Accordion Mini-Albums, Extended Stories & More

There was lots of playful productivity during this month’s Play Date! Stacy shared how to create an Accordion Mini-Album as well as progress on her Harry Potter Extended Story.

Several LYS members worked on Extended Story Projects with themes ranging from Fourth of July to Winter. Others worked on a variety of projects, including sorting travel photos into a Storage Binder, decorating a wooden pallet heart, creating family blocks for a grandchild, and adding pages to an annual friends’ trip album.

How To Create An Accordion Mini-Album

1. Choose a 12x12 sheet of cardstock or patterned paper.

2. Cut the paper into three, 4x12 strips.

3. Score and fold each strip 4 inches from the short edges so it folds to a 4x4 square. Be sure to fold each scored line both ways!

4. Connect the three paper strips together to create one long strip by either
   Overlapping & adhering 4x4 sections or by adhering a 2x4 piece of scrap paper to create a hinge between sections.

5. Fold the sections back and forth to create an accordion album.

6. Fold one of the end sections over and adhere it to create a double layer cover. (Front and/or Back)

7. To add a window with a photo to the cover, cut a window and add photo before adhering the sections for the double cover.

8. Cut a piece of ribbon long enough to go around the 4x4 album and be tied in a bow. Fold the ribbon in half and adhere the ribbon to the back cover of the album (center of ribbon in center of cover) using adhesive or brads.

9. Add photos & enjoy!

Bonus IDEA: Create pockets by adhering another piece of paper over the original strips before connecting the strips. Do not apply adhesive along top edge, so when album is accordion folded each section is also a pocket—Thanks Lisamarie!

LYS Member Spotlight

Theresa Erwin followed Stacy’s instructions and made this small accordion booklet. Stacy used brads to hold the ribbon on, but she used adhesive only and overlapped whole panels instead of using scrap paper for hinges. Theresa’s ribbon measures 26.5 inches (67.3cm) to have the big bow loops, and the final album stretched out is 4” tall by 27.5” wide (with front cover panel fully open) (approx 10.2cm x 70cm).

Theresa loves that in the LYS membership, she can join in when she can & it feels like she’s picking up right where she left off. There’s no pressure that last month’s topics & projects have to be done to participate in the current month. For example, this quarter there’s an extended story project. Uhm, yeah…. So she hasn’t even started trying to plan this out because she’s been busy with a new job. So instead she worked on her Valentine’s wall hanging in order to finish it & get it ready to pack up until next year. Play Dates are some of her favorite events because she enjoys the camaraderie as we work on our projects “apart but together.”

Theresa was introduced to scrapbooking by her sister-in-law in 1999 and consistently enjoys the interplay that occurs when past meets present. Those connections drove her interest in genealogy, and she enjoys documenting the stories she finds to share with her extended family. She has been a Stacy Julian devotee since the earliest days of Simple Scrapbooks, which started when she was deep into residency. With no time for eating/sleeping, and definitely no energy for scrapbooking, the magazine became a tiny lifeline reminding Theresa there was more to life than only pediatric medicine. She’s met Stacy in person twice and (depending on the ancestor) can claim 10th or 12th “cousin-ship” with her!

LYS Member Spotlight

Today she and Brenda Firsich are doing the Live Your Story membership together! The LYS lives are one of Debbie’s favorite parts because we get to hear what others are working on, struggling with, and conquering. She says it’s like “being in Vegas & hearing all the winning slot machines ringing” because of all the ideas that come from everyone!

Debbie’s passion throughout her life has been horses. Her mother said she never really walked, she just galloped and always pretended to be riding a horse through the house. She is excited to start her Extended Story, which is going to be a HUGE project beginning at approximately age 4 (1958) through 2017. It will cover the horses she’s owned and the connections they have brought to her throughout her life.

Stacy has given Debbie the guidance and confidence to get started on this project. She has a box containing photos, papers and embellishments that she’s been collecting for years. She’s uncovered a treasure trove of memories going through old photo albums - one favorite is a photo of her dear grandmother taken in 1928! Debbie is hoping to curate a lifetime of memories for her grandchildren to read about through this Extended Story project, and she is grateful for all that Stacy does to inspire us to continue to tell our stories!

Your Turn!

If you haven’t yet started, print the Extended Story worksheet & jot down some ideas for a story. You’ll find this worksheet on the WINTER page of the membership!

If you have a start on your Extended Story, set a timer for 15 minutes & complete one task (find or print photos, gather papers & washi tape, write or type one story card, etc).

And don’t forget: Grab a piece of 12x12 cardstock or patterned paper and create an accordion album.

Happy Scrappin' Y'all!

P.S. You can find the Play Date mini-class replay HERE!

A NOTE from Stacy …