Creating a Shabby Chic Pocket Page Album with Prima Marketing
Pocket page albums don't have to be modern style. They can be shabby chic too! Plus, have you ever thought of using Prima Marketing products in a pocket page album?
In my latest YouTube video for Scrapbook.com, I show you some techniques for creating a shabby chic album using Prima Marketing's In the Moment collection.
I also share how to add a touch of mixed media to your pages as well as my thoughts on the creative process.
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My goal for this particular tutorial and project, is to show you what could be considered some unexpected elements in a pocket page album.
Pocket page albums are generally thought of as modern because of their grid design. But that doesn't mean you can't style it in a way that you love, including creating a shabby chic look or adding in touches of mixed media.
Unexpected Design Elements
That first element is adding some modeling paste through a stencil on the background papers. This just adds a touch of mixed media texture.
Another way to get out of the box, so to speak, with pocket pages, is to add distressing to your papers. I love to use Sizzix's Surfacez Multi-Tool for this. The distressing tool can be used on the edges of your paper to create that distinctly shabby chic vibe.
One more unexpected element for pocket page albums is to add stitching to the base papers you insert into each pocket. This adds a fun handmade touch that is shabby chic. I like to leave the threads long, but you can trim them down if you want a cleaner look.
Elements and Products Perfect for Pocket Page Albums
Some of the Prima Marketing products that I think work well in pocket pages includes papers, journaling cards, ephemera, stickers, chipboard stickers and the less dimensional flowers, like the In No Time flowers from the In the Moment collection.
These elements are perfect for adding layers without adding bulk. This way you can fit as many pages in as possible.
I also like to die cut a bunch of elements to have on hand, keeping them in the Stack-n-Sort trays so I can just shuffle through them while creating my pages. I cut these dies from both patterned paper and solid cardstock for a variety. In this project, I used the Boho Smooth Cardstock from Scrapbook.com as it pairs nicely with the Prima Marketing In the Moment collection.
I always die cut a bunch of circles as these are perfect for building little embellishment clusters on. But some other dies you might want to use include tabs, leaf sprigs, flowers, butterflies, bows or hearts (I have all of the ones I used listed at the bottom of this article). You can also chose themed dies if your album has a specific theme.
Stamps are also perfect for adding sentiments. The In the Moment ephemera has some sentiments, but stamping adds some variety. I like to stamp with Distress Oxides that coordinate with my collection, but you should use whichever ink you love best!
You can use a stamping platform if you want, but slightly imperfect stamped images are perfectly fine for shabby chic style. So I just used a little stamp block along with the Scrapbook.com Sweet Expressions stamp set. I like tot trim my stamped sentiments down into a little flag that I add to embellishment clusters.
All of these embellishments can be added together in little clusters to create layers, either adding them inside the pockets by adhering them to the base layer papers, or you can glue it to the outside of the pocket protectors.
Adhesives You'll Want on Hand
For adhesives, I like to use a few different types. The first is adhesive rollers. I like to use a combination of the regular and the dotted adhesive rollers from Scrapbook.com.
The regular adhesive roller is permanent, making it perfect for adhering photos down on mats as you know you probably won't be adjusting these layers. It's also great for adhering embellishment clusters on to the outside of a pocket page.
However I like to use the dotted adhesive for adhering paper elements down to my base layer papers. This adhesive has some work time before it becomes permanent, giving you the ability to adjust your elements on the page if needed.
The other type of adhesive I like to use is 1mm thick foam adhesive. This adds just a touch of dimension without adding too much bulk. It's perfect for popping up elements on both the base paper layers, embellishment clusters you build on circle die cuts, and for adding embellishments onto the outside of the pocket page.
Finally, the other glue I like to use is liquid adhesive. For this project, I used Scrapbook.com's Artis Glue. This is great for layered die cuts, adhering down delicate dies such as leaf sprigs, or gluing down little paper flowers from Prima.
Thoughts on the Creative Process
Finally, I'd like to share some of my thoughts on the creative process for a pocket page album. It's okay to work on your pages in a non-linear fashion. Creativity is, after all, often non-linear.
So go with the flow and allow yourself the ability to jump forward or backward as inspiration strikes. For me, that is often finding an element that would work perfectly on a particular page. This is one of the reasons I like to plan out all of my base paper layers and where each photo goes before I start embellishing the pages!
Going with the creative flow can help relieve some of that pressure to create for creation's sake--like meeting a deadline you gave yourself, or the pressure to come up with new ideas. This can make creating feel like a chore and takes the fun out of it.
Allowing creativity to take the lead can help you better enjoy the moment and the process of making things. Paper crafting isn't just about the end result--but the journey you take while creating.
I hope that this tutorial and project makes you feel like Prima Marketing's products are more accessible, and that they aren't just for mixed media. I also hope that it inspires you to get out of the "modern gird" box and create unexpected elements in your pocket page album with mixed media or shabby chic touches. Until next time, happy crafting!
Adrienne
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Below are products that I used for this project.
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