Instagram Mini Album

A few weeks ago I took Kelly Purkey's Insta Moments class as part of ME + KP in NYC. During the class I didn't actually make the album though because I'm no good at scrapbooking without pictures so I simply made the pages and cover and tucked it away for a later date. The class included a kit full of Mon Ami papers and stickers. Right now you can get a great deal on that collection at Blitsy. This week I sat down with the supplies from class and a package of Basically Bare arrows. I went with the Basically Bare pack because I like to make mini albums quick, easy and cohesive.

I decided I would use a few basic techniques to alter the arrows and make sure that each technique appeared more than once for a cohesive look. I used the Basic Grey Tape Strips from the class to cover two of the arrows. You can see that I easily trimmed and tucked the edges in the photo below. I think covering the chipboard in washi would be even easier.

I decided I would also quickly alter the bare chipboard pieces with Distress Stain. I like using the Distress Stain because it is faster than paint but still vibrant. It's also super easy to stamp over. I used the Mama Elephant set I got in the workshop as well. Like many of you I get a bit nervous stamping on my only piece of a product and as you can see my stamping wasn't perfect. Never fear though, just use a thin pen to add in the line. You would never know in the final product. 

I used the same technique and a different Mama Elephant set on this yellow arrow. I love how vibrant the Basically Bare chipboard was when stained. It has a smooth and  more evenly colored surface than a lot of bargain chipboard. It's also firm enough to result in a crisp stamped image.

I also covered some of the black pieces with patterned paper from the collection. The black didn't really work in my color scheme but covering chipboard in patterned paper is a super easy way to make custom embellishments that add dimension to a project.

This album chronicles my journey into running for the first time so I'm entering it into the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge this week. The theme is journey.

Mini albums are a great way to tell a longer story and can be super quick if you limit your supplies like I did here. I hope this quick and easy album inspires you to pull out a small grouping of supplies and make fast work of an important story. Remember if you're in the market for some fabulous Mon Ami papers Blitsy has a great sale on them if you catch it in time.