Each month a member of the Design Team shares a tutorial and I would like to share with you my very first Flip Album. I was lucky enough to attend Creativation this year and saw quite a few Flip Albums and that really inspired me. There are many tutorials on YouTube for inspiration too. This is my own take on the Flip Album and I am really pleased with the way it turned out. I do hope you will enjoy my tutorial!
The finished album, it measures 6.1/4" x 4.1/2".
1) Cut two pieces of thick card or mountboard to 6.1/4" x 4.1/2" and one piece at 6.1/4" x 3/4"
2) Apply binding tape to three sides of the larger pieces (see tip at the end for stockist).
3) Join the centre strip, using tape again. Leave a gap between the pieces to allow the album to open and close easily. Run a ruler gently over the tape in the gaps.
4) Choose your design paper (DP) to cover the inside and outside of the album. I chose Prima (Engraver) that I have had in my stash forever!
5) To cover the front of the album, cut two pieces of DP to 6" x 4.1/4" and one piece to 6" x 1/2", ink the edges with distress ink and apply to the outside of the album with your tape/glue of choice.
6) For the inside of the album I cut DP, again to 6" x 4.1/4" and one piece to 6" x 1/2", again inking the edges before applying to the inside of the album.
7) To make the flip element, cut 5 pieces of black card to 4" x 4.1/2" and score each one on the long side at 1/2".
8) Cut 10 pieces of DP to 3.3/4" x 3.3/4" and ink the edges with distress ink
9) Cut 5 pieces of DP to 3.3/4" x 3/8" if you wish to cover the flap on the inside strip, this is not necessary - I just like how neat it looks (see below). You only need these on the underside of the flap as the top side will be glued to the album.
10) Add the topper pieces to each side of the five flaps. I rounded the edges of each of the mats and toppers, but this is just personal choice.
11) Starting at the top, line up the first flip with the top of the inside cover.
12) Using the first flip as a guide, continue adding the flip pieces, butting each flip to the one above, until you have all five flip pieces in place. You need to do this part carefully so that the flip elements are all lined up evenly.
13) To make the envelope pocket for the left hand side of the album, cut a piece of black card (or colour of your choice) to 5" x 5.3/4". Score on each long side at 1/4" and again at 1/2". Score on one short side at 1/2".
14) Trim the lower side of the pocket as shown above to reduce bulk when folded.
15) For the envelope closure cut a piece of black card to 4.1/4" x 4". Score at 1.1/4" and 1.1/2".
16) Cut a mat from DP to 3.7/8" x 5"
17) Cut a mat for the closure flap to 1" x 3.3/4".
18) Fold the pocket along the score lines to form the envelope and add the DP topper.
19) Fold the closure along the score lines and add the DP.
18) Glue the top flap in place first, lining up with the top edge of the album cover.
20) Fold the envelope part, score well and add this to the album, lining it up with the bottom of the album cover and also the closure top (to look like the picture below).
21) If desired, add an envelope closure to each part, you could just as easily use magnets here or any other closure of your choice. I simply cut two circles and added them to the closure and the pocket with my Crop-a-dile, later adding some string for the closure element.
A view of the assembled pocket.
22) For the cover, I chose to decorate it with a beautiful frame - Doodle Frame Rectangle by one of our lovely Sponsors - Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. I used three parts of the frame, the two large shapes and the thin oval piece.
23) I used four embossing Powders by Emerald Creek, three of them are from Seth Apter's new Baked Texture range (Rocky Road, Ancient Amber and Vintage Beeswax) and one from Kim Evans' Classic range - Midnight Black).
24) The larger frame was embossed with Midnight Black, the smaller topper frame was embossed with Rocky Road and the small oval was embossed with Ancient Amber. The contrasts between the smooth embossing powder and the chunkier one looks very effective.
25) The butterfly is a Tim Holtz stamp, I simply stamped it in Ranger Black Archival ink and embossed the whole butterfly with Seth's Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture. I just love the tone that the embossing powder gives to the butterfly, it looks so natural in real life.
My apologies for the length of my tutorial, I wanted to show and explain as many elements as possible.
Hints and Tips:
# Cut (and edge) all your elements before you start and then you can enjoy the assembly part.
# Be precise with your measuring and cutting, the flip elements will look neater that way.
# When you are assembling the album covers, run a ruler or bone folder gently down the joint pieces to ensure that they are flexible and there is plenty of room for covers to open and close - I was not very happy with my first effort so I re-did mine, it was worth the effort!
# The black tape I used was purchased from Clare Charvill, Ambassador for Graphic 45. In the UK you can purchase it HERE. Clare also shares a video on how to use the tape. I am sure there must be something similar sold elsewhere, it saves painting all of the borders of your album (the tape can be painted over too).
A final view of the inside of the album.
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit, I appreciate any comments you may wish to make. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.
We hope that you will join in our challenge this month, you can find all the details HERE. One lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Lindy's Stamp Gang. Come play along!
Anne xxx
