Brown Bag Mini Journal/Album

Here is a quick look at my latest Brown Bag Mini Journal/Album.  I took five brown lunch bags and alternated bottoms and tops when I put them into a pile before I sewed down the middle to create the basic book.  I then created a cover from some super cute fairy scrapbook paper.   I sewed the cover to the lunch bag book by hand with some needle and thread.  I then went through the book taping down the gusset of the bags near the top openings (optional, but does help to "tighten" up the pages).   At this point your basic album/book is done, all of the fun stuff comes next.

Now that the basic book form and pages are together you simply do whatever the heck you want to it.  I like adding lots of blank white card stock pages cut to fit into the bag openings (perfect little built in pockets).  There are no rules as what you can do or how you can embellish your book.  You can add photos to create an album, you can collage, layer, add more pockets, mini notebooks, blank framed spots for photos, etc.  I seem more inclined to make journal books (that of course you can add your photos to) as I am quite terrible at getting my photos developed. 

I decided with this one that I was going for a cleaner look when the book is closed up.  My last journal/album was more free form with tags, yarns, ribbon, and stuff just sticking out the sides where ever but I found that even though the size was conducive to being portable, as in tucking it into my bag, all of the stuff would be caught or damaged easily.  Though they look super cute with all the dangling odds and ends.   


HERE IS AN EXTRA

 

This here is a toilet paper roll mini journal that I created for a friend.  I did cut out and place white cardstock pages into the rolls themselves for more pages to journal on but I didn't seem to take a picture of this.  That is so like me to forget the last picture.  This is a super easy, fun project where you can recycle those TP rolls.