Scrapbooking 8”x8” Albums:
Tips, Tricks & Techniques from the Pros
By Sara
Naumann
Mini albums—they’re irresistible! Not only are they easy to do,
require less time and make a great gift, they’re also a perfect project
for a beginner or an advanced scrapper looking for the newest thing.
Yet they are different from a typical 12”x12” album. Scrappers
quickly discover that a 4” shipping tag that looked great on a 12”
page really overwhelms an 8” background sheet. And papers are different
too. A scrapper who thinks she can simply cut down a 12” sheet will find
her arm aching and patience evaporating after measuring and trimming down a
couple of sheets. And not every 12” patterned paper looks good as an 8”
piece, either—but you often don’t know that until you cut and realize
the pattern is way too big!
The trick? You won’t really discover what works well until you try it
out. Fortunately, top designers are willing and eager to share their discoveries
with you.
I’ve found 8”x8” albums make great gifts and or theme albums.
They come together more easily and quickly than a 12”x12” album,
but you have to approach them differently.
You have less page space to work with, so the key is to weed through your photos
and pick out the very best ones, or the ones that best represent the theme of
your album. I think of the album as a collection of highlights. I find it works
best to use 4”x6” or 5”x7” single photos—I very
often use a square punch to create supporting photos.
The best thing about mini albums is that the space isn’t overwhelming.
This means “simple” layouts are clean and streamlined, without looking
like something was forgotten.
One thing I’ve noticed about working with 8”x8” format is
how great other square items look on the page: square photos, journaling blocks
and slide mounts, for example. It makes a very clean look.
My advice is to start with your photos and figure out what size you would like
them to be. Then choose your papers and 2 or 3 embellishments (paper cut-outs,
brads, ribbon). Usually the embellishments should not take up more space than
your photo or photo grouping. Start out with a small amount of elements, adding
more if you wish.
How can you fit photos and journaling on one 8”x8” page? Well,
I usually create a 2-page spread and take the entire second page for my journaling.
That gives me ample space for all the journaling, as well as room to incorporate
design elements to coordinate with the other page.
I have a friend who gave scrapbooking a try and she became overwhelmed by all
of the techniques and embellishments. I suggested that she try the 8”x8”
albums because they are so small that the pages tend to be "to the point."
Because there isn't a lot of extra room on the page you don’t feel the
need to fill spaces with embellishments, just a photo or two, some journaling
and maybe a little bow or cut-out for style sake. And your embellishments will
go far on an 8”x8” layout, too—a little bit of ribbon goes
further than it would on a 12”x12” page, so you can really get a
lot of use from your scrapbook supplies.
One other designer tip? Using supplies designed for a smaller layout. Hot Off
The Press has a complete line for themed 8”x8” albums, including
paper packs, cardstock, albums and accessories. Learn more about Hot Off The
Press’ Mini Album line by clicking
here.
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