A different take... (Two mini-albums!)

I have two fun projects to share with today using the Cricut Spring Cards cartridge, courtesy of ScrapbookPal.com!  I had a lot of fun making Valentine's cards and goodies with the cartridge, but I couldn't wait to use it for the great frame and envelope shapes!  I had two ideas for projects, so I decided I'd better just do them both.  :)

My first project was a mini-album made with envelopes.  I have a growing stack of little notes from my wonderful hubby and I've never been sure what to do with them.  An envelope album is the perfect solution!  I cut 6 envelopes, using my Gypsy to make them as large as possible on a 12x12 page.  Each envelope is about 5 1/2" wide and 7" long, which makes it perfect for small notes, cards, and 4x6 pictures.

I used my glue gun to put the envelopes together so they'd be nice and sturdy.  I used Basic Grey magnetic snaps to create closures for each envelope.  I added my favorite picture of the two of us to the front envelope along with some rolled roses and a label from the Home Decor cartridge.  For "love notes," I used my white GellyRoll pen -- I'm really impressed with how this is holding up over time!  I punched holes in the corners of the envelopes and used binder rings to bind them together.

The pleated border along the left-hand edge is my favorite touch.  I simply cut a 1" wide strip of paper, then punched a scalloped border.  I pleated it all higgledy-piggedly, then inked all the edges to make them stand out.  A strip of velvet ribbon was a perfect finishing touch.

This kind of thing is a great project for that collection of paper that you've been hanging on to for years because you're not willing to part with it.  I've had these papers in my stash forever but I loved it too much to turn it into cards to give away.  Random readers may think I'm crazy, but I know you papercrafters know exactly what I mean and could immediately point to the same thing in your own stash!

Materials:  Die Cuts -- Cricut Spring Cards and Home Decor cartridges; Patterned Paper -- Crate Paper "Prudence" collection; Large rhinestone brad -- Karen Foster Designs; Small rhinestones -- Imaginisce iRock; Velvet Ribbon -- We R Memory Keepers

 My second project is a gift for my Dad's birthday!  I thought the card background shapes on the Spring Cards cartridge would also work great as photo frames, so I made a cute little flip album of my dad and all his grandkids to take to the office.  I started with this simple standing frame from IKEA, then sized the shapes on my Gypsy to the maximum width for the frame.  In retrospect, I wish I had stretched them a little taller as well.

I cut a few pages worth of frames (enough for the pictures I had and some blank ones to add more pictures in the future) and inked all the edges.  I trimmed the pictures to fit and then just slipped them into the slots already cut into the shape.  I also cut out and decorated a frame for the cover of the album, using my white UniBall Signo pen for the detail on the heart and the letters in "little."  I punched holes in all the pages and used binder rings to attach them to the frame.  I used hemp twine and a few other bits and bobs to decorate the frame to match the album.

Materials:  Die Cuts -- Cricut Spring Cards, Lyrical Letters ("bapa's buddies"), and George (heart) cartridges; Frame -- IKEA; Binder rings --  7 Gypsies; Patterned paper -- Chatterbox; Acrylic letter and chipboard heart -- Heidi Swapp; Ric-rac -- Fancy Pants