Hello everyone this is Patti here and today I'm sharing my latest mini using The Butterfly Garden Book Kit from Meg's Garden. This is such a gorgeous collection of papers and butterflies that just screams spring. I used black 6" x 6" chipboard for my pages, something I rarely do. On one side I used Tim Holtz On the Edge die, Plaque, to create a decorate edge, poked a couple of holes and wove a combination of Meg's ribbon and some black eyelash trim and ribbon from my stash for the spine. The closure is a Tim Holtz doorknob latched with this gorgeous lavender ribbon from Meg's store.
On the front cover I went back and forth trying to decide if I wanted to add flowers and bling but in the end opted to leave the fairy take center stage by herself. I fussy cut her out and then carefully added a thin black line around all the cut edges. She's applied to the book with a Semi-Gloss Podge (I also have several layers of podge under her on the matted cover). The metal elements, under the doorknob and the tied ribbons, have been changed up a bit from their natural metal state to black by the addition of some Stampendous black embossing powder and Versamark. I love the look.
This book consists of 10 chipboard pages. I used a combination of techniques to create pockets and slip ins for photos.
Each pair of pages consists of either flip outs, like the page on the right above. It has a magnet hidden under the tassel, and the tassel by the way, is also from Meg's store. I snipped all the other tassels off this beige trim and left one remaining to act as the pull to open the page.
I had so much fun making these collage pockets. You simply start stacking bits and pieces from the collection to form an area large enough to become a pocket. To help the edges pop I used Tim Holtz Distress ink in Vintage Photo and Black Soot.
I also pulled out my dies to help make pockets or slip ins like the one on the left above. This die is from Marianne Designs called Vintage Decoration. This die cuts on all but the straight edge so I made sure I left up to an inch on this side to score, fold and tuck under the mat which in turns creates the black lacy top and bottom. The flowers are fussy cut on the right, that creates the stopper for the tags that can be slipped into the pocket from the left hand edge.
Here's another pocket (on the left above) using dies. This time I used Spellbinders Arched Elegance Pocket. I laced some of Meg's fine ribbon through it, added the purple butterfly and some fussy cut flowers across the bottom. On the right the pocket is also fussy cut flowers backed with black cardstock and fussy cut again (all black cardstock in this book is Core'dinations Black Cat 8.5" x 11").
Several times in this mini I cut the matted page to form a pocket, like you see on the right above. It's often times hard to cover up something as gorgeous as the butterfly here. That's easily fixed by slitting the paper with your X-acto knife (I like to add an additional piece of cardstock behind for support) and gluing. Make sure to leave the portion you want to act as a pocket free, with no glue. Another example of this is two photos up, you'll see the bird flying atop the curved edge. Beneath him has been cut and glued the same way to form the pocket for my little booklet.
Belly bands work wonderfully for holding mini books and tags as shown on the left above. Another magnetized page is on the right. The metal piece has been altered with Tim Holtz alcohol inks to change the silver to a golden blend. When lifted underneath reveals another page just ready for photos.
Isn't this paper just lovely? Here again, as on the front cover, I took the gold dragonfly and added black embossing so he'd match the rest of the book. Tucked inside is a tiny little book of six pages. These were just end scraps left over from matting the pages. To give them interest I corner rounded the outer edges. Inside I used Kaisercraft's Windsor stamp very lightly on the pages. I've used this same stamp in other spots throughout the mini where a blank page needed just a little pop here and there.
I have to tell you this pair of pages are my favorite. Again I collaged elements together to create pockets. It's amazing how the smallest bits can just give pockets like this the pop they need. The little tuck ins are a fold-over to make a two page book on the left and an accordion pull out that have four sections on the right.
Come join me on the video, we'll do a walk through of each page and I'll share any techniques I may have missed here. Also there will be many more photos of all the pages, the mini booklets, and the flip outs. You'll find the supply list below for supplies I used from Meg's Garden store.
Supplies from Meg's Garden
