Really Reasonable Ribbon February Blog Hop

Welcome to the Really Reasonable Ribbon February Blog Hop! You should be coming to my blog from the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog. (For the complete blog list, scroll to the bottom of the post.) After visiting me, hop over to the spectacular Ginny's Blog next!

At the end of the hop, comment on the RRR Blog post, answering the question listed, for a chance to win the February Ribbon Club Assortment shown below. (The Design Team appreciates your comments, too!)

This month the collection is called Purple and Green Mix. This is one of my favorite color combinations! It is the green of spring and the purple of my birthstone (Amethyst) together in one pretty package! 

Before we get to my project for today, I wanted to explain how I ended up where I did. Two things happened to create the perfect project storm for this month's project. 

The first thing that happened is, that while I was digging into some bins of old projects, trying to decide what to do with them, I found a few that I thought would make great NEW projects. By recreating some of these older projects with updated techniques and papers, I can have some new projects to share. In essence, I decided to copy off myself!

The second thing that happened is...well...Pinterest. I had been looking at some ribbon embroidery, for no reason whatsoever. I had also been looking at some weaving projects, because a friend was pinning some weaving projects and...well, you know how you can see stuff that your friends pin....and long story long, you get sucked in. 

The next day, Pinterest felt that I would - maybe, possibly, perhaps - enjoy seeing some pins about...you guessed it, ribbon weaving! A few of the projects that I saw were of hard-bound books with ribbon weaving on the front cover. I decided...hey let's try that! 

I ended up making a 6 1/4" x 4 1/4" little folio/mini book project with a woven ribbon cover! This book is a "remake" of a few little gift card folios that I made YEARS ago. I decided to update the book technique and try a fun new cover style!

As you can see from the cover, this is a St. Patrick's Day themed mini. I kept the cover simple so that the beautiful ribbon would be the star of the show...or shamrock of the show. 

The ribbon panel is an extra layer that I added to the front of the book. 

This book is fairly flat, with just six pages, suitable for 6" x 4" photos.  

This is a fun style that you can make with any theme you wish, using any ribbons you wish.

Let's get started! We will work on the outside covers last.  

For the base of your book, cut two cover pieces of heavy weight (1/16") chipboard to 6 1/4" x 4 1/4". Cut the spine piece to 6 1/4" x 1/2". 

Attach the chipboard pieces to the center of 8 1/2" x 11" black cardstock. Make sure to have a 1/8" gap between the spine piece and the cover pieces. Angle the corners of the cardstock and apply strong, double-sided adhesive to the tabs.

Wrap the cardstock around the chipboard, as shown. 

For the decorative papers, I used Authentique Shamrock and Graphic 45 Secret Garden, Children's  Hour, and Place in Time. All the collections are currently available.

Cut purple print paper to 6 1/8" x 2" and attach to the spine area. Carefully bend the book covers while gently scoring the spine gutters. Do not press too hard or the paper may tear.

Trim two pieces of the green shamrock paper to 6 1/8" x 4 1/8" and attach them to the inside front and back covers, as shown.  

To create the inside pages, cut one piece of black cardstock to 6" x 8". Score on the long side at 4". Fold on the score line and burnish. You will have a folded piece that is 6" x 4".

Cut four pieces of black cardstock to 6" x 6". Score on one edge at 4" from the edge. Fold on the score line, creating 6" x 4" pages, with 2" tabs. You can add gutters if you wish, by scoring again, but I decided to not add them, so I only scored once.

Using one of the 6" x 6" pieces, add adhesive to the 2" tab, with the fold facing to the right. Place your 6" x 8" folded piece of cardstock onto the desktop with the fold to the left. 

Attach the pieces together. Fold the 6" x 4" piece over, like a book. Add the next 6" x 6" piece to the top of the "booklet". Continue to add the 6" x 6" pieces until you have a folded booklet that is 6" tall by 4" wide, containing six (6) pages.

Attach the last page of your booklet to the back cover with strong, double-sided adhesive.

Fold and crease all score lines to make sure your pages open and close nicely.

You have a "free" spine, such that nothing is actually attached to the spine. It is just there to accommodate the thickness of your booklet.

Create a pocket for the inside front cover. Cut black cardstock to 6" x 4". Measure in from the top left corner 2" and make a mark. Measure 2" up from the bottom right corner and make a mark. Draw a diagonal line connecting the marks. Cut along the line.

Flip the pocket over and add 1/2" tabs to the three edges of the pocket. This will allow for slipping thicker items into the pocket.

