Mini Album Tutorial In 30 Minutes

This mini album tutorial is so easy that you are guaranteed to be creating these scrapbooks every chance you get! I make a new album for every family vacation and memorable event because they are just so much fun.

I created this mini album tutorial on my YouTube channel to provide a visual step-by-step instruction on making the hardcover and inside binding. The instructions are super easy to follow and will take you 30 minutes or less. The hardest part, which is gathering the correct measurements for everything, is already completed for you.

Below, you can read about the exact materials used, and the written instructions designed for beginners in mind. Customize your album any way you’d like to make it personal to you. These albums also make excellent gift ideas for your friends and family. Materials to create this album were purchased from Scrapbook.com

Easy Mini Album Tutorial For Beginners

Scrapbook Supplies For Mini Albums

1. 12×12″ Paper pack with desired pattern – Get Golden Desert Here
2. Medium weight chipboard sheets
3. Mod Podge and/ or double sided adhesive
4. Paper trimmer and scissors
5. White cardstock paper
6. Ruler

All the necessary supplies can be purchased on scrapbook.com or at your local craft store. I linked the exact products I used to create this album above. It is essential to use durable paper and chipboard so the album will last. For this project, I opted for medium weight chipboard, as well as 65 lb. white cardstock. I find this to be the perfect paper weight for scrapbooking because it foldable while also being strong enough to hold various photos and embellishments.

8×8 Mini Album Tutorial Steps:

1. Cut 2 chipboard pieces 8 inches by 8 inches

The mini album measurements are eight by eight inches. I prefer this size because it is big enough to hold many pictures but small enough to fit in your hands. Of course, you can make your mini albums as big as you would like too, but keep in mind the other measurements must be adjusted as well.

Beforehand, it is a good idea to plan out which photos exactly you wish to scrapbook. This will give you a good idea on how large each page layout must be to fit everything necessary. Typically, an 8×8 inch album is enough to hold one 6×4 inch photo, two 4×4 inch photos, or multiple smaller sized photos.

2. Adhere patterned paper to your two 8×8 chipboard pieces

Using either mod podge or double sided tape, adhere your decorated paper onto the two chipboard pieces. These two chipboard pieces will be your front and back cover of the album. Keep in mind that if you are adhering a pattern paper with a design on it, the paper will need to be a straight as possible. Otherwise, the design may become crooked if not done intentionally. To avoid crooked patterns, it is recommended to use a ruler or a mat with measurements while adhering the two together.

Once the paper is attached, you will have paper hanging off the sides. The next step is to cut off the four corners of the paper. Cut each corner off at a diagonal leaving only 2 millimeters of space between the chipboard and paper. Then, with the paper that is left hanging off on all four sides you will want to fold it over the edges. Folding over the paper makes it much easier when taping it down. This will also help prevent air bubbles around the sides. When you get to the corners you can carefully fold over the few millimeters of paper we left. Thus, ensuring no chipboard pokes through the four corners. By now, the entire chipboard (front, corners, sides) are covered. Repeat this whole process a second time for the back cover.

If you encounter air bubbles, always have a smooth tool to assist in scraping the air bubbles out of the paper. Make sure that the paper is dry from any glue or else it may cause a tear.

3. Cut a 3 inch by 8 inch chipboard for the album spine

Just as we did in step 1, use your paper trimmer to cut another piece of chipboard in a three by eight inch rectangle. This will be used for the “spine” of your mini album scrapbook. Keep in mind, you may adjust the width of the spine in order to hold more pages. The wider the spine, the more page layouts your mini album will be able to hold.

4. Cut a 7×10 inch patterned paper for the spine

The spine of your photo album may be considered just as important as your front cover. This is what will be seen from your bookshelf. Choose your preferred paper and cut it at seven inches by ten inches. Again, adjust these measurements accordingly depending on how big you make your album.

5. Attach the front and back cover to the spine to form an album

Tape or glue your chipboard spine piece to the middle of your 7×10 inch paper. Try to adhere it exactly to the middle because the two cover pieces will go on either side and we want it to look as even as possible.

Before you adhere both your covers to the 7×10 inch paper, take the height of two cardboard pieces and place it directly up against the edge of the spine. You do not want the covers touching the spine directly or else you will not be able to open or close the album correctly. This is leave approximately a millimeter of space between the spine and the front cover so it can easily bend open.

Finally, you can adhere the front and back cover to that same spine piece. Once all three pieces are attached, there will be a little bit of patterned paper hanging over the top and bottom. Fold those over and adhere just as we did in step 2.

6. Cut 2 8×8 inch pieces of patterned paper for the inside covers

Next, you’ll want to decorate the inside covers. Pick another set of patterned paper you like and cut it down to eight by eight inches. After it is cut, tape it to the inside front and back covers. Once you do this your covers should look complete.

7. Make an accordion style insert that will hold the page layouts

Probably the hardest step in my opinion. This insert will attach all the layouts you create for your album. First, you will need to cute down a regular piece of cardstock to 8 inches by 11 inches. Then, following the measurements shown above, make score lines at each measurement. After you make the last score line, trim off any extra paper that wasn’t scored on.

Fold over the first score line. At the second score line fold in the opposite direction than the first. You should see your first “peak” or mountain which is where you’ll glue the layouts down. Continue making peaks and valleys with the score lines. It should go peak, valley, peak, valley, and so on until you reach the end. The valleys ensure there is enough space between each peak to turn the pages of the book.

Once all the peaks are complete, glue the inside of the mountain/ peak so both sides come together as one. The back side will be flat after doing this part. Let everything dry, and then glue/ tape the back side of the insert to the inside spine. Now, the hardest step is complete and you can glue your scrapbook layouts to the peaks to hold tightly in the mini album.

8. Decorate

Once the paper binding is inserted the mini album cover is practically complete! The only thing left to do is decorate and insert your photographs. The outside front cover can be decorated any way you would like. Have fun with it and add any cute frames, titles, and embellishments you have on hand.

This post is an easy mini album tutorial In Less Than 1 Hour

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