The "His" album went together, no worries, no second thoughts about embellies and finishing touches...it was simply finished when I added the last cog to the final photomat...however, with the "Hers" album, I just can't seem to get it done...my mind keeps wanting me to get it out of the project box and do more tweeking, and we all know how dangerous that can be, don't we?
For example, ever since I finished the cover I have been in six minds about adding a frame and title, I have actually cut, coloured and assembled four different versions and trialled several sentiments to include...liking none of them, I decided that it would remain plain, made the video...then changed my mind. Last night I made a fifth frame, this one a simple oval, coloured it with a rough silver acrylic paint, cut a couple of inserts, one cream, one from the green stripe paper I used for inside cover lining, and then spent all evening and a large part of the night, (I had a disturbed night and my thoughts kept returning to the quandry of the frame), but it must have worked because this morning I came straight to the craft room and added the frame with the green insert...decision made...for better or worse.
The "His" album was easy, I used a selection of cogs, but I could not find anything that I liked for this one...buttons, a tiny paper bow, tiny butterfly, flat metallic charms...I tried so many things without liking the outcome at all.
Last evening, as I was making the frame I thought of the very simple (and blindingly obvious, if I'm honest!), idea of matting the inserts with the same card...see what I mean...it really should have been the first thing to consider. This had the effect of strengthening the mats without adding any distracting colour or texture...this thought then lead to me embossing an offcut of the cream card stock with a tiny dotted embossing folder I have, cutting small circles from the embossed peice (I wanted them oval but my small oval punch was too large, sadly), I then adhered one to the front of each of the photo mats and now it really is done!
Oh, except I am off to find a couple of boxes for them to reside in...I really worry about their longevity, especially if left standing on a shelf somewhere warm, and these albums will need to stay together for quite some time. I decided that a box to store them in would be a good idea...anyway, apart from protecting them from sunlight and heat etc. I think that if I was making something like this for my children then I would want to include other objects, things that may be too dimensional to add directly into the album, (jewellery, keepsakes, childhood treasures made for mum in preschool, that sort of thing. For example, I still have the flannel needle book I stitched for my mum when I was in Kindergarden...it is completely valuless apart from that association, along with the knowledge that she thought enough of it to keep it safely all her long life through many house moves...).
The box will allow those little things to be tucked away also, over time. Then this project will really, trully be done...maybe...I think so anyway...;)
I do have a real sense of acheivement with these two...they haven't been easy...I am glad they are done and I am also pleased with the result...(I am not always, so this is nice!).
Recently, while sorting through my small stash of spare frames, I found a rather daggy old 16.5 cm black frame and was about to put it in the donations bag when I thought of the poor sad QR code languishing unloved in my web page file.
I printed it out in about a 10cm size and added it to the frame....it is something to put on my wall in the craft room as I really don't have much up there apart from old paper toles, baby drawings, etc...
Bye now,
Dixx