I love making small albums to cherish the special moments of our lives. The Prima 8x8 Canvas Album just "spoke" to me the minute I saw it. The fabric is incredible, the possibilities endless and the 8x8 size is just right so as not to be overwhelming.
The canvas album has a beautiful canvas cover and inside are 5 canvas inserts and 5 page protector inserts.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to be exploring a lot of fabulous techniques and I hope you'll join me. Each page will be unique and you can create an album the same as mine or use it for a jumping off point for your own ideas. I'll give you a few more details on that at the end of this post.
I'm starting off my album with the first idea that came to me looking at the canvas album. Fabric is great for stitching on. My album is going to be a tribute album of my mom. I've been wanting to go back and do this for a while now and it's a wonderful way for me to remember my mom.
To start working on a page, first remove the canvas from the album. The album is held together with ribbons through the grommet holes.
I pulled out a gorgeous assortment of ribbon, twill and trims to stitch onto my page. Because I have small black and white photos and this page is of my mom as a little girl, I chose soft muted trims that really highlight the beauty of their textures. I then cut them to the size I wanted and laid out a design that I liked on the canvas.
The canvas pages are a stitched double weight but I was really impressed with how easy it was to stitch on my trim. I used a soft ecru thread and zig zag stitched the trim in place.
Now I know that some will have questions on the reverse of the canvas. Those stitching lines. I actually like the soft texture and pattern they add the reverse and don't feel as though they will take away from my design on the other side. If you don't care for this look, don't worry, I have a few solutions for you in some upcoming tutorials.
The last part of my project was to stitch on the photos and then embellish the page. The Webster's Pages Whimsy Threads and Silhouettes added just the right soft vintage flavor to work with my design.
If you're looking to get started on this album, start by gathering the photos you wish to use. Perhaps a heritage, baby, wedding or even Christmas album would be wonderful. If you plan on using old photos, I suggest you scan or have them reprinted. It's always a good idea to keep those treasured originals somewhere safe.
To give you time to gather materials if you wish to join me, I'll be posting the Canvas Album Part two Tutorial, two weeks from today. Over the next few posts, I'll be using some Studio Paint in a couple of coordinating colors, Multi-Medium Gloss, & Sticky Back Canvas.
Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and happy creating!
