Doodlebug Design Inc Blog: HOMETOWN USA SWEET SUMMER MINI ALBUM

Hello Crafty Friends, Conny here from The Daily Life of Creativity, back with another project using Hometown USA . Today I have a fun Sweet Summer mini album.

Let's get started! To create the covers, I cut two chipboard pieces measuring 5” × 5” each. Next, I trimmed two pieces of patterned paper to 6½” × 6½”. These larger pieces were cut to wrap around the chipboard to create the front and back covers.

For this album, I used: Cherry Floral Gingham Petite Prints for one cover, and Lily White Dot Stripe Petite Prints for the other cover. I Centered each 5” × 5” chipboard piece on a 6½” × 6½” patterned paper.

Using a corner guide tool, I trimmed each corner before wrapping the paper around the chipboard. If you don’t have a corner guide tool, simply cut each corner at an angle, leaving approximately 1/8” of space between the corner of the chipboard and the cut edge of the paper. This small gap allows the paper to fold neatly around the corners without adding bulk and ensuring the chipboard is covered at the edge.

Once both covers were wrapped, I cut two pieces I ❤️ America patterned paper to 4⅞” × 4⅞”. I adhered one piece to the inside of the front cover and the other to the inside of the back cover to finish the interior of the covers.

For the inside pages, I used the Bubble Blue Dot/Stripe Petite Prints, Lily White Buffalo Check/Woodgrain Petite Prints and Plaid to Be American paper.

I cut each sheet to 5” × 12”, leaving the 12-inch length intact. I then scored each piece on the 12-inch side at 5” and 10”. The remaining 2-inch section folds over to create a pocket, which is how I made most of the pages in this album.

If you prefer not to include a pocket on every page, simply trim the paper to 5” × 10” and score at 5” to create a standard folded page. I love adding pockets because they’re perfect for tucking in 3” × 4” journaling cards, tags, extra photos, or handwritten notes. You can also adhere photos to the journaling cards to create interactive elements throughout the album.

To embellish the album, I used the Odds & Ends, the 4th of July Cards & Envelopes and the coordinating stickers.

One of my favorite interactive pieces came from the Cards & Envelopes pack. I added the card with the square window and added the Festive Floral Doodle-Pop to the front. It creates a fun dimensional element while still allowing room for photos and journaling.

To assemble the album, I adhered the pages back to back, continuing until all of the pages were connected together. One thing I discovered while making this album is that you could actually skip lining the inside of the chipboard covers if you prefer. Since the first page adheres directly to the inside front cover and the last page adheres to the inside back cover, those pages naturally cover the chipboard. I still like the finished look of lining the covers first, but this is a great option if you’d like to save a little paper.

This construction method creates a sturdy hard-cover mini album with a beautiful spine—without having to build a separate spine piece.

This album includes room for a variety of photo sizes, including: 4” × 4”, 3” × 4” and 2” × 2”. I also created several flip-up pages using cards from the Cards & Envelopes pack. I trimmed them to approximately 4½ inches, leaving enough room to attach them to the page with adhesive so they flip open and reveal additional space for photos or journaling.

For the front cover, I layered patterned papers from the 6” × 6” Paper Pad to create a focal cluster.

I embellished the cover using pieces from the Hometown USA This & That Cardstock Sticker Sheet, including the “Summer Sweet” circle sticker layered on top of the coordinating scalloped circle sticker.

To finish the cluster, I added the adorable Patriotic Puppy Doodle-Pop, along with one of the scalloped border stickers from the sticker sheet.

The window card from the Cards & Envelopes pack also becomes an interactive flip page. Because the card extends beyond the window section, I adhered it in two places so the remaining panel flips open, creating another hidden area for photos or journaling.

This mini album comes together surprisingly quickly and is such a fun way to document your favorite summer memories. It’s perfect for preserving your Fourth of July celebrations, family gatherings, backyard barbecues, vacations, or everyday summer moments.

Thank you so much for following along! I hope you enjoy creating this Summer Sweet Mini Album as much as I did, and I can’t wait to see how you fill yours with your own special memories.

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DOODLEBUG PRODUCTS USED

6088 Petite Prints – Cherry Floral Gingham
6129 Petite Prints – Lily White Dot Stripe
6123 – Petite Prints Bubble Blue Dot/Stripe
8535 – Plaid to Be American Double Sided Cardstock
8510 – Festive Floral Doodle-Pop
8528 – 4th of July Assortment Cards & Envelopes
7032 – Petite Prints Lily White Buffalo Check/Woodgrain