Summertime Tropical Theme Mini-Albums...

Here are some projects to inspire you for the Summertime Challenge!

I love summertime; the warm weather makes me think of bright tropical places and themes. Prepare for your upcoming summer vacations and create these albums in advance. If you don’t have plans for a summer vacation, these are perfect for picnics and pool parties. I love the 4 x 4 inch size album because it is easy enough to make several for gifts and not affect your budget. Creating mini-albums is a fun summer activity for children, they love craft projects! Here’s how I created the ones pictured.

Materials:
Zutter 4” x 4” Chip Board Covers
Zutter Silver 3/4” O’wire
Adhesive – Helmar Acid Free Glue
Charm – American Tradition Design
Cork – Karen Foster Designs
Flowers – Prima
Ink – ColorBox
Paper – Dottie Ann, Treehouse Designs and NRN Designs
Ribbon – Rafia Source Unknown and Making Memories
Fabric Title – Lil’ Davis Designs

Designer Instructions:
1. The Zutter 4” x 4” Chip Board Covers with a 4” x 4” pattern paper on the front and back covers using Helmar Acid Free Adhesive.
2. Embellish the covers with charms, flowers, tags, titles and more.
3. To simplify the process, I used the Zutter DreamKuts to cut 4” x 4” papers for the covers and the page inserts for each album. That enables me to choose coordinating pages for each album.
4. Then bind the covers and page inserts together using the Zutter Bind-it-all and O’wires.
5. Once the album is assembled, add the photos and journaling from your trip.

Wishing you a memorable summer!

Don't forget to enter the Summertime Challenge! Comment on the blog entry below by 7/31/09!

Tish Treadaway, Zutter Bind-it-all Design Team Member

Summertime Challenge!

County fairs. Trips to the beach. No school. Summer school. Bare feet and flip flops. Watermelon. Water skiing. Surfing and boogie boarding. Popsicles. Long days and sunscreen. Baseball and road trips. Just what summer memories are you living right now?

The Bind-it-All Zutter Zisters Design Team challenges you to make a mini book documenting something about your summer NOW.




Here's what you need to do:
Create a mini album 8X8 or smaller about something - anything - about summer. A summer event you attended, a summer memory or just awesome summer photos. Punch and bind it with the Bind-it-All and post a link to a couple of awesome photos in a comment on this blog entry. Tell us about the project and about what Zutter tools and/or materials you used. Make sure you tell us your hometown too!

The challenge is open now and deadline to post your link is July 31. We are going to select THREE winners to receive a Zutter Display-it-All album stand, like the one Lea Sanders used for her "Sun" album above. Winners will be announced the first week in August!

Visit the Design Team Gallery for the latest project submissions from our talented team.

Have a happy "bindy" summer!

Man Made-Hand Made Challenge Winners

We are late in showing off the challenge winners this month – sorry! It must be the LAZY days of summer. It’s just NOT the time of year for deadlines and hurrying! Speaking of which, there were only FOUR entries – so we are not the only ones out there not rushing into anything! LOL!

So we want to reward all four of the talented crafters who posted for this challenge. We are going to send each of you a copy of the Bind-it-All Around the World idea book!

Here they are:

Kathy Floen Inspired by Jennifer Priest's hanging memo board, Kathy created this key holder memo board! This is a great idea for using leftover Zutter owire and for making gifts and decor.

Feli - Made this beautiful decor using Zutter chipboard! This project doesn't use any binding, but you can use the Zutter covers by lacing or tying them together to make decor and books.

Melissa Fiskateer #2396 Melissa made this calendar to keep track of her dog's medications! Clever! Calendars are a natural project for the Bind-it-All - and you can customize your project any way you like.

photography4me Angela used old license plates to create this unique, one-of-a-kind album! And, she shows it off in this video. The Bind-it-All can punch thin metal, so make sure you read the materials information before taking on materials that may damage your tool. Some older license plates are too thick and heavy....so be careful.

Ladies, please email me your shipping address so we can send out your books. (duh, email nan@binditall.com)

And, we will be announcing our July challenge in a matter of days, so get off that lounge chair and in outta the sun and let's bind!

HOT HOT HOT Summer Specials!

Hope you are ready for some Summer Specials and Shopping Bonuses, just announced from the Zutter warehouse. Take advantage of the goodies and scrap those summer memories!

You can combine the above special with one of the bonuses below!

Read the full terms and conditions and get these great coupon codes here.

Start shopping now at www.binditall.com

P.S. We are a bit behind in sharing the winners from the Man Made-Handmade Challenge and other Clipboard Wood creations - but we will have those in the coming days! Thanks for your patience.

Hurry and post your Man Made-Hand Made Projects!

Only a handful of days left to post and link to your "Man Made - Hand Made" project challenge. The store at Bind-it-All is still giving away the bonus Clipboard Wood covers, so be sure to take advantage of that special before the end of the month!

Summer is HERE! Kids are out of school! I have to wear a swimsuit (ARGH!!!) So let's get tan and crafty!

A Toot for Emeline

Our own Emeline Seet, design team member in Singpore, had one of her Bind-it-All projects published in the special issue of PaperCrafts called 225 Cards & Gifts. Check out this cute little address book. Emeline actually had this posted as a DT project several months ago, but we had to pull it down once PaperCrafts accepted it! We don't mind, because now it's in print! Whoohooo!

We are very proud, Emeline! Congrats!

Babies & Grads

June is a big month for weddings, graduations, babies, Father’s Day….so many scrappable events! Thought I would share two Bind-it-All projects I made for two of these occasions.

Baby Shower Memory Cover-All

I threw a baby shower this month for my co-worker, Paulette, and her first baby, a girl, she and her husband are naming Myla. I am really excited about her baby-to come and was happy to host the shower. Paulette is one of those people who is always cheerful and positive – I love that about her! She calls everyone “love bug” so we themed her baby shower with lady bugs.

I made this Cover-All for the shower, for all the guests to write notes in to her and baby Myla. I made a dedication page for the inside cover, decorated the outside with lady bug paper (I also made thank you notes for Paulette with the same paper) and plenty of blank white cardstock for the inner pages. We passed it around the shower on a tray, with an array of different colored journaling pens. When I got the shower photos, I added those in and voila! A memory book to treasure! It makes a really special gift and easy to put together, since all the shower guests do a lot of the journaling work!

(yes, that is Franny with a balloon under her shirt taking a picture with the mommy-to-be!)

Baby girls are always showered with pink, so I love that this paper wasn't just pink...it adds a nice contrast to all the pink presents she did receive! I also liked using the baby blue owire....again, it add something different (plus it went better with this paper!)

Graduation Mini

Talk about fast….this is one I put together in one night – maybe in an hour, tops! Zutter owires and 4X4 covers, cardstock, one sheet of patterned paper, and stickers and embellishments (all from Creative Imaginations). All the pages are 4X4, so “zing” right through the Dreamkuts they went! I rounded all the corners with the 1/4" Round-it-All. For one page, I cut a 4X8, folded it along the center and glued the outside edge to form the pocket (the inside edge gets punched for the inner edge). Use a circle punch to make the little half-circular opening at the top. The stickers are what makes it all come together so well. Now all I need are pictures of my daughter’s 8^th grade graduation….I hope she does well on her finals this week! ARGH!

The Creative Imaginations sticker sheet had tabs (perfect for the pages) and circles (which I made into owire decorations and mini tags). B&W gingham ribbon worked perfect with this book; and I used a creamy bling cardstock to add some sheen. Gotta have sparkle.

What June events are you punching and binding?