Paper Bag Albums: To Infinity and Beyond

So it turns out that Paper Bag albums are having a bit of a moment. I'm not quite as behind as I thought. Which is very handy because I decided to make another one. Several of you asked for some instructions, so I too a few photos along the way.

1. Of course bags are right at the top of the list of things you need. Mine are gussetted lunch sacks bought in the U.S. The gusset gives you the little extra smaller pages, but if you can only get plain "shop" bags, don't let that stop you. Try Homebase in the UK or keep reading

2. Decide how many pages you want. I used three bags . The gussets do make them bulky, so don't get too ambitious. You can always make Volume Two!. Fold each gusset up towards the top of the bag, then take two bags and glue their gussets back to back. repeat until you have a stack of pages. My pages measure 6 1/4 x 6 inches, but I trimmed them slightly so that I could use 6x6 patterned papers, for economy. You can cover four sides with one 12x12 sheet - and if you use double sided paper you'll get to use two different patterns with that.

3. This is a great excuse to use up a paper collection you love! Yes, you could spend a happy couple of hours working through your stash and choosing coordinating items, but this album will go together really quickly if you use one line or a kit already matched. A few sheets pf paper and a sheet of label stickers is enough. The secret to making it look good is to be prepared to use the whole sheet.

4. Trim your sheets to fit and adhere. Choose an especially nice square for the front. If you'd like to punch along the edge, punch the bag first, then the paper. It's too thick to do it all at once. You'll see at this point that the paper bags are open. I like them like that because I love to stuff extra bits inside, but glue them together of you'd rather. It's easier to do now than after you have embellished.

5.Then, decorate away! Layer up your embellishments, but remember you need room to bind it at the side so keep it clear. I work in stages - all the blank pages, then all the stickers, then all the stamps instead of on each page individually.

6. I chose book rings to bind and I made a quick template with a hole punch to help me place my crop-a-dile holes

And that's it! There are other way to do this (and there are lots of Youtube videos if you are interested), but don't forget you can make a joliprint pdf of this one if you want to keep hold of it.  Now, here's my plan. I know bags are hard to get hold of, and I have quite a lot going spare. So I'm happy to give some away. Leave me a comment saying you are interested and I'll send you enough for an album. BUT you must make it! I want to see it when it's finished! Mine is going to Little E, that rascal nephew of mine. He is just about getting big enough now to think about a bit of Space exploration. Just the other day he was wondering why the sky was broken..