May 22, 2009, Newsletter Issue #300: Paper Bag Albums

Tip of the Week

Paper bag albums are little books that make wonderful mini scrapbooks. They can be assembled in a limited amount of time. Did you know you could use plain brown bags to make an appealing little scrapbook album?

Typical brown or white lunch bags can be folded into a small memory book that you can use for gifts, school memories, brag books, etc.

Here is what you will need:

Paper bags (brown or white)
Heavy-duty hole punch or eyelet punch
Stamps, stickers or die cuts
Scissors
Adhesive
Embellishments (ribbons, eyelets, brads, tags, etc)
Cardstock and background paper (variety of matching colors)

The first step is to fold your paper bags into a book shape. You can use as many bags as you would like but three to five is recommended. Lay out your bags alternating the flaps so all the thickness doesn't end up on one side. Now, put them on top of each other and fold them into an album. You might want to sew down the middle of the book in order to keep the bags in place and prevent them from shifting and tearing your binding. Next, punch holes down the folds (binding) and use ribbons or other materials to bind the book together.

Cut your papers into squares that will fit the size of your album and adhere them to your pages. Decorate your pages just like you would a typical scrapbook. Make photo mats for your pictures, use background papers, etc. You could dress up your pages with stamps, stickers; die cuts and other scrapbooking embellishments.

These books are great for kids to experiment with, too. Paper bags are not memory safe so you might want to treat the paper with an acid reducing spray in order to protect your pictures and preserve your album.

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