Z as in Zebra

For Christmas, my friend Sarah wanted some custom-designed photo albums for the women in her family. I was exciting to take this project on, as I’d never re-covered existing photo albums before. Below are the final results.

To start, I found several inexpensive albums that held at least two hundred 4×6 photos. Needless to say, I snatched them up!

After disassembling them and peeling off their original covers, I covered each album based on Sarah’s preferences. She had come to my studio the week prior, and can I just say that it made this project go SO smoothly. She knew exactly which materials I would be using for the covers and had a lot of input regarding the final product. I love knowing my clients will be totally satisfied!

For the Clarks, I covered their album in my Red Velvet paper and used black facing pages.

Half-inch white satin ribbon closure ties were added.

Metal letters were affixed to the front cover using ruby gemstone brads.

I kept the original spine from the album (complete with bow), as it gave the album an elegant touch.

For Kerr family #1, I was told to stick to very natural textures and colors. I used a natural brown distressed paper for the cover.

I used white marquee letters to spell out “Kerr” on the front cover.

Half-inch brown satin ribbons served as tie closures.

This geometric leaf pattern was used as the inside paste pages.

This book style was different from Album 1, in that the paste pages were attached directly to the first page of photos.

With clear sleeves and space to write in memories or captions, I was thrilled with how this album turned out.

Next, was Kristen’s book. Sarah’s sister Kristen loves childlike, playful patterns, so this brightly colored polka dot paper was perfect for her!

Inside paste papers were a shockingly neon green!

I removed the bow from the original spine…

and instead added a “K” brad.

On the cover, I used neon green marquee letters to spell out Kristen’s name.

Sarah brought me a swatch of fabric to use for her mom’s book. It was this amazing textured paisley. Since the fabric was a bit stretchy, I wasn’t sure how well it would work as a cover. I’m happy to report that it turned out great!

I added 5/8″ black satin ribbons as tie closures

and used black Canson paper for the paste pages.

Black letter brads spelled out the family name.

Book #5 was for Sarah’s sister-in-law. Sarah chose an olive green fabric with chocolate brown polka dots for the cover.

To balance the black photo pages, I used black paper for the inside pastes.

Half-inch brown satin ribbons functioned as tie closures.

A label holder held in place by peridot gemstone brads showcased the family name.

I kept the original spine, complete with bow, as it gave a nice flourish to an otherwise simple design.

Book #6 was for Sarah’s other Sher sister. Sarah chose this purple and turquoise flocked paper from my supply inventory. ((Digging through piles of supplies with a client is the most fun part about a studio visit!!))

To balance the black photo pages, I used black Canson paper as the paste pages.

I removed the bow from the original spine and replaced it with a black satin ribbon with amethyst brads and slide-on letters.

Silver letters beautifully spell out the family name.

Sarah, thank you for asking me to make these albums for your family! I hope they enjoy filling them with photos for years to come!

Remember this post from last week? That book was a simple mock-up that I made to practice the buttonhole stitch. The following project was my second attempt at buttonhole binding and box-making.

I created a box from Davy board and covered it in some very swanky flocked (fuzzy) paper I found at the SCAD bookstore, Ex Libris. This box would be my buttonhole book’s home.

To make it easier to remove the box lid, I created a knob-like embellishment by wrapping a metal ring in magenta hemp.

Inside the box, I used the same hemp and another metal ring to create a pull-string that would make it easier to remove the book from the box.

Size-wise, I got much more ambitious with this second book. I alternated paper in mint green and two shades of pink and ended up with a book block that was nearly 2″ thick!

I experimented with embroidery floss for the stitching, using both green and blue thread.

Stitching detail shot:

In all, this was a fun project and I enjoyed experimenting with new materials. Next time I do the buttonhole stitch, I want to make a book that’s slightly larger (perhaps 6″x6″) to use as an address book.

What kinds of books and/or journals do you use in your daily life?