enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

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I knew when we went to Palm Springs & Palm Desert a few weeks ago that I would want to make a minibook of the trip. I wasn't sure how it would come together but figured I'd fall back on my usual stand-by which is a 4×6 horizontal album in a limited color scheme with sewn details. (see : my honeymoon album and spring break album.)

This style is easy for me to work with because it's just limiting enough to be freeing and the main emphasis is on the photos. I started by picking the color scheme.

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And that was easy enough. My photos were filled with blues, browns and yellows so I choose papers that had the same colors. I didn't end up using them all but from left to right, the brands are : American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, American Crafts, My Mind's Eye, My Mind's Eye, Echo Park Paper Co, Hambly & Hambly.

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I went with a circle theme through the whole album. The theme was repeated in three ways.

  1. through circle patterned papers.
  2. using my sewing machine to create circles. 
  3. freehand cutting circle embellishments out of patterned paper and photos.

I also used the same paper bag cardstock for all the text pages and designed the text pages the same way. Fonts shown on the text pages are Bead Chain and GeosansLight.

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For this album (and every other mini album I make) I just adhered the backside of the pages together. So whether it was photos, cardstock or patterned paper, it just got stuck together with a roller adhesive. You can see more of my page gluing process in this video (start at the 5min mark).

Something that I did differently in this album than others was include 4×4 photos that were taken with the ShakeIt app on my iPhone. I had these photos printed along with the regular 4×6 photos through scrapbookpictures.com. I tend to use my iPhone for more "in the moment" shots and am glad to get them included. It's something I will definitely be doing more of in future minibooks.

If you are curious about getting digital text in your minibooks refer to the second video in this post. It's the exact same process just a different layout. I hope that will answer any questions, but if you have more, please ask in the comments!

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31 responses to “palm springs minibook.”

  1. Jenn Avatar

    this is such a fun mini book! I especially love the sewing embellishments you added, this is giving me some ideas for how I want to put together my “week in the life” project.

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  2. logan Avatar
    logan

    Love these minibooks! I wish I were as crafty and talented as you! It’s something I need to start…in the digital age it’s so easy to just keep the photos on the computer 😦

    Like

  3. Kirsten W Avatar

    One of my favorite minis you’ve ever shared! The circles, colors, sewing lines and the photos, combine to make it feel so summery and so cohesive. Great work!

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  4. Laura Avatar

    I love those circles on the cover! More then the ones on the pages for some reason. Thinking how to include them in my (arriving this week??) summer mini book!

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  5. Jessi Avatar

    I love all the little details that you add to your mini books. You are so creative!

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  6. emily Avatar
    emily

    this is just fabulous, Elise. love how you keep simple so interesting…love the way the first line of text is larger than the rest.

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  7. Jill Avatar

    This is stunning, Elise! You’ve got such a great eye at pairing photos together – the compositions just flow and compliment so well. Thanks for sharing your insights about your process in the Big Mini workshop last year. I’ve become much happier with how my minibooks are turning as of late and it’s because I’m using your advice 😉

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  8. Jen G... Avatar
    Jen G…

    Once again …you’ve totally inspired me with your latest mini album! Thanks for sharing…

    Like

  9. Libbi M. Avatar
    Libbi M.

    as usual… beautiful, plain and simple approach. thank you for sharing. they always inspire me to make another mini book. have a wonderful day!

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  10. Liz Avatar

    I love it! I really need to start making more mini books. I think it is a great way to capture the feelings from a trip or event!

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  11. Lauren Stennett Avatar

    That looks so great! I really need to start making more small albums like this. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  12. Jill Avatar
    Jill

    LOOOVE IT! Hope you had a fabulous weekend. Thinking about you this week.

    Like

  13. Alessandra @ Tribal Times Avatar

    What a charming little book! Had to share it 🙂

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  14. Efrat K Avatar

    What an awesome mini book! Thank you so much for sharing!! I love the papers you used and all these circles… especially in combination with the simple layout of the text pages!

    Like

  15. Lindsey Avatar
    Lindsey

    Elise–I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now, but I think this is my first comment.
    I LOVE those hand-sewn circles in your book! They look wonderful. I can’t wait to try something like that one of my scrapbook pages soon. 🙂

    Like

  16. Sarah Avatar

    I am glad you had good luck printing your iPhone photos…I was wondering how that would work. Thanks for sharing – this is a wonderful album. And I love the paper bag like paper. I bought some at Michaels by Reflections, but I don’t like it as much as yours. I will have to order some!

    Like

  17. Allie Finch Avatar

    ok, i think this is my favorite. i love the circle theme.

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  18. Hillary Avatar
    Hillary

    This one turned out beautifully! Great work, as always.

    Like

  19. Linda Niehoff Avatar

    I love this – one of my favorite ones so far! I’ve gotta echo what everyone else is saying: LOVE the circles and the titles and how even the pictures of the drinks REPEAT THE CIRCLE THEME! And a question: where did you get your iphone pictures printed? Or did you just print them yourself?? They add such a cool touch.

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  20. elise blaha Avatar

    thanks so much! as mentioned, they were printed through scrapbookpictures.com. 🙂

    Like

  21. Linda Niehoff Avatar

    Well duh. there it is! In my haste I RAN for the comment section 😀 But thanks for answering!

    Like

  22. Sam F Avatar
    Sam F

    The mini album is great–I love circles!! By the way, I also really like your Iphone case, care to share where you got it?

    Like

  23. elise blaha Avatar

    thanks! it is griffin + chilewich and it fits an iPhone 3gs

    Like

  24. Kellie Avatar

    love this post. it really is inspiring me to get back to crafting asap!

    Like

  25. Kathy Avatar

    I absolutely LOVE your mini books….you always make them look so easy and co-ordinated. I wish I had the confidence to put mine together like yours…. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia

    Like

  26. Irilyn Avatar

    once again, you are at your best, reflected in your work! I’m so fascinated by your minibooks! keep up inspiring the many 🙂

    Like

  27. Susana Avatar

    I love your books so, so much. They are like a little movie that goes by slowly. So lovely. thank you.

    Like

  28. Danaé Avatar

    Wow its so beautiful … i love your style !!

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  29. Allie Finch Avatar

    What type of sewing machine do you use?

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  30. Allie Finch Avatar

    never mind. i am looking at the videos from the blog workshop & see you have some other videos about sewing on paper. cool!

    Like

  31. Skye Avatar

    I love the circles and the color scheme! I also love that you put a little something on the back cover 🙂

    Like

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