allyson joy

my ode to the mini ~ mini album that is ~ not to be confused with the mini dress ~ mini tank ~ mini skirt ~ or any other mini article of the clothing that might look like a train wreck on my post baby body!! let me start by saying, i love me some 12 X 12 albums. there is no denying that,,, here is proof.... and YES, most of those albums are full to the brim with pages (layouts), but there are two albums that need more pages.

so anyway ~ i actually started my amazing journey of scrapbooking using solely 12 X 12 layouts and albums. but soon after my journey began, i came in contact with my latest obsession ~ the mini album!! so often when i am creating a mini album in the craft area of my favorite scrapbook store, i am asked by customers ~ whom are looking for inspiration ~ "who is that mini album for". my response?? "ME". people seem to think that if its a mini, its automatically a gift. now dont get me wrong, i do give mini albums as gifts ~ and with out fail, they are a tear jerking hit, but i mostly create minis for myself ~ or me and my family. and when i do create a mini for a gift, i create two at a time,,, one for me ~ and one for the lucky recipient of my latest creation. that goes for classes that i take too, i will buy an extra kit if i feel like someone else might want a copy. the next question?? "well, where do you store them?"..... scroll down and i will show you a few spots that have become homes for my mini albums......here is my entry way to my house. we have the typical entry way table, and on the bottom shelf, you will notice a little bird cage. i loved this little bird cage in the store (target) and knew it would work perfectly to showcase my favorite (at the time ~ because i do rotate) mini albums.

a candice mclean mini album class happens to be at the front of the little stash at the moment.

another location for my much adored mini album collection is this beautiful ~ if you ask me ~ trunk i got for 40% off at joanns. i love this little location because when we have guests, they know where exactly to go to check out my latest, and they do. they will spend hours searching through all of my albums loving every minute of it. the best part is that each album is themed, and that memory is right there in the palm of their hands.

and of course, because i also like to place them here or there, that is exactly where they land... on my desk, or on top of my printer, sometimes they stay put there for a while, and thats okay too.