Hi, crafty friend! I absolutely love the Sizzix Snap & Swap technology! It gives you flexibility and freedom to create how you want by switching out cutting and embossing edges to create custom projects. 

Sizzix has already released several Thinlit sets with this technology and the most recent is the Snap and Swap Journal. Let's make a little junk journal with this Thinlit set. As always, I've got all of the supplies I used listed at the bottom of this blog for you.

Trim some patterned papers to fit the size of the main journal piece. This is the large rectangle base with the open notches ("swapping slots") that you can place the various cutting edges and embossing line in. Hold the main journal piece in place with some low tack tape (such as Mint Tape or Maker's Tape). 

Select the embossing line swappable piece. This is the one with the straight edge that is less deep and doesn't go from edge to edge--you'll see it ends just before it gets to the 2 shorter cutting edges on either side that snap into the open slots on the rectangle. The cutting pieces has a deeper line on the long side and goes edge-to-edge with the side pieces. (See photo below for comparison of the two.) Insert this embossing line in the swapping slots at the center of the rectangle and hold it in place with low tack tape.

Then take one of the pretty decorative cutting edge swappable pieces and place it in the slots closest to the edge of the rectangle, also holding it in place with low tack tape. This should leave you with the two open slots in the center. Fill them with the double cutting edges--this is just a piece that fills in the two slots with the shorter cutting edges, completing the cut line along the long edges of the rectangle. Hold both of these in place with low tack tape and send it through your die cut machine. 

You should end up with a page that has a straight edge on three of the sides, an embossed line in the center for folding, and a decorative edge on one short side of the page. Create two more of these by changing out only the decorative cutting edge. 

To create the pockets, take the embossing line piece out and replace it with the straight cutting edge, holding it in place with low tack tape. This piece has some rounded corners as that straight long cutting edge merges with the shorter cutting sides. Place this piece so the rounded corners point toward the open side of the rectangle with no swapping slots. 

Then remove the double cutting edges. Take two of the single cutting edges and place one in each of the next slots over from the straight cutting edge on either side of the rectangle base piece, holding them both in place with low tack tape.

Then in the next slot set, add one of the decorative edges using low tack tape. Above this is the final set of slots closest to the short edge of the rectangle base piece. Add in another set of the single cutting edges to finish the long edge of the journal base piece. 

Place this onto another piece of patterned paper, letting the open, non-notched piece of the journal base piece hang over the edge of your paper--you won't need this side (see photo below for reference). Send this through your die cut machine and remove the pocket piece with the decorative edge. You can hang on to the extra piece that it cuts (the piece between the decorative edge and the short side of the journal) to use as an edger piece for this or a different project. 

Add some stenciled detail using the Petal Play stencil and a Distress Ink. I used Ground Espresso and a small blending brush. I tried the blending foam with my Sizzix Making Tool, but the foam kept sticking on pointy edges of the stencil when blending, so I definitely recommend a brush for this particular stencil.  

I held my pages and pockets in place in the Sticky Grid of my Sizzix Stencil and Stamp Tool and loaded the stencil directly to the notches at the top of the tool. If you don't have this tool, but you have a magnetic glass craft mat, you can use some magnets to hold your paper and stencil still while ink blending, or you can use a photopolymer sticky mat. 

Next, fold your pages at the score line using a bone folder. Then place your pocket on the page with the straight edge, lining up the straight edge of the pocket with the fold of the page. Hold the pocket in place with low tack tape. 

Use your sewing machine to stitch the pocket to the page, leaving the decorative edge open, sewing along the short sides and the edge that meets the fold on the page. Then add some decorative sewing to any of the edges of the pages that you want. 

Place each page within the next--this will create a cover and 2 plain pages, then 3 pages with the pockets, with the final pocket page also creating the back cover. Open the book up to the center and then sew directly along the fold to attach all of the pages together. 

My book popped open when set down, so to help keep it closed, I created a button-and-string mechanism. This is the two circles with the string that you wind between the two--like those on document envelopes that close the flap on the envelope. 

Punch out four 1/2 inch circles (or two if the paper you are using is super thick). Using the Sweet Sprigs Stamp and Framelit set, stamp out the tiny flower 2 times using embossing ink. Apply an embossing powder (I used Ranger's Super Fine Gold) and heat set the powder with your Sizzix Heat Tool. 

Die cut the flowers out with the matching Framelit using your Sidekick or other die cut machine. Then cut two more flower shapes with the Framelit. 

For the button for the front, glue one stamped and embossed flower to the non-stamped flower shape. Then glue this layered flower shape to the center of one of the circles. Then glue the second circle the back of the first circle. Punch a hole in the center of this button for an eyelet. 

For the button on the back, glue the other embossed flower to a circle. Then glue the final circle to the back of that circle. Punch a hole in the center. Add a dot of liquid adhesive near the hole and place one end of a piece of twine or string in the glue. Punch a hole in the final non-embossed flower shape and then add glue to the back of it and line the hole up on it, with the hole on the piece with the string attached to it, covering the edge of the string up. 

Punch a holes on the front and back covers of your journal--it may help to put the buttons over the cover and trace the hole so you know where to punch a hole in your journal covers. Add the button  with the string to the back by lining up the holes and setting an eyelet, attaching the button to the back cover. Then do the same, attaching the other button to the front. To close your album, simply wrap the cord around the buttons, going back and forth between the two.  Cut off any excess twine and knot the end so it doesn't fray. 

Now for all the decorations! I stamped, embossed and die cut several of the medium flowers and the leaves from the Sweet Sprigs set to decorate the cover of the album with and to add some to the inside of the album. Die cut a couple of the lacy butterflies from this set as well from patterned paper. 

For the outside of the album, I attached these die cut pieces using some foam adhesive of varying thickness to help layer them together. For extra dimension, use your fingers to shape the petals and leaves a bit before gluing them in place. Add a few gems to the cover. 

For the inside, I also used the Creative Combos Stamp and Framelit set. I created a tag for each pocket by stamping on patterned paper using Distress Archival Ink in Ground Espresso. Then I cut the tag out (and the hole reinforcer) with the Framelits. Also stamp out and die cut the 2 labels from the Build-a-Frame Stamp and Framelit set. 

Glue the hole reinforcer to the top center of the tag and then punch through that hole to go through the tag piece. Add some twine to the top of each tag. 

I also cut out the small torn spiral notebook paper piece from patterned paper to create embellishment clusters on, as well as die cut the largest circle from the Tim Holtz Stacked Tiles Circles Thinlit set--you can also use a larger circle punch for this if you like. 

Create embellishment clusters in your junk journal using the die cut flowers, butterflies, torn paper die cuts, circles, labels, chipboard stickers and gems. Then add a 3x4 journaling notecard and the one of the tags to each pocket. 

I definitely recommend keeping the foam adhesive inside the album to 1mm thick so your album doesn't bulge out too much when closed, especially if you are using chipboard stickers like I did. And I would only use it on a maximum of 1 to 2 elements per embellishment cluster.  So for the embellishment cluster in the photo above, I adhered the torn paper die cut directly to the journal page with runner adhesive. Then I added the flower ephemera with 1mm thick foam, then added the die cut label with runner adhesive and added the chipboard sticker directly to the label. 

And that's it! You have a sweet little junk journal mini album that you can flip through and just enjoy all the ephemeral goodness. I could also see this junk journal perfect for holding some small photos (3x4 or smaller) as well as making a good swatch journal! Let me know in the comments below what you would use the journal template/tutorial for, and until next time, happy crafting!

Adrienne

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Below are products that I used for this project.