How to Make a Shutter Mini Album

By: Maureen Wilson

Looking for a creative way to present a gift or a card? Try making this paper photo album from Maureen Wilson! It's an easy craft project to make for any occasion, and you can fill it and decorate it with whatever you'd like.

Materials:

2 sheets smooth, solid-colored 12×12 cardstock
Paper cutter with cutting & scoring blades
Ribbon (approx 30 in.)
Adhesive
Paper scraps & embellishments

Video:

Instructions:

Cut both 12 x 12 sheets of cardstock in half (6×12 inches). It is best to use non-textured cardstock, since both sides will be visible.
Set two halves aside. The other two halves will be scored and folded identically. Lay one piece horizontally on your paper cutter, and score (score! don’t cut!) at the 2 inch mark, then 4 inch, then 8 inch, then 10 inch. Do this to the two halves of cardstock.
Switch back to your cutting blade. Lay one of the scored papers vertically on your paper cutter at the 1.5 inch mark. Now cut starting at the first score line and ending at the last score line. In other words, you’ll be cutting between the 2-inch and the 10-inch marks.
Flip the cut paper around and do the same thing to the other side, cutting 1.5 inches in, from the first score line to the last.
Repeat those steps for the other scored piece of cardstock.
Now it’s time to fold. The thing to remember when folding is that the middle segment will fold opposite the outer segments. Starting on the right edge of your album paper, fold along the first score line, pushing the paper upward to make a mountain fold.
Next fold the two outer segments on the next score line, this time creasing downward to make a valley fold. Since those are valley folds, we’ll fold the middle segment upward to make a mountain fold.
The next inner segment will be a valley fold, while the next outer segments will be mountain folds. The final score line will be a mountain fold as well.
Repeat these steps for the second piece of cardstock. When you push the album inward to fold, it should turn into a 6×4 inch rectangle that is sort of E-shaped.
Cut one of the remaining cardstock halves in half again, so you have two 6×6 inch squares. Use your scoring blade to score 2 inches in from one edge. Fold along this score line. These squares will become your covers.
Lay your folded papers next to each other to be sure you have them positioned correctly. The one on the left should look like an E, while the one on the right looks like a backwards E.
Now we’ll attach the square covers to the folded paper. Add adhesive to the 2-inch wide scored portion of a square. Open the folded paper album on the right and place the square beneath the last segment, lining up the edge of the square with the score line on the right of the album.
Repeat for the other folded album piece, but adhere the square to the FIRST score line on the left.
Cut your final piece of cardstock at the 4 inch mark, so that you have one 4×6 paper and one 6×8 paper.
The 4×6 paper will connect your two folded papers in the center. Add adhesive to the back of the 4×6 paper, and carefully line it up with the last score line of the paper on the left, and the first score line of the paper on the right. So now you have one long album that folds outward from the center.
To further secure our album, we’ll add the 6×8 inch paper to the back. If you’d like to add a ribbon closure to tie your album shut, you’ll need to do it now. Add a strip of adhesive horizontally along the center of the 6×8 piece. Lay the ribbon face down on top of it.
Add adhesive to the back of your folded album, in the center rectangle as well as the center flaps. You will be gluing in a cross shape. Press the 6×8 piece onto the back.
Now your album’s base is finished! Embellish with paper scraps, stickers, or whatever you’d like.