Christmas Mini Album Covers Started...

Ever get one of those crafting days where everything goes wrong? Apart from still sneezing glitter, I've had a really frustrating craft day. It started off with me deciding that this Christmas Mini is definitely going to be finished by the end of August - so I made each page and had a few boo-boos where pages had to be re-done and I cut my finger (ouchies!)... every mistake was due to my own fault and lack of concentration. Did I take the hint when little drops of blood were dripping onto my pretty craft paper (I'm a bit of a bleeder *lol*)? NO! I just put a plaster on it and carried on. Possibly a mistake, methinks *lol*
So, basics of the pages finished, and I start to think about the covers. I cut out the front and back cover from chipboard, wrapped the front cover, and then punched holes on the wrong side! Well, no biggie I guess - the paper isn't directional, so I'll just use it as the back cover instead. Only one last sheet of the paper left that I wanted for the front cover... no mistakes allowed this time! I covered the (new) front cover, and carefully punched holes in the right places this time! WooHoo! Looking good :) I try out the covers for size - and they fit perfectly. I put the mini in the Christmas House box I'd made just to make sure of the sizing... and discover that the covers are about a sixteenth of an inch too wide, and the roof doesn't fit on properly! Disaster! Everything can be rectified if you get to it in time - it's not as if I'd used super-glue to stick the papers down with. Might as well have done though - that Scor-Tape is strong stuff after a few minutes of being stuck down *lol*
I really did try to peel back the papers and cut down the chipboard... but every effort failed. So, in a sulky stroppy hissy-fit, I decided to just lop off the last eighth of an inch off of each cover. NOT a good idea really, as now I had rough edges to the covers! I couldn't turn them around because they didn't fit properly if I swapped the back and front covers. Darn it! thought I...

Ahhhh... "darn it"... the idea starts forming that, possibly, I could use some of the lovely lace I've recently bought, and darn it to the chipboard to make an edge all around the mini and cover my mistake. So I chose some beautiful cream lace and oh so carefully sewed it around the outer edges of the book after covering the ends with a little leftover paper. Two hours it took for me to sew the lace onto the covers. And I didn't like it. I unpicked the lot, and changed the lace to a pretty blue coloured trim I had. An hour and a half later, and the lace was all done... and I had a little blister on my middle finger from all that sewing into chipboard! Note to self... USE A THIMBLE!

I do like the results though... and the blue lace brings out the blue flashes of colour in the papers... so pretty!

So... here's my huge mstake, covered up with blood, sweat, tears... and lace *lol* (excuse the nails... split another one!) ...

Front cover...Covered edge of the mini

Front cover. The charms were made from a Christmas ornament (29pence) that I took apart, and part of one of the 99pence pair of beaded/jewelled curtain tiebacks I bought recently - told you I'd make use of them *lol*

Front cover, inside. The front and back covers are basically the same... and I'm quite pleased with my neat sewing, even if it is on show when I open my mini-album

Had to add this... just to finish off the bungling crafting day, I accidentally wrote this post out onto the wrong blog after being signed into You-Tube with another google account name! I didn't notice at all until I 'previewed' the post *lol* Another 40 minutes wasted... well, at least it's done - and tomorrow (well, later on today) it's craft night at Pickwells! Yay!