February 24, 2010

Album Cover Tutorial

Hello QK Blog Readers,

It's good to be back! Everything went well with Baby J's delivery. He is a fat and happy 10 lb. baby. :-)

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my diaper wipe box tutorial. You made my day! I have another project for you...

Dust off those naked albums, gather your supplies and get ready to create an album cover you will love! These steps will help your papers remain in place, stay protected and look bubble-free. This project can be completed in two nap times, mostly because you have to wait for the varnish to dry.

Materials:
Paper
Glue (I used Tombow Mono Aqua Permanent Strong Bond)
Varnish (I used Delta Creamcoat Matte Interior Varnish)
Foam Brush
QK Dies (I used Blossom Grand, Honey Bee Classic, Punctuation, Nesting Circles, Flowers, Daisy)
Any other embellishments (stickers, brads, jewels, ribbon, etc.)

Step One:
Cut the paper you've selected for your album cover. (Deciding what you want your album to look like is often the hardest part!) Distress your edges now (inking, sanding etc.) If you want to outline using a Sharpie, do it later.

Step Two:
Glue down your papers. This step can be a bit tricky--try to cover every square inch of your paper with your clear glue. Then cover the album with glue. Carefully place your papers onto the album and rub out all of the air bubbles. The glue on glue should make it easier to rub out any air bubbles.


Step Three:
Cut your QuicKutz die cuts and glue them to the paper, just like you glued your paper to the album. Cover every square inch with glue and smooth out the bubbles. (I have also used my Xyron sticker maker with some smaller die cuts and that worked well too.)


Step Four:
Coat the whole thing with varnish. It goes on milky but dries clear. Smooth it all in one direction before letting it dry. Then, let it dry. Don't rush this part, give it a few hours or overnight.

Step Five:
Decorate with other embellishments. I added some stickers. If you wanted to outline anything with pen do it now that the varnish has dried.


Visit my blog to see more albums covers to see more cover I've created. I would love to see the covers you create! I hope you'll add them to the Community Gallery!

Enjoy,

Maegen Jenne

www.scrapbuddies.blogspot.com