Hello! Today I wanted to share Modern Memory Keeping Idea #2- Repurpose a Thrifted Book. This is the second installment in a series of posts sharing ideas for modern, fresh ways to get your pictures off your cellphone and out to enjoy! (You can see the first post here) Like I said last time I am a big believer in printing pictures and writing down your story. I also u nderstand that making a shelf full of scrapbooks is not for everyone. A project like this can be completed with minimal supplies and in a few hours (plus time to print out pictures!).
Here's the back story: I have mentioned here a few times that I have a set of twin nephews, Carson and Connor. They are pretty awesome, active, smart, funny little boys! The year they were three (they are five now) I found a pile of Hardy Boys books at a thirft store and had a lightbulb moment.......why not create a little photo album out of the book? I figured the Hardy Boys were too perfect for my little boys, right? I found a bunch of Hardy Boys books online here
. This particular series worked well for a few reasons: two boys on the cover (duh), pages that were in good condition, but could be ripped out as needed, and the line illustrations were really sweet (although I ended up covering many of them up). You could also look for books like: Eloise, Babar, Nancy Drew, etc, etc.I bought he book and then starting collecting a group of pictures of C&C from the last year. I printed them all out 4 x 4, which fit perfectly on the page. I didn't have much of a plan for the pages, but I did have a few things I wanted to make sure to include-like samples of their handwriting. I pulled out some random bits and pieces from my stash. I could link you up to what I used, but truly, this project is less about the 'stuff' and more about adding pictures and arranging the pages to tell the story I wanted to capture. I decided to go crazy and stamp/paint/tape/sew alllll over the pages. However, you could simply add pictures and write in the margins and I think that would be equally cool!
I added their initial in sticker form to the cover (with a little liquid adhesive to make sure they stayed).
Every 10-20 pages I pulled out a handful of pages. When you add pictures you need the extra space! Then I took the pages around the space made and stitched them together. (you can see that in the page on the right above).
That picture on the right is one of my all time favorites-I still have it hanging on my wall.
Some of the pages I covered in thick white paint, then either doodled/stamped over. Because I could. I also added a few journaling cards, like that 'Hello', and let it stick out the top. You can see its a little bent, because little hands have looked thru it. Totally awesome!
Carson was big into drawing and writing at this age. Connor, not so much.....lol. I love that I got this little piece of art to remember!
I hope this inspires you to create a little mini book. This would be a great gift idea, or just as a creative exercise for yourself. Thanks for stopping by-leave a comment if you have any questions!