How has all y'all's summer been? I've spent the majority of mine hole-up inside...in the air conditioning. I don't do heat well at ALL. I'm a delicate Southern flower -- I wilt when the temp gets over 85 F (29-ish C for all my non-Fahrenheit friends).
So....what have I been doing? Well, I've been helping a dear friend with a presentation board project for the Dallas chapter of the Aggie Moms Club. I've been up to my eyeballs in maroon. I'll post the finished masterpiece once it's actually finished. It's almost there.
I've also been watching a LOT (I mean a LOT) of crafting tutorial videos on Youtube. I ran across this one, in particular, that TOTALLY intrigued me. It was a technique I had NEVER seen before let alone heard of. Now, those of y'all who know me, know that is a BIG DEAL. There aren't many techniques out there I haven't seen (or tried). But this one....this one was so flippin' cool I just HAD to try my hand at it. It's for how to make an album binding out of
DRINKING STRAWS
So, there I was...intently watching part 1 of the video series. I was hooked...HOOKED, I tell ya! I couldn't watch part 2 fast enough! After part 2, I excitedly went to load the GRANDE FINALE--part 3. In part 3 was where we got to actually learn this cool technique!!!
I looked for part 3
I searched for part 3
I GOOGLED part 3
I scoured the entire internet for part 3
Guess what? There is no part 3.
Not only is there no part 3...there are NO OTHER videos out there on this technique.
WHAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!?!?!?!?!
It turns out, the creator of the video series (Tipa Childers) had a computer melt-down and lost the entire 3rd video along with all her notes and written instructions for this technique. Poor Tipa! Wait a sec...POOR US crafty people who wanted to know how to do this!!!
Did this dissuade me? Did this make me scream and pound my fists on my keyboard? Did this make me boycott Youtube videos?
What do YOU think? (I confess I did let out a somewhat exasperated sigh)
But, y'all know me...I took this as a challenge to figure it out for myself! And guess what???? I actually DID figure it out! So, below are pics of my FIRST ATTEMPT at making this type of album. I think it turned out rather smashing if I do say so myself. Not only that...it actually WORKS. IT WORKS REALLY WELL!!! It is everything I knew it would be!!!
Even though this album only has 4 pages...each page is dual-sided with a pocket on the front AND the back...some are vertical, some horizontal. The dual sides plus the pockets QUARUPLE the amount of photos/journaling you can have. Tipa did 4 pages in her videos, so I did 4. But, you can have more (or less) pages if you want!
It's all about the binding...
Let's see if I can do justice to the sheer FaBuLoUsNeSs of this technique. Here is a brief description of what this binding is all about:
The pages are inset into drinking straws (via a slit cut in the side of the straw). Each tri-folded page slips into its own straw. This creates a movable binding for the individual pages. Then, the pages' straw bindings rest on a bed of straws that has been adhered to the spine and covered with end caps that hold the straws (binding and base layer) together. This creates a very nice platform for each straw binding to rest between the straws underneath, thus allowing the pages to pivot smoothly and FREELY as you turn them!! Did that make any sense at all? Probably not. But it's BRILLIANT, trust me!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words...so here is 10,000 words worth to make it a little more clear.
COVER
PAGE 1
PAGES 2-3
PAGES 4-5
PAGES 6-7
PAGE 8
BACK COVER
BINDING CLOSEUP
BINDING END VIEW
CLOSED VIEW OF BINDING
I learned a LOT from doing this project. Although it works BEAUTIFULLY, there are some minor tweaks I would make on the straw "housing" and overall assembly of it all.
SO....I bet y'all want a tutorial on this, don't you? Well, I'm waiting on an "okay" from Tipa Childers (since she was the one who did the original tutorial).
If she gives me the green light, I'll be producing a video series on how to do this entire album...start to FINISH.
Keep your fingers (and toes) crossed that she grants me permission.
Ingredients:
Patterned paper/diecut extras- My Minds Eye (Bloom & Grow collection)
Eyelet border punch - Martha Stewart
Circle punch - Family Treasures
Flower punch - EK Success
Ribbons, rhinestones, brads - Michaels
Stamping ink - (Stampa Rosa "Fresco" chalk ink in Sicillian Spice)
misc acrylic sentiment stamps
chipboard (used the backing off a 12 x 12 pad of paper)
Crystal lacquer
Scor tape (LOTS of Scor tape)
Scotch Quick-Dry glue
plastic drinking straws - Wendy's (thanks, Dave!)
