scrap-ements: CropChocolate Chocolatier Kit {Mini Album and Altered Tin}

I was lucky enough to be chosen to receive **free** Chocolatier product from CropChocolate.com. This is what I received: Making Memories Embellishment Paper: Whimsy; Making Memories Flower Shop Tin Collection: Funky; Making Memories Brad Value Pack: Whimsy and Fancy Pants Designs Ribbon: Celebrate. All they ask is that you create something using the items they sent you and then send them pictures of the finished product as well as a few in progress photos. The challenge for me was to come up with something I could make using this mostly girlie stuff. I had recently made a First Year book for my son Josh (still need to get that posted), so I decided to make one for a friend that is having a little girl...her third girl. So even if she finds that her scrap time lessens at least she can have something at the end of the year.

I took a Little Yellow Bicycle Mini Album that I had and cut it up. Took off the spiral rings and then cut off those holes. I then punched new holes with my Cropodile. To make sure that the paper I wanted to use would adhere to the covers of the album, I sanded them slightly.

I usually use Mod Podge to adhere papers to the mini albums I make...but in this case I was a afraid the paper was too thin. So I used a big fat Zig 2 way Glue Pen.

There are two sheets of die cuts included with the paper pack. One sheet of letters and one sheet of tags and such. The letters are also pretty thin so I stuck them to some Prism cardstock. I then stitched around the letters keeping with the whole Whimsy feel of the album (that and I really can't sew that well!!)

Some of the letters are on pop dots to give some dimension. The book plate at the top I left blank so Alison could fill in her daughter's name.

I decided not add ribbon to the binder clips like I usually do because I found it was interfering to much with turning the pages.

Each page is for one month of the baby's first year. The very first page is for a photo of the baby on the day she is born. The photo mats hide tags that have been stamped with 7gypsies 97% CompleteClear Stamp: Baby. There is one for the baby's birth information and the rest are monthly updates.

Months 2 and 3

Months 4 and 5

Months 6 and 7

Months 8 and 9

Months 10 and 11

Month 12 (two page spread)

Here is a picture of all the tags. I covered them in the same paper as the page they are on so they would not take away from the photo...or make the page to busy (pattern-wise).

Birth Tag

One of the Monthly Tags

Project Ingredients:

MM Embellishment Paper: Whimsy

MM Flower Shop Tin Collection: Funky

MM Brad Value Pack: Whimsy

Fancy Pants Designs Ribbon: Celebrate

Prism Solid Cardstock

MM Magnetic Stamps: Rummage

Creative Imaginations Binder Rings: Brown

Zig 2Way Glue, GLue Dots and Pop Dots

StazOn Ink: Timber Brown

Clorobox Fluid Chalk: Chestnut Roan

I really like how this album turned out. I hope that Alison will too. It was really fun to make.

I still had a whole bunch of stuff leftover after making the mini album...so I tried to come up with something I could make for myself. This green paper was the least girl like to me. And it is actually my favorite pattern of the bunch. I have tons of storage (thanks to the MM Embellishment Box)...so I didn't need to make a tin to hold anything. Instead I used it as a frame.

Cutting the paper for the interior of the tin was a little tricky and involved some trimming.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Josh. He has a little bit on tongue sticking out. I printed it out in black and white (his outfit would have clashed with the paper). The photo was matted on patterned, then solid and then patterned again. The solid was sanded with a distressing file as was the photo edges.