Love Notes Altered Box and Mini Album - Graphic 45

If you are looking for the Authentique Father's Day post, click HERE.

Hello, Graphic 45 Fans! I am excited to share my first project as part of the 2019-2020 Graphic 45 Brand Ambassador Team! I was given the challenge to create a “selfie” - a self-portrait project that reflects my style, uses my favorite paper medium, and shows off my current go-to technique. I did not have to think very hard to come up with a project!

To add your own project to the monthly challenge, click HERE to find out how! To see the the full intro post, please visit the Graphic 45 Blog!

My favorite style is to layer lots of prints together, and to mix and match paper collections! Graphic 45 Collections always mix well together, making it easy to pull out a stash of papers and create something wonderful.

My favorite medium is making mini albums, and of course my favorite go-to technique is to make mini albums from scratch! I love to create mini albums and boxes in which to store them more than any other type of paper crafting! Yes, even more than making cards!

This box and album project is me...in paper and chipboard! I always love a black, red, cream, and ivory color palette. I am more drawn to the dark, rich colors than to pastels. I love clean lines, lots of layering, and as many pockets, flaps, and tuck spots as I can fit in one small space.

I used the Love Notes Collection, plus some bits of the Mon Amour, Curtain Call, Cityscapes, and Nature Sketchbook Collections to create this lovely altered book box and matching mini album. This project makes my heart sing!

This beautiful altered box can be use to store the matching album, or it can be used to store jewelry, love notes, phone chargers, or whatever you wish!

The top of the box contains some lovely paper flowers, Graphic 45 Matte Pearl Gems, and bits of ephemera. The Graphic 45 stickers, tags and pockets, and ephemera cards make wonderful decorations for the project. By layering everything, even a few items can make a big impact!

Tip: Attach stickers to cardstock or chipboard to add more dimension.

There is even a tiny love letter charm tucked under the red rose bud!

The matching album is 4 ¼” tall, 6 ¼” wide, and has a 2” spine. This sweet mini is perfect for recording a special anniversary, engagement party, or other romantic and music-themed events. The album holds 4x6 photos perfectly, and contains nine (9) pages of pockets, flip outs, and tuck spots.

Tip: When using a tape runner to attach my paper to the album pages or covers, I also add a dot of glue to each paper corner, and around any loose edges. This way, excessive handling of the book won’t cause the paper to lift.

Each page is ready for photos, journaling, or ephemera cards.

Tip: To add extra dimension to fussy cut elements, place them face down on a foam mat and gently burnish the reverse side with a ball stylus. This will raise or “puff” the areas of the image that you rubbed with the stylus. Place foam adhesive or scrap chipboard under the raised areas, then attach the images to your project.

The box is a Graphic 45 Regular Book Box, which comes with three Regular tags and a binding ring. (I used the tags as part of my album, but I stashed the binding ring for later use.) I used a tutorial by G45 Special Projects Designer Annette Green (found HERE) to add a base to my box. The base makes it a bit easier to attach the Graphic 45 Antique Brass Claw Feet to this style of box. Adding a base or platform to your box projects gives them an extra bit of flair!

To see all of the pages of the album, plus close-ups of the box, view the following walk-through video.

I created the mini album from scratch using chipboard and cardstock. To see how to create your own album, view the tutorial video below.

I hope you enjoyed my very first project for the 2019-2020 year! I sure had fun making it!

Graphic 45 Supply List:

Love Notes 12x12 Collection Pack (with stickers)

Love Notes 12x12 Patterns and Solids Pad

Love Notes Chipboard

Love Notes Tags and Pockets

Mon Amour True Love 12x12 Sheet

Mon Amour Precious One 12x12 Sheet

Mon Amour My Beloved 12x12 Sheet

Mon Amour One and Only 12x12 Sheet

Mon Amour Dearest Darling 12x12 Sheet

Mon Amour 6x6 Patterns and Solid Pad

Mon Amour Chipboard 1

Mon Amour Tags and Pockets

Nature Sketchbook 12x12 Patterns and Solids Pad (green print)

Cityscapes Grand Tour 12x12 Sheet

Cityscapes 6x6 Patterns and Solids Pad

Curtain Call Let’s Dance 12x12 Sheet

Curtain Call Leading Ladies 12x12 Sheet

Regular Book Box (black)

Regular Tags (black)

Artist Trading Tags (black)

Matte Pearl Gems

Antique Brass Ornate Metal Keys

Antique Brass Claw Feet

Large Tag, ATC Tag, and Flower Dies

Regular Tag and Gears Dies

Square Tag and Clock Dies

Other Supplies:
Cardstock: WorldWin Papers Black Smooth
Chipboard: Black heavy weight
Velcro: sewing supply
Charms: stash
Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts
Twine: gold
Ink: brown dye ink
Tools: postage edge scissors, corner rounder, 1" circle punch, bone folder, score board, brayer, craft knife, trimmer, sharp scissors, sanding block
Adhesive: white glue, ATG tape, hot glue, Scor-tape, foam squares