Anatomy of an Album: Baby (the beginnings)
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[ American Crafts 12x12 Corduroy album in Blush; K&Company Butterfly; Hambly Butterfly transparency ]
And so it begins. A collection of stuff: images, stories, and bits of this & that picked up along the way.
I want Anna's baby album to essentially be a home for a bunch of different things. Some pages will be artsy, some simple, and others will just act as a place to store stuff. Little things (like the hospital bracelets & hat below) will be kept safe and sound inside the pocket of a page protector.
My mission is to selectively keep stuff, tell stories, and create a home for the memories of her first year.
This is not an album with a master plan. There are no spots to fill in the blanks. It doesn't all match. Rather it is something that is evolving as she (and I) evolve.
I am using is a 12x12 3-ring album from American Crafts in Blush. Inside are four different sizes of page protectors from American Crafts: 12x12, 8.5x11, 6x12, and the divided 12x12 with 6 pockets for 4x6 photos. The pages are intermixed from one size to another which is one of my favorite things about 3-ring albums.
The current first page (shown above) is a divided page protector from Crop-In-Style that is designed as sticker & die cut storage. I am using these page protectors for little things because each pocket has an extra piece of transparency that essentially closes the pocket keeping the contents safe inside. This particular page protector has 5 pockets and holds a hat, the hospital bracelets, a clothing tag, the newspaper birth announcement, and the proof of the hospital photo. I envision that I will use more of these throughout the album.
[ Information and supplies on this layout can be found here. ]
One of the reasons I like to include 8.5x11 (besides that I like scrapbooking in that size) is that it fits standard sized papers - such as a document from the hospital and some information from the pediatrician that will be fun to look back on some day. The back of the layout above is a certificate from the hospital with Anna's footprints stamped onto the page.
[ Information and supplies on this layout can be found here. ]
[ Cosmo Cricket Animal Friends patterned paper]
The layout on the back of the music 6x12 page is one that documents what was happening around here at week 6. Journaling is from this post.
[ Hambly Onesie Transparency ]
As I mentioned in the beginning, I don't want this book to be just layouts. I want to include more bits of life such as this onesie. It's one of those tiny ones that only lasts a few weeks but is such a great reminder of what a miracle this whole thing is in our lives. Currently it is just sitting in there on top of the onsie transparency. I am not sure exactly how I am going to attach it to the transparency yet - I don't want any sort of adhesive that will yellow the onsie.
The next couple pages are divided 12x12 protectors with 6 pockets for 4x6 photos. I want to be able to quickly slip in some of our favorite photos that may or may not be scrapbooked in a crafty way.
It's a start. I am excited about getting some more stories documented - especially some layouts about meeting family, our time in the hospital, etc. I've done a few more 12x12 double-page spreads for Creating Keepsakes that will be coming out in issues later this year and will be placed in this album once they are photographed. There's no particular order to how I am telling these stories - usually it just depends on which one is inspiring me the most when I have the time to put something together.
I'm also planning to add in some 12x12 photo enlargements - maybe one like this:
I'm excited and inspired to get more of her stories told and to give them a home in this album.
I'll share some more interior shots again in a couple months as the album begins to grow.
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164 comments
Hum... just had a thought, maybe you could vaccum seal (like those meat/veggie sealers or the ones used for clothes/blankets.. assuming you could work with both)the onsie and then attach it to the transparency. That way nothing has to touch it and it's protected as well.
Just a thought..
Fabulous album!!
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the kerjink (sp?) or the tagger is a great way to attah. It is like the one in the clothing store.
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It melts my heart to see the dedication you have in preserving your little girl's memories.
Sorry, I can't help myself. You could cut out a body shape out of cardstock and slip it inside the onesie for support, cut slits in the transparency and attach the onesie to it with organza ribbon as if it were a gift.
Maybe even use one of the ribbons from the baby gifts.
Cheers, Irene :)
Australia
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I think she looks just like you....so sweet.
peace
kim
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Hi Ali,
This album is simply georgous. I have only recently started reading your posts, but it has inspired me to create and album for each of my daughters first 5 years as I have a stash of the beautiful AC window-albums.
I especially love the way you have embellished the front of the album and just had a quick question - how did you create the little box in the window with Anna's name on it - i would love to do this for each of my daughter's albums.
