, Florida were trying all the local restaurants and seeing the roosters running around. For my handmade mini album I made this pull out element that makes the pictures spin like a revolving door.
When you pull it out you’ll see pictures from our tour of Fort Zachary Taylor, the southern most point, and cute roosters. Additionally, I added a souvenir sticker I bought at a gift shop that adds some extra personalization.
7. Bright & Colorful Mini Album Page Ideas
When in Key West try the key lime pie. It’s one of the many staples of the island so I had to try it. I added this fun page made with fruit patterned scrapbook paper that has a multitude of limes on it (and yes the stickers are actually lemons!). This picture of me was taken in the midst of my excitement on the way to get a pieces of the world famous pie. A picture of the actually key lime pie is on the next page – keep scrolling!
8. Fun Uses for Acetate Paper
A fun mini album handmade element I added in this mini album handmade were clear sheets of acetate. I glued a photo on each side and added some cute doodling in white marker. When you flip the page you can view the scrapbook paper from the previous page which gives it a cool layering effect.
Better yet, I found this premade acetate design paper in my paper pack that has gold palm leaves on it. All I had to do was insert it into my mini album and it presents an eye-catching addition. Acetate paper is a great way to add layers to your interactive scrapbook layouts and allows even more creativity!
9. Putting it All Together – My Cute Handmade Miniature Photo Album
The last hoorah of my family vacation to Florida. On our last day in Marco Island we took a dolphin boat tour and saw some amazing dolphins. Our captains were actual scientists who taught us a lot about the Marco Island dolphins, and even had names for each one. Definitely the best dolphin tour I’ve ever been on! Afterwards, we stopped on a small island and went seashell hunting. Thus, is where I found the shells for my mini album covers.
I kept the final page in my handmade mini album pretty simple. I documented two of my favorite photos from our dolphin tour adventure and added some pretty scrapbook paper.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ
What is the price of a mini album?
Costs can vary depending on the size, materials, and embellishments that you use to decorate your album. The good news is, you can use materials you already have on hand to save money. Read the average costs of creating mini scrapbooks on the low and high ends.
Are mini album handmade scrapbooks a good gift?
Mini albums are an excellent gift idea to give to your loved ones! It is the perfect way to encapsulate fond memories you share with people you love. Plus, people love to receive handmade items as presents.
Each handmade mini album can have a specific theme which also makes it the perfect gift idea. You can create a birthday album, wedding gift, or anniversary book filled with photos.
How long does one take to create by hand?
In my experience, mini albums take an average of 5-8 hours to complete. Making it the perfect project to do overtime, or during the weekend.
This post gives you an overview of my mini album handmade travel scrapbook
Please Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links where I may receive a small commission. You are supporting my passion project by clicking a link above and making a purchase (at no extra costs to you).
Additional resources:
- Your Book Of Memories – Has tons of tutorials for different albums. Including how to make many of the pop-up elements.
- Einat Kessler – 5 HACKS FOR AMAZING MINI ALBUMS YOU NEED TO KNOW
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