Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Mini Album Tutorial by Nancy Wethington - Simple Spiral Binding

 

Hi mini-book makers!  Coming to you today from Nancy-land.  Thanks for joining me for a very  simple binding I've been using for years: spiral binding.  I've chosen to use a Zutter binding system but you can do the same thing with a We R Memory Makers Cinch.


I adore these chipboard books that Zutter makes. They have rounded spines that look exactly like antique books.


They also have a built in back pocket that makes it super easy to bind.  Also included is the hard plastic pocket insert.


Let's get started.
  1. Choose the cardstock you want to use for your pages as well as how many pages you want to use in your book. 
  2. Cut the cardstock to the appropriate size for your mini.
  3. Punch the pages and insert the spiral binding.
That's it!  Here are some photos of how I put mine together:


For the book size I was using, my cardstock was cut 7 3/4" tall X 7 3/8" wide.  Instead of placing the spirals in the center of the book, I chose to do two sets of spirals, each with 6 binding holes.


Notice the instructions on the side of the Zutter:


Holes are punched.  Do this with all of the book pages, including the plastic insert that comes with the Zutter book.


Take all of the pages and the plastic insert and feed them through the small loops.  
(For the purpose of photography, I'm doing one page at a time.)


Adjust the Zutter to match the size of the coils.


Place the coils in the Zutter, opening side down. Hold the pages up and push the handle down, squeezing the coils closed.


Here it is, all squeezed together.  


The plastic insert is attached.  


It can be inserted into the included pocket.  Decorate as desired.


You are invited to visit my website for a page-by-page look at how I decorated my mini.  We hope you get a chance to play along this month.  You could be a Mini Album Makers Challenge Winner and have a chance to win a full set of Baked Texture embossing powders from our super talented sponsor, Seth Apter!