NEW Versatile Photo Album Scrap Journals

I am having a lot of fun with my versatile travel journals. (You can read about them here, if you like.) I have made 40 of them for happy customers so far, and they have visited literally every continent with the exception of Antarctica. (Hey, I've got a map of Antarctica. Anybody going?) Folks who've bought them have been really pleased with the way they integrate journaling and photos, as well as all the little pockets and envelopes for keeping things along the way.






















I was thinking, if they work so well for traveling, why not offer them to commemorate other important events that generate photos, journals and bits that beg for saving? So here's my first attempt at that: versatile photo albums/scrapbooks/journals, personalized for babies. I guess they're really more for moms & dads, aunts & uncles, grandmas & grandpas that the actual babies, but you get the point!

The designs are created using copyright free vintage images from old greeting cards, purchased from Peggy Loves Vintage on Etsy. I absolutely love the old fashioned feel of these images from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Not fussy and Victorian, they're just homey and sweet to me. Maybe because they look like my baby book!

The window in the front cover will, of course, reveal the first glimpse of the adorable baby that you're honoring with this little book. The 4-1/4" x 6-1/4" pages are specifically designed to accommodate 3-1/2 x 5 photos with captions or 4 x 6 without.

Like the travel journal, the basic structure is an accordion book made from heavy weight 200 gsm (equivalent to about 140 lb) Italian velata paper. Not only does this provide a great substrate for the other elements in the book, it takes paint and collage work very well.


There are separate closures on both sides of the book so that you can open it either way to expose the section you want or you can open both sides and spread the whole thing out.

I've modified my travel design just a little at the suggestion of scrapbooking friends. The pamphlet sections have fewer pages made of the same heavy paper as the accordion substrate so that they can be used for photos or journaling. Instead of tabs, I've included a fold out section that opens out for more photos. That page is 16" long, so there's lots of room for photos and writing.

The envelopes and pouches are still included so you can safely tuck away precious bits of this and that. My favorite inclusion is a manila catalog envelope that has been cut and the bottom, folded and stitched into the book so as to form two envelopes, concealing when opened two small coin envelopes inserted between them. I've added a wrapping closure to keep everything secure.

Each one of these will be custom made so that they can be personalized with the name and birthdate of the special baby they're going to. These would make wonderful gifts for new parents or for new parents to fill with pictures and notes to give to loved ones far away.