Family Ties

Store your photo CDs right on the scrapbook page.

I have a passion for family history. My dad and maternal grandmother told me lots of stories about my heritage, and I treasure those memories. I just wish I could go back and ask more questions. I'd have my father tell me about WWII and growing up in Water Valley, Mississippi, home of the Watermelon Festival. I'd ask my grandmother to wait while I grabbed pencil and paper to write the stories down that she told my sister and me: the panther in the tree near their home in Somerville, Tennessee, the day they found pretty white baby birds that turned out to be buzzards and more about the Native American woman who lived across the road.

I have been making and storing CDs of vacation photos in scrapbooks for several years. This time, I'm making one of all the photos I have from the family of my maternal grandmother, Mildred McCaskill Wilson. This way, my son will be able to just go to my family scrapbooks to find the cd. No going through endless boxes or stacks of CDs. Just find the page, slip out the disk and plug it in. Not that I think this will ever happen. My poor child doesn't have a sentimental bone in his entire body. I'm just preparing for the possibility.

Here's how I used the awesome KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square and MultiMat to line up all those odd-size photos.

Supplies

• KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square 
• KellyCraft MultiMat 
• Patterned Paper (Colorbok)
• Card stock, More Mustard (1), Very Vanilla  (1) and Vintage Violet (2)  (Stampin' Up!®)
• Brown Ink Pad
• Spellbinders dies: Fence and Swirl
• Spellbinders Grand Calibur Die Cutting Machine 
• Hole Punch, 1 3/4" circle or any large circle hole punch
• Waxed String, 18"
• Glue Dots
• White glue
• CD of family photos

CD Pocket

1. Trim one sheet of card stock to 6" x 10". Score a 1/2" border on each 10" side to make two small flaps. Score across the middle to make a 5" x 5" square when folded. Open the pocket back up. Trim away one portion of the scored flaps and make a 45° cut into the remaining flap at the fold. (See diagram)
   
   
   
2. Apply strong double-stick tape to the remaining flaps. 
3. Use the large hole punch to cut a half-circle in one end of the pocket. Remove the tape release strips and adhere the two pieces of the pocket together so that the flaps are inside the pocket.
4. Add a photo to the pocket and tie the string near the top of the pocket. Trim most of the lower part of the fence die cut away and mount it on the cd pocket photo with glue. (Note: I didn't add the trim at the bottom until I was almost through with the page and realized it needed a little something extra.
   
   
   
   

Tip: Tape the string to the back side of the pocket, then tie it with a knot around to the front. This will make tying your bow much easier. Also, if your bows sometimes look like they're upside down, solve the problem by turning the project upside down when tying. It always works for me.

Photos

1. Trim the photos, leaving a white hairline border, and mount on the card stock. The white border gives the look of a double layer without the expense.

Assembly

1. Using your KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square and MultiMat to line up the elements, mount the cd pocket near the upper right corner of your page with double stick tape, leaving about 1/2" border on top and side.
   
2. Mount the center photo next, using glue dots to raise it a little off the page. Continue mounting the remaining photos with either double stick tape or glue dots, while moving toward the outer edges of the page.
3. Place the fence die cuts near the bottom of the page, lining them up on the side edges. Place one of the swirl elements between the fences to suggest a fancy gate.
4. Add the remaining swirls. You're done.

Place it in a scrapbook sleeve and add it to your album. If you don't want to add all those photos to the front, you can make a smaller album using 8" x 8" papers, but you will be limited to the number of pages because of the thickness of the cds. I generally place the pocket near the top of the page for easy CD removal and vary the location along the top edge. This also keeps the thickness of the book more even. You could also place them along the right side of the page and cut a small slit in your page sleeve to allow easy access to the cd.