Doily Mini-Book Valentine {Scrapbook O' Love}

Here is the little Valentine mini book tutorial I told you about.  I decided to do a small, heart-shaped book of love notes for O-man with the theme of  "10 Things I Love About You". 

Because it's small and essentially uses scraps from your messy art desk, your neatly organized scrap box, it's a pretty quick & easy project to do. 

So here's what you need to get started:

(click on any of the photos for a larger view)

-paper scraps, cut into strips
-memorabilia
-tiny photos
-embellishments such as sequins, ribbons, buttons etc.
-scrapbook cardstock
-3 doilies (size of your choice, I used 4 inch)
-scissors
-pencil
-adhesive

Step One

The first thing you want to do is trim the ruffled edge off one of your doilies so that you can use the doily as a pattern for your book covers.

(I'm saving the part I cut off to use for something else.  Doesn't it look like heart-shaped ric rac?!)

Step Two

Next use your doily as a template to cut out a front and back cover for your book from cardstock. 

I used double-sided cardstock so both sides would be pretty.

Step Three

Now for the photos.  I'm doing a mini-book so I wanted to use mini photos. 

You could just resize your photos on the computer and print them, but I've been saving leftover photo Christmas cards for awhile (the one in the pic is from 2008!) because I knew I could do something fun with the photos, so that's what I used.

Step Four

For the pages I used various bits and pieces of leftover projects, cut down (if necessary) to strips  that would fit in between the heart-shaped covers wihthout sticking out too much.

You can see some of the things I used in the photo above (click to enlarge). I used a piece of a library catalog card to stamp the author (me) and the date for a title page.

(Gratuitous macro shot of pages.  Don't you just love sewn sequins?  I do.)

Step Five

For the "ten things" part I stamped each "thing" across the mini page.  You could also just hand write it or print it from the computer and add it to the page for a neater look.  I like the messy look myself. :)

Step Six

 

Next you'll want to stack the pages neatly inside the book, and add the cover.  Make sure your pages are lined up like you want them.

You can use a small binder clip to hold the stack in place while you sew.  (Put it on the opposite side that you will be sewing.)

I wanted the ribbon from the tag page to stick out of the side of the book so I pushed it in a little further in the stack.

Step Seven

Before you add the doilies you'll want to go ahead and stitch across covers.

(If you stitch after you add the doily it might tear and you might get really sad and almost throw your whole little book in the trash until you decide that you can just take the torn doily off and cover it up with a new one.)

I mean, that could happen.  So just sew the covers & pages first, k?

Step Eight

Now attach  your doilies with adhesive and your beautiful little mini scrapbook of love is finished!

I hope you have fun making one or lots of these!  Let me know if you do, I'd love to see!

Have a great day!

Grace & Peace~

♥ Melissa~

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"May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed."
-Psalm 20:4