Doodlebug Design Inc Blog: SUMMER FUN 4x4 MINI ALBUM

Friday, September 4, 2026

SUMMER FUN 4x4 MINI ALBUM | with Conny

Hello, crafty friends! t’s Conny here from The Daily Life of Creativity, and I’m so happy to be back with another mini album tutorial! Today we’re creating a 4” x 4” mini album using the Summer Fun collection. This album may be small, but it has plenty of room for creativity! It includes pockets, flip pages, and interactive elements, giving you plenty of space for mini photos, journaling, and, of course, fun embellishment clusters. As always, I love creating my own album bases. They do take a little more time to construct, but I promise—the finished project is completely worth it!

I started with the chipboard pieces: I cut two pieces measuring 4” x 4” for the covers and one piece measuring 4” x 2 1/2” for the spine.

For the cover, I used Swimming Pool Gingham Linen petite prints from which I cut one piece to 12” x 5”. I placed the chipboard pieces onto the cardstock, leaving approximately 1/8” between the spine and covers. I centered everything and left an even amount of cardstock around the outside to wrap the chipboard. Next I trimmed the corners at an angle, leaving about 1/8” from the chipboard, Lastly, I adhered and wrapped all four sides.

Now for the hinges: I cut a piece of cardstock 4” x 9” and scored it on the 9” side at:

2”, 2 1/2”, 3”, 3 1/2”, 4”, 4 1/2”, 5”, 5 1/2”, 6”, 6 1/2”, and 7”.

I folded the scored sections into three raised hinges, leaving the first and last sections flat; I also left a flat section between the hinges. To finish, I glued the raised sections together, then attached the hinge to the center of the spine. Three pages worked perfectly for me because I knew I would be adding lots of embellishments and foam adhesive.

For each pocket page, I cut a piece of patterned paper 4” x 8” and score at 4”. I folded it in half and added adhesive along the two sides and bottom, leaving the top open to create the pocket.

I added approximately 3 1/4” x 4" inserts inside the pockets, leaving a little space at the top so I could add embellishment clusters.

For one of the pages, I also created a tri-fold using the Swimming Pool Gingham Linen cardstock. I cut it to approximately 3 3/4” x 11 1/4” and score at 3 3/4” and 7 1/2”.

I adhered the center section to the page, creating another fun spot for photos and journaling.

For the back, I used the adorable Polaroid-style scenes from the collection to create another tri-fold that opens from left to right.

And, of course, we can’t forget the best part—embellishing! I added layers, foam adhesive, mini icons, Doodle-Pops, and fun phrases like “The Life Is Sweet” and “On Vacation Mode.” For the front cover, I created a little beach scene using the palm tree Doodle-Pop, beach embellishments, and mini icons. I finished the album with a rainbow sheer ribbon closure.

And that’s it! A tiny 4” x 4” Summer Fun mini album with pockets, interactive pages, and plenty of space for photos and embellishments.

I hope you love this little album as much as I do. Remember, you can always change the number of pages, add more pockets, or make the album completely your own. Make it fun, make it yours, and happy crafting! Xo, Conny!