Well, it may still be rainy season, but I can see clearly with this super fun acetate album from Creative Cuts and More! It probably wasn't the best idea to choose to do a clear album as a Guest Designer when I hadn't ever done one before, but I love how it turned out!
If you've never done an acetate album before...try it! It wasn't quite as scary as I had expected!
{I'll be sharing a few tips with you that I learned along the way...and if you have tips on how to photograph a clear album, please...let me know!}
Tip: Pick a color scheme.
Because you can see portions of all the pages in a clear album, choosing a couple of colors that go well together will help all the pages in your album feel connected. I chose to work with the main colors of pink, teal, and white. I decided to print my photos in black and white to allow all the surrounding colors to show their stuff.
Tip: Don't be afraid to repeat.
I'll be honest with you. I was super excited to have an opportunity to work with a clear album - but when it arrived I took one look at it, went into a panic...and...put it on a shelf. Every time I looked at it I thought "What in the world am I going to do with that?"
Finally I came up with an idea that worked for me - using the same basic pattern for each page. I decided to cut all of my pictures and mats the same shape and size and place them directly in line.
Tip: Embrace the clear.
I wanted to add a bit more detail, but not take away too much from the album, so I used a Coluzzle template and knife to make a few accent marks around the photos. They add a touch of interest to the pages without taking the focus away from the photos. There are also many beautiful clear embellishments out there...don't be afraid to use them.
I also used a Fiskars punch to make a template for the star and cut it out using my Fiskars craft knife. Acrylic albums will be too thick to do something like that, but the acetate album was so easy to work with! I used a small Fiskars hand punch to punch the hole for the charm and also add a little touch to the scalloped page...it worked easily.
Tip: Paint covers over a multitude of rough spots.
When you plan to have your pictures in the same spot on each side of the page, know that there is a very good possibility that thing may not be perfectly lined up...there may be inconsistencies in your cuts or just a slightly unsteady hand. I found acrylic paint to be a great way to cover up the small spots where things weren't completely lined up. Being that I discovered this in the middle of the process, I had to go back and add paint where I found mistakes...but next time I think I will just paint a bit before I place down my photo mats and the process will go much smoother. Many folks also use acrylic paint to highlight the edges of their album pages.
If you are not into the distressed or shabby chic look, you can use a stencil to create a more defined paint pattern. A non-paint option would be to use a coordinating double sided paper a size bigger than your other mat and then the edges would be sure to be covered and it would give a nice border effect on the reverse side of the page.
Tip: Go sticky!
My photo mats are all Autumn Leaves adhesive mats {I used a Coluzzle template and knife to cut them}. The adhesive mats made it very simple {and fast!} and they adhered nicely to the acetate pages.
Tip: No StazOn? No problem! Rub-ons are your friend.
For this album I used some gorgeous Hambly rub-ons {and clear stickers, too}. I rescued some of the rub-ons from a trash can at a recent Fiskateer crop. We had a surprise visit from one of the owners at Hambly and she had thrown a couple of rub-ons in the trash because the protective sheet had come off and she was afraid they wouldn't work - but they still worked perfectly! {Yay for dumpster diving!}
Rub-ons are a great way to add some fun designs and great pops of color in your clear album. They are easy to place on the page and so fast and easy...and they also don't require clean up like stamps {yay!}.
What? After all that you are still scared of doing a clear album? Not to worry! Creative Cuts and More offers this album set in chipboard, too! {I think a beautiful album could be done alternating clear and chipboard pages...get both sets and give it a try!}
Note: My album is only 4 pages - half of the 8 piece die cut set from Creative Cuts and More. You can use all 8 pages in one album or split them up and create two 4 page albums...either way it is a fantastic deal!
Supplies from Creative Cuts and More:
1 x Mix & Match #02 Mini Album Set: Acetate
Tip: Embrace the clear.
I wanted to add a bit more detail, but not take away too much from the album, so I used a Coluzzle template and knife to make a few accent marks around the photos. They add a touch of interest to the pages without taking the focus away from the photos. There are also many beautiful clear embellishments out there...don't be afraid to use them.
I also used a Fiskars punch to make a template for the star and cut it out using my Fiskars craft knife. Acrylic albums will be too thick to do something like that, but the acetate album was so easy to work with! I used a small Fiskars hand punch to punch the hole for the charm and also add a little touch to the scalloped page...it worked easily.
Tip: Paint covers over a multitude of rough spots.
When you plan to have your pictures in the same spot on each side of the page, know that there is a very good possibility that thing may not be perfectly lined up...there may be inconsistencies in your cuts or just a slightly unsteady hand. I found acrylic paint to be a great way to cover up the small spots where things weren't completely lined up. Being that I discovered this in the middle of the process, I had to go back and add paint where I found mistakes...but next time I think I will just paint a bit before I place down my photo mats and the process will go much smoother. Many folks also use acrylic paint to highlight the edges of their album pages.
If you are not into the distressed or shabby chic look, you can use a stencil to create a more defined paint pattern. A non-paint option would be to use a coordinating double sided paper a size bigger than your other mat and then the edges would be sure to be covered and it would give a nice border effect on the reverse side of the page.
Tip: Go sticky!
My photo mats are all Autumn Leaves adhesive mats {I used a Coluzzle template and knife to cut them}. The adhesive mats made it very simple {and fast!} and they adhered nicely to the acetate pages.
Tip: No StazOn? No problem! Rub-ons are your friend.
For this album I used some gorgeous Hambly rub-ons {and clear stickers, too}. I rescued some of the rub-ons from a trash can at a recent Fiskateer crop. We had a surprise visit from one of the owners at Hambly and she had thrown a couple of rub-ons in the trash because the protective sheet had come off and she was afraid they wouldn't work - but they still worked perfectly! {Yay for dumpster diving!}
Rub-ons are a great way to add some fun designs and great pops of color in your clear album. They are easy to place on the page and so fast and easy...and they also don't require clean up like stamps {yay!}.
What? After all that you are still scared of doing a clear album? Not to worry! Creative Cuts and More offers this album set in chipboard, too! {I think a beautiful album could be done alternating clear and chipboard pages...get both sets and give it a try!}
Note: My album is only 4 pages - half of the 8 piece die cut set from Creative Cuts and More. You can use all 8 pages in one album or split them up and create two 4 page albums...either way it is a fantastic deal!
Supplies from Creative Cuts and More:
1 x Mix & Match #02 Mini Album Set: Acetate