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Ali, i so love making these albums and later looking through them. I was very diligent with the album of the first child and less so with the second and third. I also included some envelope with shopping list and bills to see wht we bought and where and how much it did cost then (we,ve been living abroad so this was very interesting). An I added stamps and some lists of people who were "famous" back then.
Now talking about this I thik I have to get my hands on the ones for the second and third child.....
Have fun doing more of all the great things you are doing!
Yvonne/moline
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Ali, i so love making these albums and later looking through them. I was very diligent with the album of the first child and less so with the second and third. I also included some envelope with shopping list and bills to see wht we bought and where and how much it did cost then (we,ve been living abroad so this was very interesting). An I added stamps and some lists of people who were "famous" back then.
Now talking about this I thik I have to get my hands on the ones for the second and third child.....
Have fun doing more of all the great things you are doing!
Yvonne/moline
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Would love to know the same, there are some that hold both horizontal and vertical in same sleeve, but I would love some that are all vertical. Love my horizontal ones! Just find I take lots of portrait shots.
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What a great albuM!
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Stitching is a cool idea--I also had a thought that a fast solution might be a tag gun with the little bitty tags--they come in a nice soft pink. Love my tag gun for bulky items. You could even put grommets behind the page to be sure they didn't pull through.
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Oh, and I love the smile!!! I think that's the first we've seen--yay!!!!
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Ali, I read you were wondering how to attach onsie to transparency, I have a suggestion for you...
Try attaching "String Clasps" such as Chateau String Clasp Code: 564084; from La Boutique line from K&Company to the transparency, then sew small loop to shoulder tops of onsie and "loop" string around clasp. It will stay secure (without sliding down) & will not yellow. Also, small 1 or 2 stitch will not damage onsie & can be easily snipped if you ever wanted to remove onsie or use it...perhaps for Anna's first baby?
BTW-congratulations on your baby girl!
Aly
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Scrapworks used to offer some, but they have apparently quit producing them. I haven't found any others, but would sure like to. What combination pages do you use? I saw some in a magazine that are made by American Crafts that have 2 horizontal and 2 vertical, with a small square in the middle, but haven't been able to find a supplier. Would you happen to have seen these??? Would love some input from anyone who has some sources we may not be aware of, including the no-longer-available Scrapworks pages... :)
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Oops... this was supposed to be in reply to Shannon Davey's reply to an earlier comment I made. I must have hit a wrong button somewhere. I had commented I was looking for photo sleeves that hold 6 4x6 vertical shots. Her comment was...
"Would love to know the same, there are some that hold both horizontal and vertical in same sleeve, but I would love some that are all vertical. Love my horizontal ones! Just find I take lots of portrait shots."
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Love the onesie transparency and the patterned paper on the layout ...
Maybe you could use staples to get the onsie to loosely attach and then slide both in to a page protector. The page protector will protect the onesie as well as help hold it in place.
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I'm glad you shared this. I like that you're including much more than your scrapbooked pages here.
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omg...baby Anna resembles her Aunt Jessica in this photo!!
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Hi Ali,
Anna is precious and you've done such a beautiful job of documenting her life already! One idea that may work to attach the onesie is to sew it directly onto the transparency with a few stitches here and there. That way, it won't yellow but it will be firmly attached. Just a thought...
Have a great day!
=) Diane
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Hi Ali!
I'm a huge fan of your job! I'm in love with this album, it's really, really precious!
Thanks for sharing this jewel with us!!
xoxo
Carina!
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Once again, I am so inspired by your post. I have yet to put together my now-1-year-old's keepsake items from her birth and hospital stay but my idea is to sew a page pocket from 2 Hambly/My Mind's Eye transparencies by stitching the left, right, and bottom sides together with zig-zag stitching. Then I can drop the hat/bracelet/onesie/tags in the pocket and take them out as and when I want to touch them. On the top, I had some ideas on closing it by using the Fiskar border punches and threading ribbon through it. But I am waiting to see if what I place in the transparency pockets will be too bulky to even do that.
I also do this to "compartmentalize" my clear stamps - sew stitching on clear pocket folders and just slide them in with a stiff cardboard in the back. Thank you for inspiring me to experiment stitching on all sorts of materials!
http://gracehester.typepad.com/theproductivemom
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