Poland Mini Album

It's time for the Challenge #3 over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge (I can't quite believe how quickly the month's are passing by, can you?) and we're incorporating little bits and bobs of everyday life into our layouts, mini-albums and mixed-media for Ephemera Encapsulated.

This month, I decided that I should work on (finally) making a mini-album about my trip to Poland in 2015 - it's only been a whole thirteen months since I went! And as a result of the challenge I've included a few little thing that might not have made their way into a mini-album otherwise.

To start, I cut bases of 3.5 x 4.5 inches, keeping all of the little off-cuts to use for layering. I didn't bother trimming any of those further, I simply layered them randomly onto the bases - then added some small photographs (2 x 3 inches) It was a really simple process, which would have been even easier had I not been working on my teeny, tiny little desk!

After layering all of the paper off-cuts and photographs, I added some machine stitching to increase the texture (and add a shabby-chic feel) and I think it lends a more 'unified' feel to the album as a whole.

Once I'd finished adding some stitching, I laid out all of the bases and chose some embellishments, stamped images or sentiments and little sparkles to add for a little extra interest and texture. Unlike my layouts, which I keep quite minimal, I love to have a lot of 'chunk' to my mini-books!

Isn't this cupcake stamp from Papermania really cute? It was the perfect accompaniment to a photograph of the amazing cakes we tried in Gdansk! Oh, how I long for some more of that apple pie and cinnamon ice cream! *swoon*

To add a little interest, I die-cut some of the bases (using a die-cut I borrowed at my local scrapbooking crop - thanks ladies!) and then mixed them in amongst the rest of the bases, along with some smaller ephemera like bus tickets and receipts.

To complete the Ephemera Encapsulated Challenge, I found some beautiful vellum (I had none in the original kit) and stitched a small envelope for a business card we collected from a local restaurant and sealed it in with some sequins. It looks amazing in real life - and the vellum looks so lovely.

I am, honestly, so thrilled to have this little album made - and it's really down to how amazingly beautiful my Parc Monceau Kit turned out to be! I never thought that harnessing some of my shabby-chic scrapbooking roots would make me so productive, but I've really enjoyed working with all of the soft, subtle colours; feminine florals and little embellishments! 

I can't wait to see how this prompt was interpreted by the rest of the team over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge (and by this month's amazing Guest Designer, Louise Brooks) so I'll be making myself a morning cuppa and then sitting down for a little reading!