#Trash to Treasure ~ Vintage Photo Album

Hi everybody! I have a 'vintage' photo album for you today, made with the Eileen Hull Passport Book Die. This project is inspired by an old photo album I bought a while ago, from a fabulous local antique shop called 'The Dog House'. It looks pretty unassuming from the outside, but on opening it up, I discovered a real hoard of 'found ancestors' here's a sample.......

If you have seen some of my past projects, you may know that I'm a big fan of using recycled materials, with tomato paste tubes being perhaps my most favourite. I've got quite a stash of them now, so I thought I'd better get down to using some of them ! Once an empty tube has been cut open, washed and flattened out, it is the perfect size to die cut a single cover, using the Passport Die. You therefore, need two tubes to make a front and back cover. They also emboss superbly!

The next step, was to give the covers a vintage look, by using Finnabair's rust paint kit.......

It really sticks well to the metal surface. Once the paint was dry, I sanded it back slightly and scraped a few parts so that the metal showed through. I then gave the  covers a coat of Decoart Quinacridone Gold. This imparts a real warmth to the colours and also adds a slight sheen. In order to make the covers firm enough, I adhered each of the embossed  and rusted panels to a corresponding mount board die cut.

I then used a die to cut out a rectangle, in the front cover.......

It was now time to start on the inside. The book has three 'signatures' composed of Kraft card. I die cut six sets of pages, and adhered patterned paper to one side. I also die cut each set of pages with a rectangle on one side and an oval on the other........

Each signature requires two of these placed back to back, so that the photographs are sandwiched between them. Before putting the photographs in.........

 I also adhered a piece of velvet to some Kraft card, allowed it to dry and then die cut the 'spine' of the Passport Book. this makes the album look quite luxurious and provides a nice contrast to the rusty metal covers........

 I was lucky enough to have a mini photo printer for my birthday. Its made by Fuji. and works wirelessly from a phone or ipad. It prints mini sized pictures, which happen fit perfectly behind the rectangles and oval die cuts on my pages. This was a real bonus as it meant that I didn't have to mess around cutting the pictures to fit. I used my phone to photograph some of my favourite old family photos and printed them out. In order to pay homage to my original inspiration I also photographed one of the photos from the album and used her on my front cover. Before adhering the photos, I glued a piece of mica behind each of the 'windows' This adds a real 'vintage' glow to my modern reprints.

Then each page was glued back to back to another page, so that a photo is visible on each side. I used bulldog clips to ensure that all of of the edges were properly adhered. I pierced a hole in the back cover, near to the side edge and threaded a loop of elastic through. I tied a knot to secure it. I also secured a vintage button to the front cover, in a similar way but used linen thread instead of elastic. I then covered the inside with patterned paper. I attached each signature, with narrow gold ribbon.......

To finish off, I added a die cut envelope inside the front cover, and blended a little Brushed Corduroy Distress ink around the edges of the pages. The book is wonderfully tactile, using the metal tubes means that it is quite cool to the touch and nice to hold. Apart from the one on the front cover, the photos I've used are of my grandparents, great grandparents and my mum and dad. It's really nice to get them all together in this little family album. x

I am sharing this project with Frilly and Funkie's Cutting Edge challenge as well as Sandee and Amelie's Steampunk Challenge blog, 'Anything Goes'.