Attach the pocket to the inside front cover.

Decorate the pocket and then add a few tags. I love how the Authentique and Graphic 45 papers coordinate! One of my favorite things to do as a paper craft artist is to put different collections from different manufacturers together!  

Decorate your pages as desired. Each page holds a 6" x 4" photo, but I decorated my pages with pretty paper.

I used some paper and a large tag to create a pocket on this page spread. Two ATC-sized tags tuck in nicely.

I love all the vintage images. Most of these images were originally printed onto postcards to be mailed to your friends and family for the various holidays. Both Authentique and Graphic 45 have tons of these sweet images in their various collections.

The green and purple are perfect together! 

Here I used Authentique Shamrock papers with Graphic 45 Children's Hour images. 

And the last two pages. The last page is also the inside of the back cover.

Now, let's work on that fantastic ribbon cover!

Your mini measures 6 1/4" x 4 1/4" and is wrapped in black cardstock. I wanted to keep a tiny black border, so for the cover attachment, cut 1/16" chipboard to 6 1/8" x 4 1/8". 

Wrap the chipboard in a coordinating color paper or cardstock. I used a green dot in the same shade of green as the ribbons in the February Ribbon Club Assortment. I did this just in case there are gaps in the ribbon, you will not see the naked chipboard through the gaps.

In addition to using all the ribbons in the February Assortment, I also added Grape Plaid Ribbon and a piece of White Lace.

I used a mix of satin, grosgrain, and polyester ribbon styles. The widths vary from 5/8" to 3/8". I did not bother to measure anything or plan it out. I had a bit of an issue at the end, but I fixed it, as you will see.

I started the weaving by attaching the top horizontal ribbon first. Then I added all the vertical ribbons, just attaching them at the top and bottom, wrapping each to the back. I wove the top horizontal ribbon as I went along, making sure that particular piece was securely attached as I went along.

I used double-sided adhesive, but you can use hot glue or some sort of fabric glue. 

Once all the vertical ribbons were attached, I continued to add the horizontal ribbons, weaving them in a standard basket weave pattern. 

I used only 3/8" ribbon widths for the vertical ribbons, however, once I was near the end, there was not enough space for two 3/8" pieces, but it was too wide for just one 3/8" ribbon! I ended up adding the grape plaid, but the 5/8" piece looks odd (on the right edge). All because I did not measure in advance! 

I varied the widths for the horizontal ribbons and it seemed to come out perfectly, by sheer luck! 

I solved the issued of the offending plaid by rotating the piece and placing white lace over that area. I like how it looks much better now!

Add foam tape to the back of the ribbon piece and attach it to the front of the mini album.

Trim paper for the spine and back cover and attach.

To decorate the cover, I cut the word "lucky" and a shamrock charm with the Silhouette out of black cardstock. I used a spray adhesive to attach them to the front cover. The spray adhesive seemed to adhere well to the ribbon.

Now, hop over to Ginny's Blog to see what she has for you! Ginny is the QUEEN of all things layered and ribbon-y, so I am sure she has a beauty for you to see!

Here is the RRR Blog Hop Order in case you get lost!

Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings (REMEMBER, LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE RRR BLOG FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!)
Gloria - YOU ARE HERE!

Ginny

Cheryl

Bonnie

Karen

Kathy

Cherry

Linsey

Shelia

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon February Ribbon Club Assortment, Grape Plaid Ribbon, White Lace

Cardstock: WorldWind CutMates Licorice, Smooth and Silky Midnight

Printed paper: Authentique Shamrock (full collection); Emerald Details Stickers; MicoBasics Light Lavender dots and checks; Spectrum Green Thumb One and Two, Graphic 45 Secret Garden Beautiful Blooms, Meadow Lane, Sunkissed; Children's Hour March Calendar (8x8), March Collecitve (12x12 and 8x8); Place in Time March Cut-Aparts

Chipboard: Grafix

Tags: Graphic 45 ATC - ivory

Enamel dots: Your Next Stamp Love Earth Gumdrops

Shamrock charm: Snapdragon Snippets Lucky Irish Charms (cut file)

Lucky word die cut: English font, cut with Silhouette machine

Tools: Creative Memories corner rounder, Martha Stewart score board, Stampin' Up 1/2" circle punch, Provo Craft deco scissors, Silhouette machine

Adhesive: ATG tape, Scor-tape, 3M foam tape, Arleene's Tacky Spray, Ranger Multi Medium, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares