Why Mini?

Mini Album Ideas & Pictures 10 Comments

 Mini Albums have been around as long as photo albums.

They may take on the form of “Grandma’s Brag Books”, as first time grandmothers proudly pull pages of brand new, baby fresh photos from their purses to show the world. They also come in the form of wallet inserts,  where displays of loved ones are housed as daily reminders of those we love.

Mini’s have many forms, yet in scrapbooking we define them as a smaller canvas to create on usually made from chipboard, canvas, or acrylic. The albums are usually defined by a singular theme and may house just a few pages or many. They may be thin and simple with stories + photos and minimal embellishing, or chunky and well embellished. While mini’s certainly have their place in the scrapbooking industry, it seems crafters either love them or ignore them. I don’t know many people that fall in the middle. Many scrapbookers have mini’s in their scrap stash and some have completed mini’s in their collection of albums. Yet, there are scrapbookers out there who have never tried a mini, sooooo….  Why Mini? Why make a mini? For all of us that have an affinity with the world of mini’s, why do we make them? Furthermore, for those out there that have never made one or have no desire to make one, how can I inspire you to try this art form in hopes you will catch mini fever??

So, why mini???

Here’s 5 reasons why mini’s just might have a place in your collection of albums in the near future or may rise to the top of your list for your next creation.

1. Mini’s make the perfect gift.

Do you have a new baby in the family? A milestone birthday coming up for a loved one? A friend who could use a smile and reminder of how much you appreciate their friendship? A parent that would love a book of photos taken recently? Looking for the perfect Christmas gift that can be created any month of the year? A mini is the perfect homemade gift. People love homemade gifts, mainly because it’s a unique gift and rare to receive. If your looking for something to make, the mini is a great option.

2. A pile of photos into a book of memories in less time than making a 12×12 album.

12×12 albums can be intimidating. Each page is a large canvas to create with. If you have a pile of photos from a vacation, holiday or just a weekend getaway, why not make a mini? You can choose to use all of your photos, or choose your favorites and create with less. It’s all up to you!

If you set out to complete an entire 12×12 album for a pile of photos, you may find yourself burnt out after a week or so, as creating on a larger canvas takes a lot of time. A mini might take you anywhere from a few hours to a week to complete, depending on how much time you invest. If you choose to purchase a mini book “kit” from an online source or local scrapbook store it will take you even less time as some kits come pre-cut. Mini’s definitely allow you to record memories and display photos in less time than a creating a full 12 x12 album.

On a recent Paperclipping episode I heard May Flaum say she never makes mini’s because she’d rather just make a couple layouts for her 12×12 albums. While I completely understand that, I just can never seem to include all the photos I want on a few 12×12 pages, so when I have a large pile of photos that all go together under one theme….I make a mini!!!

3. Mini’s make great decoration pieces.

I make a mini every Christmas and insert all my photos + stories. Each Christmas I treasure the nights where I sit down and flip through the pages of the mini’s created in years past. It’s fun to see what has changed, what has stayed the same, and to remember those who have past on. I display albums from each season, vacation albums, etc. in my living room. I rotate them and enjoy seeing others flip through them.

4. Mini’s allow you to record the little things.

I confess, I do make 12×12 pages, lots of them. But there are things I just won’t make an entire page for. An example is the bike tour my husband and I went on in Spain. We wanted to bike through Barcelona so we chose to take a bike tour. Well, it became quite the adventure when a group of people on the tour admitted that they had never ridden a bike before. We spent the majority of the tour trying to stay as far away from these people as possible in hopes of not ending up on the ground (they crashed into many on the tour). Now, will my future children really care about this? I’m not really sure, but it makes a great memory to be recorded in a mini as I can write the story on a tag or page and include the photo and then maybe include all the other photos from our Barcelona tour. I also wouldn’t make an entire page about how I thought my husband was next to me on a London tour so I started talking only to look over and find that I was talking to a 16 year old from Ohio who thought I was nuts…um yes…embarrassing….so no…I’m not making a 12×12 page about this, but I will include it in a mini! Mini’s allow for all the little bits and pieces in life all tied into one fabulous album.

5. Mini Albums offer a great canvas for trying out new techniques.

I love pinning fun homemade flowers on Pinterest. I also love trying new techniques, but sometimes testing them out on a large canvas can be hard. I love trying new techniques in my mini’s and if they work out well, I’ll transfer that to a 12×12 page later. I’ve seen people create mini’s with the theme of “techniques” and they refer to them for inspiration. There are SO many possibilities!

Want to get started making a mini?

Leave a comment telling us about the last mini you made or let us know if you are new to the world of mini’s! I’ll draw a name on Friday and the winner will receive a couple mini albums  to use to create mini’s!! Be sure to include your email so I can email the winner!

Post By: Amy Sotolongo   Blog: www.abstractsmixedwithextracts.com

Amy Sotolongo